Persistent unequal sex ratio in a population of grayling (salmonidae) and possible role of temperature increase.

In some fishes, water chemistry or temperature affects sex determination or creates sex-specific selection pressures. The resulting population sex ratios are hard to predict from laboratory studies if the environmental triggers interact with other factors, whereas in field studies, singular observations of unusual sex ratios may be particularly prone to selective reporting. Long-term monitoring largely avoids these problems. We studied a population of grayling (Thymallus thymallus) in Lake Thun, Switzerland, that has been monitored since 1948. Samples of spawning fish have been caught about 3 times/week around spawning season, and water temperature at the spawning site has been continuously recorded since 1970. We used scale samples collected in different years to determine the average age of spawners (for life-stage specific analyses) and to identify the cohort born in 2003 (an extraordinarily warm year). Recent tissue samples were genotyped on microsatellite markers to test for genetic bottlenecks in the past and to estimate the genetically effective population size (N(e) ). Operational sex ratios changed from approximately 65% males before 1993 to approximately 85% males from 1993 to 2011. Sex ratios correlated with the water temperatures the fish experienced in their first year of life. Sex ratios were best explained by the average temperature juvenile fish experienced during their first summer. Grayling abundance is declining, but we found no evidence of a strong genetic bottleneck that would explain the apparent lack of evolutionary response to the unequal sex ratio. Results of other studies show no evidence of endocrine disruptors in the study area. Our findings suggest temperature affects population sex ratio and thereby contributes to population decline. Persistencia de Proporción de Sexos Desigual en una Población de Tímalos (Salmonidae) y el Posible Papel del Incremento de la Temperatura.

European Stroke Organisation (ESO) guidelines for the management of temperature in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Hyperthermia is a frequent complication in patients with acute ischemic stroke. On the other hand, therapeutically induced hypothermia has shown promising potential in animal models of focal cerebral ischemia. This Guideline Document presents the European Stroke Organisation guidelines for the management of temperature in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group identified related questions and developed its recommendations based on evidence from randomized controlled trials elaborating the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. This Guideline Document was reviewed within the European Stroke Organisation and externally and was approved by the European Stroke Organisation Guidelines Committee and the European Stroke Organisation Executive Committee. RESULTS: We found low-quality evidence, and therefore, we cannot make any recommendation for treating hyperthermia as a means to improve functional outcome and/or survival in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hyperthermia; moderate evidence to suggest against routine prevention of hyperthermia with antipyretics as a means to improve functional outcome and/or survival in patients with acute ischemic stroke and normothermia; very low-quality evidence to suggest against routine induction of hypothermia as a means to improve functional outcome and/or survival in patients with acute ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The currently available data about the management of temperature in patients with acute ischemic stroke are limited, and the strengths of the recommendations are therefore weak. We call for new randomized controlled trials as well as recruitment of eligible patients to ongoing randomized controlled trials to allow for better-informed recommendations in the future.

Understanding the low-temperature limitations to forest growth through calibration of a forest dynamics model with tree-ring data

The sensitivity of altitudinal and latitudinal tree-line ecotones to climate change, particularly that of temperature, has received much attention. To improve our understanding of the factors affecting tree-line position, we used the spatially explicit dynamic forest model TreeMig. Although well-suited because of its landscape dynamics functions, TreeMig features a parabolic temperature growth response curve, which has recently been questioned. and the species parameters are not specifically calibrated for cold temperatures. Our main goals were to improve the theoretical basis of the temperature growth response curve in the model and develop a method for deriving that curve's parameters from tree-ring data. We replaced the parabola with an asymptotic curve, calibrated for the main species at the subalpine (Swiss Alps: Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, Picea abies) and boreal (Fennoscandia: Pinus sylvestris, Betula pubescens, P. abies) tree-lines. After fitting new parameters, the growth curve matched observed tree-ring widths better. For the subalpine species, the minimum degree-day sum allowing, growth (kDDMin) was lowered by around 100 degree-days; in the case of Larix, the maximum potential ring-width was increased to 5.19 mm. At the boreal tree-line, the kDDMin for P. sylvestris was lowered by 210 degree-days and its maximum ring-width increased to 2.943 mm; for Betula (new in the model) kDDMin was set to 325 degree-days and the maximum ring-width to 2.51 mm; the values from the only boreal sample site for Picea were similar to the subalpine ones, so the same parameters were used. However, adjusting the growth response alone did not improve the model's output concerning species' distributions and their relative importance at tree-line. Minimum winter temperature (MinWiT, mean of the coldest winter month), which controls seedling establishment in TreeMig, proved more important for determining distribution. Picea, P. sylvestris and Betula did not previously have minimum winter temperature limits, so these values were set to the 95th percentile of each species' coldest MinWiT site (respectively -7, -11, -13). In a case study for the Alps, the original and newly calibrated versions of TreeMig were compared with biomass data from the National Forest Inventor), (NFI). Both models gave similar, reasonably realistic results. In conclusion, this method of deriving temperature responses from tree-rings works well. However, regeneration and its underlying factors seem more important for controlling species' distributions than previously thought. More research on regeneration ecology, especially at the upper limit of forests. is needed to improve predictions of tree-line responses to climate change further.

Late Cretaceous to Eocene geology of the South Central American forearc area (southern Costa Rica and western Panama) : initiation and evolution of an intra-oceanic convergent margin

Résumé : L'arc volcanique du sud de l'Amérique Centrale se situe sur la marge SW de la Plaque Caraïbe, au-dessus des plaques subduites de Cocos et Nazca. Il s'agit de l'un des arcs intra-océaniques les plus étudiés au monde, qui est généralement considéré comme s'étant développé à la fin du Crétacé le long d'un plateau océanique (le Plateau Caraïbe ou CLIP) et se trouvant actuellement dans un régime de subduction érosive. Au cours des dernières décennies, des efforts particuliers ont été faits pour comprendre les processus liés à la subduction sur la base d'études géophysiques et géochimiques. Au sud du Costa Rica et à l'ouest du Panama, des complexes d'accrétions et structures à la base de l'arc volcanique ont été exposés grâce à la subduction de rides asismiques et de failles transformantes. Des affleurements, situés jusqu'à seulement 15 km de la fosse, offrent une possibilité unique de mieux comprendre quelques uns des processus ayant lieu le long de la zone de subduction. Nous présentons de nouvelles contraintes sur l'origine de ces affleurements en alliant une étude de terrain poussée, de nouvelles données géochimiques, sédimentaires et paléontologiques, ainsi que des observations structurales effectuées en télédétection. Une nouvelle stratigraphie tectonique entre le Campanien et l'Éocène est définie pour la région d'avant-arc située entre la Péninsule d'Osa (Costa Rica) et la Péninsule d'Azuero (Panama). Nos résultats montrent que la partie externe de la marge est composée d'un arrangement complexe de roches ignées et de séquences sédimentaires de recouvrement qui comprennent principalement le socle de l'arc, des roches d'arc primitif, des fragments de monts sous-marins accrétés et des mélanges d'accrétion. Des preuves sont données pour le développement de l'arc volcanique du sud de l'Amérique Centrale sur un plateau océanique. Le début de la subduction le long de la marge SW de la Plaque Caraïbe a eu lieu au Campanien et a généré des roches d'arc primitif caractérisées par des affinités géochimiques particulières, globalement intermédiaires entre des affinités de plateau et d'arc insulaire. L'arc était mature au Maastrichtien et formait un isthme essentiellement continu entre l'Amérique du Nord et l'Amérique du Sud. Ceci a permis la migration de faunes terrestres entre les Amériques et pourrait avoir contribué à la crise fin Crétacé -Tertiaire en réduisant les courants océaniques subéquatoriaux entre le Pacifique et l'Atlantique. Plusieurs unités composées de fragments de monts sous-marins accrétés sont définies. La nature et l'arrangement structural de ces unités définissent de nouvelles contraintes sur les modes d'accrétion des monts sous-marins/îles océaniques et sur l'évolution de la marge depuis la formation de la zone de subduction. Entre la fin du Crétacé et l'Éocène moyen, la marge a enregistré plusieurs épisodes ponctuels d'accrétion de monts sous-marins alternant avec de la subduction érosive. A l'Éocène moyen, un événement tectonique régional pourrait avoir causé un fort couplage entre les plaques supérieure et inférieure, menant à des taux plus important d'accrétion de monts sous-marins. Durant cette période, la situation le long de la marge était très semblable à la situation actuelle et caractérisée par la présence de monts sous-marins subductants et l'absence d'accrétion de sédiments. L'enregistrement géologique montre qu'il n'est pas possible d'attribuer une nature érosive ou accrétionnaire à la marge dans le passé ou -par analogie- aujourd'hui, parce que (1) les processus d'accrétion et érosifs varient fortement spatialement et temporellement et (2) il est impossible d'évaluer la quantité exacte de matériel tectoniquement enlevé à la marge depuis le début de la subduction. Au sud du Costa Rica, certains fragments de monts sous-marins accrétés sont représentatifs d'une interaction entre une ride et un point chaud dans le Pacifique au Crétacé terminal/Paléocène. L'existence de ces fragments de monts sous-marins et la morphologie du fond de l'Océan Pacifique indiquent que la formation de la ride de Cocos-Nazca s'est formée au moins ~40 Ma avant l'âge proposé par les modèles tectoniques actuels. Au Panama, nous avons identifié une île océanique d'âge début Éocène qui a été accrétée à l'Éocène moyen. L'accrétion a eu lieu à très faible profondeur par détachement de l'île dans la fosse, et a mené à une exceptionnelle préservation des structures volcaniques. Des affleurement comprenant aussi bien des parties basses et hautes de l'édifice volcanique on été étudiées, depuis la phase sous-marine bouclier jusqu'à la phase subaérienne post-bouclier. La stratigraphie nous a permis de différencier les laves de la phase sous-marine de celles de la phase subaérienne. La composition des laves indique une diminution progressive de l'intensité de la fusion partielle de la source et une diminution de la température des laves produites durant les derniers stades de l'activité volcanique. Nous interprétons ces changements comme étant liés à l'éloignement progressif de l'île océanique de la zone de fusion ou point chaud. Abstract The southern Central American volcanic front lies on the SW edge of the Caribbean Plate, inboard of the subducting Cocos and Nazca Plates. It is one of the most studied intra-oceanic convergent margins around the world, which is generally interpreted to have developed in the late Cretaceous along an oceanic plateau (the Caribbean Large Igneous Province or CLIP) and to be currently undergoing a regime of subduction erosion. In the last decades a particular effort has been made to understand subduction-related processes on the basis of geophysical and geochemical studies. In southern Costa Rica and western Panama accretionary complexes and structures at the base of the volcanic front have been exposed in response to subduction of aseismic ridges and transforms. Onland exposures are located as close as to 15 km from the trench and provide a unique opportunity to better understand some of the processes occurring along the subduction zone. We provide new constraints on the origins of these exposures by integrating a comprehensive field work, new geochemical, sedimentary and paleontological data, as well as structural observations based on remote imaging. A new Campanian to Eocene tectonostratigraphy is defined for the forearc area located between the Osa Peninsula (Costa Rica) and the Azuero Peninsula (Panama). Our results show that the outer margin is composed of a complicated arrangement of igneous complexes and overlapping sedimentary sequences that essentially comprise an arc basement, primitive island-arc rocks, accreted seamount fragments and accretionary mélanges. Evidences are provided for the development of the southern Central American arc on the top an oceanic plateau. The subduction initiation along the SW edge of the Caribbean Plate occurred in the Campanian and led to formation of primitive island-arc rocks characterized by unusual geochemical affinities broadly intermediate between plateau and arc affinities. The arc was mature in the Maastrichtian and was forming a predominantly continuous landbridge between the North and South Americas. This allowed migration of terrestrial fauna between the Americas and may have contributed to the Cretaceous-Tertiary crisis by limiting trans-equatorial oceanic currents between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Several units composed of accreted seamount fragments are defined. The nature of the units and their structural arrangement provide new constraints on the modes of accretion of seamounts/oceanic islands and on the evolution of the margin since subduction initiation. Between the late Cretaceous and the middle Eocene, the margin recorded several local episodes of seamount accretion alternating with tectonic erosion. In the middle Eocene a regional tectonic event may have triggered strong coupling between the overriding and subducting plates, leading to higher rates of seamount accretion. During this period the situation along the margin was very similar to the present and characterized by subducting seamounts and absence of sediment accretion. The geological record shows that it is not possible to ascribe an overall erosive or accretionary nature to the margin in the past and, by analogy, today, because (1) accretionary and erosive processes exhibit significant lateral and temporal variations and (2) it is impossible to estimate the exact amount of material tectonically eroded from the margin since subduction initiation. In southern Costa Rica, accreted seamount fragments point toward a plume-ridge interaction in the Pacific in the late Cretaceous/Paleocene. This occurrence of accreted seamount fragments and morphology of the Pacific Ocean floor is indicative of the formation of the Cocos-Nazca spreading system at least ~40 Ma prior to the age proposed in current tectonic models. In Panama, we identified a remarkably-well preserved early Eocene oceanic island that accreted in the middle Eocene. The accretion probably occurred at very shallow depth by detachment of the island in the trench and led to an exceptional preservation of the volcanic structures. Exposures of both deep and superficial parts of the volcanic edifice have been studied, from the submarine-shield to subaerial-postshield stages. The stratigraphy allowed us to distinguish lavas produced during the submarine and subaerial stages. The lava compositions likely define a progressive diminution of source melting and a decrease in the temperature of erupted melts in the latest stages of volcanic activity. We interpret these changes to primarily reflect the progressive migration of the oceanic island out of the melting region or hotspot.

Decoupled evolution of floral traits and climatic preferences in a clade of Neotropical Gesneriaceae.

BACKGROUND: Major factors influencing the phenotypic diversity of a lineage can be recognized by characterizing the extent and mode of trait evolution between related species. Here, we compared the evolutionary dynamics of traits associated with floral morphology and climatic preferences in a clade composed of the genera Codonanthopsis, Codonanthe and Nematanthus (Gesneriaceae). To test the mode and specific components that lead to phenotypic diversity in this group, we performed a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of combined nuclear and plastid DNA sequences and modeled the evolution of quantitative traits related to flower shape and size and to climatic preferences. We propose an alternative approach to display graphically the complex dynamics of trait evolution along a phylogenetic tree using a wide range of evolutionary scenarios. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated heterogeneous trait evolution. Floral shapes displaced into separate regimes selected by the different pollinator types (hummingbirds versus insects), while floral size underwent a clade-specific evolution. Rates of evolution were higher for the clade that is hummingbird pollinated and experienced flower resupination, compared with species pollinated by bees, suggesting a relevant role of plant-pollinator interactions in lowland rainforest. The evolution of temperature preferences is best explained by a model with distinct selective regimes between the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and the other biomes, whereas differentiation along the precipitation axis was characterized by higher rates, compared with temperature, and no regime or clade-specific patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows different selective regimes and clade-specific patterns in the evolution of morphological and climatic components during the diversification of Neotropical species. Our new graphical visualization tool allows the representation of trait trajectories under parameter-rich models, thus contributing to a better understanding of complex evolutionary dynamics.

Example of Data Telemetry for Biomedical Applications: An In Vivo Experiment

This letter describes a data telemetry biomedical experiment. An implant, consisting of a biometric data sensor, electronics, an antenna, and a biocompatible capsule, is described. All the elements were co-designed in order to maximize the transmission distance. The device was implanted in a pig for an in vivo experiment of temperature monitoring.

Time and temperature dependant changes in red blood cell analytes used for testing recombinant erythropoietin abuse in sports.

There has been a long debate since the introduction of blood analysis prior to major sports events, to find out whether blood samples should be analysed right away on the site of competition or whether they should be transported and analysed in an anti-doping laboratory. Therefore, it was necessary to measure blood samples and compare the results obtained right after the blood withdrawal with those obtained after a few hours delay. Furthermore, it was interesting to determine the effect of temperature on the possible deterioration of red blood cell analytes used for testing recombinant erythropoietin abuse. Healthy volunteers were asked to give two blood samples and one of these was kept at room temperature whereas the second one was put into a refrigerator. On a regular basis, the samples were rolled for homogenisation and temperature stabilisation and were analysed with the same haematological apparatus. The results confirmed that blood controls prior to competition should be performed as soon as possible with standardised pre-analytical conditions to avoid too many variations notably on the haematocrit and the reticulocyte count. These recommendations should ideally also be applied to the all the blood controls compulsory for the medical follow up, otherwise unexplainable values could be misinterpreted and could for instance lead to a period of incapacity.

Evidence of growth and sector zoning in hydrothermal quartz from Alpine veins

Several quartz crystals from three different Alpine vein localities and of known petrologic setting and evolution have been examined for possible elemental sector zoning in order to help to constrain the mechanisms of such trace element incorporation. Using different in situ techniques (EMPA, LA-ICPMS, SIMS, FTIR-spectroscopy), it was established that Al and Li concentrations can exceed several hundreds of ppma for distinct growth zones within crystals formed at temperatures of about 300 degrees C or less and that also display patterns of cyclic growth when examined with cathodoluminescence. In contrast, crystals formed at temperatures closer to 400 degrees C and without visible cyclic growth have low concentrations of Al and Li as well as other trace elements. Al and Li contents are correlated along profiles measured within the crystals and in general their proportion does not change along the profiles. No relationships were found between Al, Na, and K, and germanium has a qualitative relationship with Al. FTIR spectra also show OH(-) absorption bands within the quartz, with higher amplitudes in zones rich in Al and Li. Sector zoning is present. It is most pronounced between prismatic and rhombohedral faces of the same growth zone, but also between the rhombohedral faces of r and z, which contain different amounts of trace elements. The sector zoning is also expressed by changes in the Li/Al ratio, with higher ratios in 17 compared to r faces. It is concluded that the incorporation of trace elements into hydrothermal quartz from Alpine veins is influenced by growth mechanisms and surface-structures of the growing quartz crystals, the influence of which may change as a function of temperature, pH, as well as the chemical composition of the fluid.

Regulation of free corticosterone and CBG capacity under different environmental conditions in altricial nestlings.

The concentration of circulating glucocorticoids is regulated in response to environmental and endogenous conditions. Total circulating corticosterone, the main glucocorticoid in birds, consists of a fraction which is bound to corticosterone-binding globulins (CBG) and a free fraction. There is increasing evidence that the environment modulates free corticosterone levels through varying the concentration of CBG, but experimental evidence is lacking. To test the hypothesis that the regulation of chronic stress in response to endogenous and environmental conditions involves variation in both corticosterone release and CBG capacity, we performed an experiment with barn owl (Tyto alba) nestlings in two different years with pronounced differences in environmental conditions and in nestlings experimentally fed ad libitum. In half of the individuals we implanted a corticosterone-releasing pellet to artificially increase corticosterone levels and in the other half we implanted a placebo pellet. We then repeatedly collected blood samples to measure the change in total and free corticosterone levels as well as CBG capacity. The increase in circulating total corticosterone after artificial corticosterone administration varied with environmental conditions and with the food regime of the nestlings. The highest total corticosterone levels were found in nestlings growing up in poor environmental conditions and the lowest in ad libitum fed nestlings. CBG was highest in the year with poor environmental conditions, so that, contrary to total corticosterone, free corticosterone levels were low under poor environmental conditions. When nestlings were fed ad libitum total corticosterone, CBG and free corticosterone did not increase when administering corticosterone. These results suggest that depending on the individual history an animal experienced during development the HPA-axis is regulated differently.

Controls on ostracod valve geochemistry, Part 1: Variations of environmental parameters in ostracod (micro-)habitats

The variations of environmental conditions (T°, pH, δ13CDIC, [DIC], δ18O, Mg/Ca, and Sr/Ca) of ostracod habitats were examined to determine the controls of environmental parameters on the chemical and isotopic composition of ostracod valves. Results of a one-year monitoring of environmental parameters at five sites, with depths of between 2 and 70 m, in Lake Geneva indicate that in littoral to sub-littoral zones (2, 5, and 13 m), the chemical composition of bottom water varies seasonally in concert with changes in temperature and photosynthetic activity. An increase of temperature and photosynthetic activity leads to an increase in δ13C values of DIC and to precipitation of authigenic calcite, which results in a concomitant increase of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios of water. In deeper sites (33 and 70 m), the composition of bottom water remains constant throughout the year and isotopic values and trace element contents are similar to those of deep water within the lake. The chemical composition of interstitial pore water also does not reflect seasonal variations but is controlled by calcite dissolution, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration with reduction of sulphate and/or nitrate, and methanogenesis that may occur in the sediment pores. Relative influence of each of these factors on the pore water geochemistry depends on sediment thickness and texture, oxygen content in bottom as well as pore water. Variations of chemical compositions of the ostracod valves of this study vary according to the specific ecology of the ostracod species analysed, that is its life-cycle and its (micro-)habitat. Littoral species have compositions that are related to the seasonal variations of temperature, δ13C values of DIC, and of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios of water. In contrast, the compositions of profundal species are largely controlled by variations of pore fluids along sediment depth profiles according to the specific depth preference of the species. The control on the geochemistry of sub-littoral species is a combination of controls for the littoral and profundal species as well as the specific ecology of the species.

Forecasting changes in population genetic structure of alpine plants in response to global warming.

Species range shifts in response to climate and land use change are commonly forecasted with species distribution models based on species occurrence or abundance data. Although appealing, these models ignore the genetic structure of species, and the fact that different populations might respond in different ways because of adaptation to their environment. Here, we introduced ancestry distribution models, that is, statistical models of the spatial distribution of ancestry proportions, for forecasting intra-specific changes based on genetic admixture instead of species occurrence data. Using multi-locus genotypes and extensive geographic coverage of distribution data across the European Alps, we applied this approach to 20 alpine plant species considering a global increase in temperature from 0.25 to 4 °C. We forecasted the magnitudes of displacement of contact zones between plant populations potentially adapted to warmer environments and other populations. While a global trend of movement in a north-east direction was predicted, the magnitude of displacement was species-specific. For a temperature increase of 2 °C, contact zones were predicted to move by 92 km on average (minimum of 5 km, maximum of 212 km) and by 188 km for an increase of 4 °C (minimum of 11 km, maximum of 393 km). Intra-specific turnover-measuring the extent of change in global population genetic structure-was generally found to be moderate for 2 °C of temperature warming. For 4 °C of warming, however, the models indicated substantial intra-specific turnover for ten species. These results illustrate that, in spite of unavoidable simplifications, ancestry distribution models open new perspectives to forecast population genetic changes within species and complement more traditional distribution-based approaches.

Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios of ostracod valves from living species of Lake Geneva

The Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios of living ostracods belonging to 15 different species and sampled monthly over a one year-cycle at five sites (2, 5, 13, 33, and 70 m water depths) in western Lake Geneva (Switzerland) are compared to the oxygen and carbon isotope compositions measured on the same samples as well as to the temperature and chemical composition of the water (δ18OH2O, δ13CDIC, Mg/CaH2O, and Sr/CaH2O) at the time of ostracod calcification. The results indicate that trace element incorporation varied at the species level, mainly because of the ecological and biological differences between the different species (life-cycle, (micro-)habitat preference, biomineralisation processes) and the control thereof on trace element incorporation of the ostracods. In littoral zones, the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca of ostracod valves increase as temperature and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca of water increase during spring and summer, hence reflecting mainly seasonal variations. However, given that for Lake Geneva the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca of water also vary with temperature, it is not possible to distinguish the effects of temperature from those of changes in chemical composition of water on the trace element content in ostracod valves. Results support that both water temperature and water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios control the final trace element content of Cyprididae valves. In contrast, the trace element content of species living in deeper zones of the basin is influenced by variations in the chemical composition of the pore water for the infaunal species. Trace element content measured for these specimens cannot, therefore, be used to reconstruct the compositions of the water lake bottom. In addition, incorporation of Mg and Sr into the shell differs from one family, sub-family, or even species to the other. This suggests that the distinctive Mg and Sr partition coefcients for the analysed taxa result from different valve calcification strategies that may be phylogenetic.

Probing the different chaperone activities of the bacterial HSP70-HSP40 system using a thermolabile luciferase substrate.

During mild heat-stress, a native thermolabile polypeptide may partially unfold and transiently expose water-avoiding hydrophobic segments that readily tend to associate into a stable misfolded species, rich in intra-molecular non-native beta-sheet structures. When the concentration of the heat-unfolded intermediates is elevated, the exposed hydrophobic segments tend to associate with other molecules into large stable insoluble complexes, also called "aggregates." In mammalian cells, stress- and mutation-induced protein misfolding and aggregation may cause degenerative diseases and aging. Young cells, however, effectively counteract toxic protein misfolding with a potent network of molecular chaperones that bind hydrophobic surfaces and actively unfold otherwise stable misfolded and aggregated polypeptides. Here, we followed the behavior of a purified, initially mostly native thermolabile luciferase mutant, in the presence or absence of the Escherichia coli DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE chaperones and/or of ATP, at 22 °C or under mild heat-stress. We concomitantly measured luciferase enzymatic activity, Thioflavin-T fluorescence, and light-scattering to assess the effects of temperature and chaperones on the formation, respectively, of native, unfolded, misfolded, and/or of aggregated species. During mild heat-denaturation, DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE+ATP best maintained, although transiently, high luciferase activity and best prevented heat-induced misfolding and aggregation. In contrast, the ATP-less DnaK and DnaJ did not maintain optimal luciferase activity and were less effective at preventing luciferase misfolding and aggregation. We present a model accounting for the experimental data, where native, unfolded, misfolded, and aggregated species spontaneously inter-convert, and in which DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE+ATP specifically convert stable misfolded species into unstable unfolded intermediates.