scholarly journals Probabilistic data integration identifies reliable gametocyte-specific proteins and transcripts in malaria parasites

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette Meerstein-Kessel ◽  
Robin van der Lee ◽  
Will Stone ◽  
Kjerstin Lanke ◽  
David A Baker ◽  
...  

AbstractPlasmodium gametocytes are the sexual forms of the malaria parasite essential for transmission to mosquitoes. To better understand how gametocytes differ from asexual blood-stage parasites, we performed a systematic analysis of available ‘omics data for P. falciparum and other Plasmodium species. 18 transcriptomic and proteomic data sets were evaluated for the presence of curated “gold standards” of 41 gametocyte-specific versus 46 non-gametocyte genes and integrated using Bayesian probabilities, resulting in gametocyte-specificity scores for all P. falciparum genes.To illustrate the utility of the gametocyte score, we explored newly predicted gametocyte-specific genes as potential biomarkers of gametocyte carriage and exposure. We analyzed the humoral immune response in field samples against 30 novel gametocyte-specific antigens and found five antigens to be differentially recognized by gametocyte carriers as compared to malaria-infected individuals without detectable gametocytes. We also validated the gametocyte-specificity of 15 identified gametocyte transcripts on culture material and samples from naturally infected individuals, resulting in eight transcripts that were >1000-fold higher expressed in gametocytes compared to asexual parasites and whose transcript abundance allowed gametocyte detection in naturally infected individuals. Our integrated genome-wide gametocyte-specificity scores provide a comprehensive resource to identify targets and monitor P. falciparum gametocytemia.

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Ling ◽  
Yue Qu ◽  
Jintao Zhu ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Changhong Guo

Valine-glutamine (VQ) proteins are plant-specific proteins that play crucial roles in plant development as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses. VQ genes have been identified in various plants; however, there are no systematic reports in Cicer arietinum or Medicago truncatula. Herein, we identified 19 and 32 VQ genes in C. arietinum and M. truncatula, respectively. A total of these VQ genes were divided into eight groups (I–VIII) based on phylogenetic analysis. Gene structure analyses and motif patterns revealed that these VQ genes might have originated from a common ancestor. In silico analyses demonstrated that these VQ genes were expressed in different tissues. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that the VQ genes were differentially regulated during multiple abiotic stresses. This report presents the first systematic analysis of VQ genes from C. arietinum and M. truncatula and provides a solid foundation for further research of the specific functions of VQ proteins.


Author(s):  
Parag A Pathade ◽  
Vinod A Bairagi ◽  
Yogesh S. Ahire ◽  
Neela M Bhatia

‘‘Proteomics’’, is the emerging technology leading to high-throughput identification and understanding of proteins. Proteomics is the protein equivalent of genomics and has captured the imagination of biomolecular scientists, worldwide. Because proteome reveals more accurately the dynamic state of a cell, tissue, or organism, much is expected from proteomics to indicate better disease markers for diagnosis and therapy monitoring. Proteomics is expected to play a major role in biomedical research, and it will have a significant impact on the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer, heart ailments and infectious diseases, in future. Proteomics research leads to the identification of new protein markers for diagnostic purposes and novel molecular targets for drug discovery.  Though the potential is great, many challenges and issues remain to be solved, such as gene expression, peptides, generation of low abundant proteins, analytical tools, drug target discovery and cost. A systematic and efficient analysis of vast genomic and proteomic data sets is a major challenge for researchers, today. Nevertheless, proteomics is the groundwork for constructing and extracting useful comprehension to biomedical research. This review article covers some opportunities and challenges offered by proteomics.   


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 363
Author(s):  
Sulochana K. Wasala ◽  
Dana K. Howe ◽  
Louise-Marie Dandurand ◽  
Inga A. Zasada ◽  
Dee R. Denver

Globodera pallida is among the most significant plant-parasitic nematodes worldwide, causing major damage to potato production. Since it was discovered in Idaho in 2006, eradication efforts have aimed to contain and eradicate G. pallida through phytosanitary action and soil fumigation. In this study, we investigated genome-wide patterns of G. pallida genetic variation across Idaho fields to evaluate whether the infestation resulted from a single or multiple introduction(s) and to investigate potential evolutionary responses since the time of infestation. A total of 53 G. pallida samples (~1,042,000 individuals) were collected and analyzed, representing five different fields in Idaho, a greenhouse population, and a field in Scotland that was used for external comparison. According to genome-wide allele frequency and fixation index (Fst) analyses, most of the genetic variation was shared among the G. pallida populations in Idaho fields pre-fumigation, indicating that the infestation likely resulted from a single introduction. Temporal patterns of genome-wide polymorphisms involving (1) pre-fumigation field samples collected in 2007 and 2014 and (2) pre- and post-fumigation samples revealed nucleotide variants (SNPs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms) with significantly differentiated allele frequencies indicating genetic differentiation. This study provides insights into the genetic origins and adaptive potential of G. pallida invading new environments.


Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 144 (7) ◽  
pp. 851-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUÍS F. P. GONDIM ◽  
JOSÉ R. MINEO ◽  
GEREON SCHARES

SUMMARYToxoplasma gondii, Neosporaspp.,Sarcocystisspp.,Hammondiaspp. andBesnoitia besnoitiare genetically related cyst-forming coccidia. Serology is frequently used for the identification ofT. gondii, Neosporaspp. andB. besnoiti-exposed individuals. Serologic cross-reactions occur in different tests among animals infected withT. gondiiandH. hammondi,as well as among animals infected byT. gondiiandN. caninum. Infections caused byN. caninumandN. hughesiare almost indistinguishable by serology.Neospora caninum, B. besnoitiandSarcocystisspp. infections in cattle show some degree of serologic cross-reactivity. Antibody cross-reactivity betweenNeosporaspp. andH. heydorni-infected animals is suspected, but not proven to occur. We review serologic cross-reactivity among animals and/or humans infected withT. gondii, Neosporaspp.,Sarcocystisspp.,Hammondiaspp. andB. besnoiti. Emphasis is laid upon antigens and serological methods forN. caninumdiagnosis which were tested for cross-reactivity with related protozoa. Species-specific antigens, as well as stage-specific proteins have been identified in some of these parasites and have promising use for diagnosis and epidemiological surveys.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Morales-Cruz ◽  
Gabrielle Allenbeck ◽  
Rosa Figueroa-Balderas ◽  
Vanessa E. Ashworth ◽  
Daniel P. Lawrence ◽  
...  

SummaryGrapevines, like other perennial crops, are affected by so-called ‘trunk diseases’, which damage the trunk and other woody tissues. Mature grapevines typically contract more than one trunk disease and often multiple grapevine trunk pathogens (GTPs) are recovered from infected tissues. The co-existence of different GTP species in complex and dynamic microbial communities complicates the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease development especially under vineyard conditions. The objective of this study was to develop and optimize a community-level transcriptomics (i.e., metatranscriptomics) approach that can monitor simultaneously the virulence activities of multiple GTPs in planta. The availability of annotated genomes for the most relevant co-infecting GTPs in diseased grapevine wood provided the unprecedented opportunity to generate a multi-species reference for mapping and quantifying DNA and RNA sequencing reads. We first evaluated popular sequence read mappers using permutations of multiple simulated datasets. Alignment parameters of the selected mapper were optimized to increase the specificity and sensitivity for its application to metagenomics and metatranscriptomics analyses. Initial testing on grapevine wood experimentally inoculated with individual GTPs confirmed the validity of the method. Using naturally-infected field samples expressing a variety of trunk disease symptoms, we show that our approach provides quantitative assessments of species composition as well as genome-wide transcriptional profiling of potential virulence factors, namely cell wall degradation, secondary metabolism and nutrient uptake for all co-infecting GTPs.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12617
Author(s):  
Yarui Wei ◽  
Shuliang Zhao ◽  
Na Liu ◽  
Yuxing Zhang

The NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1) plays a master regulatory role in the salicylic acid (SA) signal transduction pathway and plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Members of the NPR1-like gene family have been reported to the associated with biotic/abiotic stress in many plants, however the genome-wide characterization of NPR1-like genes has not been carried out in Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Reld). In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on the characteristics of the NPR1-like genes in P. bretschneideri Reld at the whole-genome level. A total nine NPR1-like genes were detected which eight genes were located on six chromosomes and one gene was mapped to scaffold. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, the nine PbrNPR1-like proteins were divided into three clades (Clades I–III) had similar gene structure, domain and conserved motifs. We sorted the cis-acting elements into three clades, including plant growth and development, stress responses, and hormone responses in the promoter regions of PbrNPR1-like genes. The result of qPCR analysis showed that expression diversity of PbrNPR1-like genes in various tissues. All the genes were up-regulated after SA treatment in leaves except for Pbrgene8896. PbrNPR1-like genes showed circadian rhythm and significantly different expression levels after inoculation with Alternaria alternata. These findings provide a solid insight for understanding the functions and evolution of PbrNPR1-like genes in Chinese pear.


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalin Rifat ◽  
Liang Chen ◽  
Barry N. Kreiswirth ◽  
Eric L. Nuermberger

Limited knowledge regarding Mycobacterium abscessus pathogenesis and intrinsic resistance to most classes of antibiotics is a major obstacle to developing more effective strategies to prevent and mitigate disease. Using optimized procedures for Himar1 transposon mutagenesis and deep sequencing, we performed a comprehensive analysis to identify M. abscessus genetic elements essential for in vitro growth and compare them to similar data sets for M. tuberculosis and M. avium subsp. hominissuis .


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Lavington ◽  
Andrew D. Kern

AbstractChromosomal inversions are an ubiquitous feature of genetic variation. Theoretical models describe several mechanisms by which inversions can drive adaptation and be maintained as polymorphisms. While inversions have been shown previously to be under selection, or contain genetic variation under selection, the specific phenotypic consequences of inversions leading to their maintenance remain unclear. Here we use genomic sequence and expression data from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel to explore the effects of two cosmopolitan inversions, In(2L)t and In(3R)Mo, on patterns of transcriptional variation. We demonstrate that each inversion has a significant effect on transcript abundance for hundreds of genes across the genome. Inversion affected loci (IAL) appear both within inversions as well as on unlinked chromosomes. Importantly, IAL do not appear to be influenced by the previously reported genome-wide expression correlation structure. We found that five genes involved with sterol uptake, four of which are Niemann-Pick Type 2 orthologs, are upregulated in flies with In(3R)Mo but do not have SNPs in LD with the inversion. We speculate that this upregulation is driven by genetic variation in mod(mdg4) that is in LD with In(3R)Mo. We find that there is little evidence for regional or position effect of inversions on gene expression at the chromosomal level but do find evidence for the distal breakpoint of In(3R)Mo interrupting one gene and possibly disassociating the two flanking genes from regulatory elements.


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