Project description:The infectious metacyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei result from a complex development in the tsetse fly vThe infectious metacyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei result from a complex development in the tsetse fly vector. When they infect mammals, they cause African sleeping sickness in humans. Due to scarcity of biological material and difficulties of the tsetse fly as an experimental system, very limited information is available concerning the gene expression profile of metacyclic Trapanosoma forms. We used an in vitro system based on expressing the RNA binding protein 6 (RBP6) to obtain infectious metacyclics and determined their protein and mRNA repertoires by mass-spectrometry (MS) based proteomics and mRNA sequencing (RNAseq) in comparison to non-infectious procyclic trypanosomes. This comparison showed that metacyclics are quiescent cells, and we propose this influences the choice of a monocistronic variant surface glycoprotein expression site. Metacyclics have a largely bloodstream-form type transcriptome, and thus are programmed to translate a bloodstream-form type proteome upon entry into the mammalian host and resumption of cell division. Genes encoding cell surface components showed the largest changes between procyclics and metacyclics, observed at both the transcript and protein levels. Genes encoding metabolic enzymes exhibited expression in metacyclics with features of both procyclic and bloodstream forms, suggesting that this intermediate-type metabolism is dictated by the availability of nutrients in the tsetse fly vector. ector. When they infect mammals, they cause African sleeping sickness in humans. Due to scarcity of biological material and difficulties of the tsetse fly as an experimental system, very limited information is available concerning the gene expression profile of metacyclic Trapanosoma forms. We used an in vitro system based on expressing the RNA binding protein 6 (RBP6) to obtain infectious metacyclics and determined their protein and mRNA repertoires by mass-spectrometry (MS) based proteomics and mRNA sequencing (RNAseq) in comparison to non-infectious procyclic trypanosomes. This comparison showed that metacyclics are quiescent cells, and we propose this influences the choice of a monocistronic variant surface glycoprotein expression site. Metacyclics have a largely bloodstream-form type transcriptome, and thus are programmed to translate a bloodstream-form type proteome upon entry into the mammalian host and resumption of cell division. Genes encoding cell surface components showed the largest changes between procyclics and metacyclics, observed at both the transcript and protein levels. Genes encoding metabolic enzymes exhibited expression in metacyclics with features of both procyclic and bloodstream forms, suggesting that this intermediate-type metabolism is dictated by the availability of nutrients in the tsetse fly vector.
Project description:The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii forms bradyzoite-containing tissue cysts that cause chronic and drug-tolerant infections. Here, we developed a human myotube-based in vitro culture model of functionally mature tissue cysts. Metabolomic characterization of purified cysts reveals global changes that comprise increased levels of amino acids and decreased abundance of nucleobase- and tricarboxylic acid cycle-associated metabolites. In contrast to fast replicating tachyzoite forms of T. gondii these tissue cysts tolerate exposure to the aconitase inhibitor sodium fluoroacetate.
Project description:Genome-wide gene expression profiling of whole blood leukocytes in critically ill patients with sepsis or non-infectious disease has been used extensively in search of diagnostic biomarkers, as well as prognostic signatures reflecting diseases severity and outcome. Through technological advances in genomics it has become clear that transcription is not limited to protein-coding regions of the genome. Here, we describe a comprehensive analysis of RNA expression in blood leukocytes of critically ill patients with sepsis, a non-infectious condition and healthy subjects
Project description:Genome-wide gene expression profiling of whole blood leukocytes in critically ill patients with sepsis or non-infectious disease has been used extensively in search of diagnostic biomarkers, as well as prognostic signatures reflecting diseases severity and outcome. Through technological advances in genomics it has become clear that transcription is not limited to protein-coding regions of the genome. Here, we describe a comprehensive analysis of small non-coding RNA expression in blood leukocytes of critically ill patients with sepsis, a non-infectious condition, healthy subjects and experimental human endotoxemia
Project description:Bacteria in the chlamydiales order are obligate intracellular parasites of eukaryotic cells. Within this order, the genus Chlamydia contains the causative agents of a number of clinically important infections of humans. Biovars of C. trachomatis are the causative agents of trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, as well as sexually transmitted infections with the potential to cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Irrespective of the resulting disease, all chlamydial species share the same obligate intracellular life cycle and developmental cell forms. They are reliant on an infectious cycle consisting of at least three phenotypically distinct cell forms termed the reticulate body (RB), the intermediate body (IB) and the elementary body (EB). The EB is infectious but does not replicate. The RB replicates in the host cell but is non-infectious, while the IB is an intermediate form that transitions to the EB form. In this study, we ectopically expressed the transcriptional repressor Euo, the two nucleoid-associated proteins HctA and HctB, and the two component sensor kinase CtcB in the RB. Transcriptional analysis using RNA-seq, differential expression clustering and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis show that the chlamydial developmental cycle is driven by three distinct regulons corresponding to the RB, IB or EB cell forms. Moreover, we show that the genes for the T3SS were cell type restricted, suggesting defined functional roles for the T3SS in specific cell forms.
Project description:The aim of this study is to investigate the potential use of soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) to predict serious infectious complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Patients with colon or rectal cancer, who underwent elective laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery between November 2018 and February 2020 were included into study. Blood samples for the TREM-1 protein assay were collected from each patient four times: preoperatively and on three following postoperative days (PODs).
Patients with infectious complications who formed group 1, were matched 1:1 with patients without complications (group 2). Case-matched analysis was performed by selecting patients for the control group from the group of patients paired by age, ASA scale, stage of cancer and type of surgery.