Project description:Over the past few years, studies of DNA isolated from human fossils and archaeological remains have generated considerable novel insight into the history of our species. Several landmark papers have described the genomes of ancient human ancestors and have demonstrated that contemporary humans harbour genetic material from ancient close relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, and that ancient human individuals are often genetically distinct from nearby extant populations whilst also showing affinities with populations from further afield. Across West Eurasia, there is growing genetic evidence of large-scale, dynamic population movements over the period between 10,000 to 2,000 years ago, such that the ancestry across present-day populations is likely to be a mixture of several ancient groups. Whilst these efforts are bringing the details of West Eurasian prehistory into increasing focus, studies aimed at understanding the processes behind the generation of the current West Eurasian genetic landscape have been limited by the number of populations sampled, or have been either too regional or global in their outlook. Here, using recently described haplotype-based techniques, we present the results of a systematic survey of recent admixture history across Western Eurasia and show that admixture is a universal property across almost all groups. Admixture in all regions except North Western Europe involved the influx of genetic material from outside of West Eurasia, which we date to specific time periods. Within Northern, Western, and Central Europe, admixture tended to occur between local groups during the period 300 to 1200CE. Comparisons of the genetic profiles of West Eurasians before and after admixture show that population movements within the last 1500 years are likely to have maintained differentiation amongst groups. Our analysis provides a timeline of the gene flow events that have generated the contemporary genetic landscape of West Eurasia. 20 individuals from Croatia included as part of an analysis of admixture in West Eurasia
Project description:During pneumonic plague, the bacterium Yersinia pestis elicits the development of inflammatory lung lesions that continue to expand throughout infection. This lesion development and persistence is poorly understood. Here, we examine spatially distinct regions of lung lesions using laser capture microdissection and RNAseq analysis to identify transcriptional differences between lesion microenvironments. We show that cellular pathways involved in leukocyte migration and apoptosis are down regulated in the center of lung lesions compared to the periphery. Probing for the bacterial factor(s) important for the alteration in neutrophil survival, we show both in vitro and in vivo that Y. pestis increases neutrophil survival in a manner that is dependent on the type-III secretion system effector YopM. This research explores the complexity of spatially distinct host - microbe interactions and emphasizes the importance of cell relevance in assays in order to fully understand Y. pestis virulence.
Project description:A delay in the mammalian inflammatory response is a prominent feature of infection with Yersinia pestis, the agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Y. pestis factors have been identified that either do not stimulate a normal inflammatory response, or actively suppress it. Prominent among these are components of the Type III secretion system that is encoded on the Yersinia virulence plasmid (pYV). We used a rat model of bubonic plague to characterize the kinetics and extent of the mammalian transcriptomic response to infection with wild-type or pYV-negative Y. pestis in the draining lymph node. Remarkably, dissemination and multiplication of wild-type Y. pestis during the bubonic stage of disease did not induce any detectable gene expression response by host lymph node cells. This was followed, however, by an extensive transcriptomic response, including upregulation of several cytokine, chemokine, and other immune response genes, after systemic spread during septicemic plague. Matched lymph node samples used for histopathology and extracellular cytokine measurements, combined with the microarray data set, broadly outlined the mammalian immune response to Y. pestis and how it is influenced by pYV-encoded factors. The results indicate that both WT and pYV– Y. pestis induce primarily a Th17 response, and not a Th1 or Th2 response. In the absence of pYV, a sustained recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, the major Th17 effector cell, to the lymph node resulted in clearance of infection. Thus, the ability to counteract a Th17- driven PMN response in the lymph node appears to be a major function of the Y. pestis virulence plasmid. In contrast, classic markers of the proinflammatory response and macrophage activation, such as TNF-á and IFN-ã, were not induced at all by pYV– Y. pestis, and appeared only late in infection with WT Y. pestis.
Project description:During pneumonic plague, the bacterium Yersinia pestis elicits the development of inflammatory lung lesions that continue to expand throughout infection. This lesion development and persistence is poorly understood. Here, we examine spatially distinct regions of lung lesions using laser capture microdissection and RNAseq analysis to identify transcriptional differences between lesion microenvironments. We show that cellular pathways involved in leukocyte migration and apoptosis are down regulated in the center of lung lesions compared to the periphery. Probing for the bacterial factor(s) important for the alteration in neutrophil survival, we show both in vitro and in vivo that Y. pestis increases neutrophil survival in a manner that is dependent on the type-III secretion system effector YopM. This research explores the complexity of spatially distinct host - microbe interactions and emphasizes the importance of cell relevance in assays in order to fully understand Y. pestis virulence. We examine spatially distinct regions of lung lesions using laser capture microdissection and RNAseq analysis to identify transcriptional differences between lesion microenvironments. Sample types: uninfected BM-PMN, infected BM-PMN, lesion periphery, lesion center.
Project description:A delay in the mammalian inflammatory response is a prominent feature of infection with Yersinia pestis, the agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Y. pestis factors have been identified that either do not stimulate a normal inflammatory response, or actively suppress it. Prominent among these are components of the Type III secretion system that is encoded on the Yersinia virulence plasmid (pYV). We used a rat model of bubonic plague to characterize the kinetics and extent of the mammalian transcriptomic response to infection with wild-type or pYV-negative Y. pestis in the draining lymph node. Remarkably, dissemination and multiplication of wild-type Y. pestis during the bubonic stage of disease did not induce any detectable gene expression response by host lymph node cells. This was followed, however, by an extensive transcriptomic response, including upregulation of several cytokine, chemokine, and other immune response genes, after systemic spread during septicemic plague. Matched lymph node samples used for histopathology and extracellular cytokine measurements, combined with the microarray data set, broadly outlined the mammalian immune response to Y. pestis and how it is influenced by pYV-encoded factors. The results indicate that both WT and pYV– Y. pestis induce primarily a Th17 response, and not a Th1 or Th2 response. In the absence of pYV, a sustained recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, the major Th17 effector cell, to the lymph node resulted in clearance of infection. Thus, the ability to counteract a Th17- driven PMN response in the lymph node appears to be a major function of the Y. pestis virulence plasmid. In contrast, classic markers of the proinflammatory response and macrophage activation, such as TNF-á and IFN-ã, were not induced at all by pYV– Y. pestis, and appeared only late in infection with WT Y. pestis. Rats treated with PBS and Yersinia pestis at various time points.
Project description:Over the past few years, studies of DNA isolated from human fossils and archaeological remains have generated considerable novel insight into the history of our species. Several landmark papers have described the genomes of ancient human ancestors and have demonstrated that contemporary humans harbour genetic material from ancient close relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, and that ancient human individuals are often genetically distinct from nearby extant populations whilst also showing affinities with populations from further afield. Across West Eurasia, there is growing genetic evidence of large-scale, dynamic population movements over the period between 10,000 to 2,000 years ago, such that the ancestry across present-day populations is likely to be a mixture of several ancient groups. Whilst these efforts are bringing the details of West Eurasian prehistory into increasing focus, studies aimed at understanding the processes behind the generation of the current West Eurasian genetic landscape have been limited by the number of populations sampled, or have been either too regional or global in their outlook. Here, using recently described haplotype-based techniques, we present the results of a systematic survey of recent admixture history across Western Eurasia and show that admixture is a universal property across almost all groups. Admixture in all regions except North Western Europe involved the influx of genetic material from outside of West Eurasia, which we date to specific time periods. Within Northern, Western, and Central Europe, admixture tended to occur between local groups during the period 300 to 1200CE. Comparisons of the genetic profiles of West Eurasians before and after admixture show that population movements within the last 1500 years are likely to have maintained differentiation amongst groups. Our analysis provides a timeline of the gene flow events that have generated the contemporary genetic landscape of West Eurasia.