Project description:Strains 2-22 (S. agalactiae ST261 isolated from fish) and A909 (ST7) were grown in TH medium, at 30C and harvested at OD 0.3-0.4. Please note: ST261 and ST7 refer to MLST types commonly used in S.agalactiae as a first approach for phylogenomic relationships (MLST is based on the sequence of 7 genes).
Project description:Strains A909 (ST7 strain isolated from human) and CF01173 (ST7 strain isolated from fish) were grown in TH medium at 37C and harvested at OD 0.3-0.4. Please note: ST7 refers to MLST types commonly used in S.agalactiae as a first approach for phylogenomic relationships (MLST is based on the sequence of 7 genes).
Project description:The goal of this study is the discovery of (a) meaningful phylogenomic relationships among members of this B. cereus/B. anthracis group, and (b) reliable gene-phenotype associations, e.g. recognition of links between genomic traits and the ability of certain strains to cause various forms of disease. We also tried to elucidate genome evolution aspects that may lead to the emergence of variants that are capable (or have the potential) of causing anthrax-like disease. This large-scale comparative genomics approach is unprecedented for this taxonomic group. Dr. A. Hoffmaster (CDC) provided the PFGRC with 73 B. cereus and B. anthracis isolates from the CDC culture collection. Of these, 27 were isolated from patients with severe or systemic disease; ten isolates of this group were obtained from patients (welding factory workers) with anthrax-like disease or from the environment near their workplace. Another set of 26 represented isolates from food-born illnesses. Of the 26 gastrointestinal disease isolates (GIDI), 10 were obtained from patients with diarrhea, whereas another set of 10 had been shown to harbor the emetic (vomit) toxin gene by PCR. The rest of the group consisted of 20 isolates with various phenotypes. All strains were screened for their genomic content using the B. cereus/B. anthracis species microarray.
Project description:Functional profiles predicted based on taxonomic affiliations differed from those obtained by GeoChip microarray analysis, which separated community functional capacity based on plant location. The identified metabolic pathways provided insight regarding microbial strategies for colonization and survival in these ecosystems.
Project description:Functional profiles predicted based on taxonomic affiliations differed from those obtained by GeoChip microarray analysis, which separated community functional capacity based on plant location. The identified metabolic pathways provided insight regarding microbial strategies for colonization and survival in these ecosystems. Sixteen samples analyzed.
Project description:The cytoplasmic functions of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome family (WASP) proteins are well known and include roles in cytoskeleton reorganization and membrane-cytoskeletal interactions important for membrane/vesicle trafficking, morphogenesis, immune response and signal transduction. Mis-regulation of these proteins is associated with immune deficiency and metastasis. Cytoplasmic WASP proteins act as effectors of Rho family GTPases and polymerize branched actin through the Arp2/3 complex. However, recent evidence has revealed that this classically cytoplasmic protein family also functions in the nucleus. Previously, we identified Drosophila washout (wash) as a new member of the WASP family with essential cytoplasmic roles in early development. Here we show that Wash is also present in the nucleus and plays a key role in nuclear organization via its interaction with Lamin Dm0 at the nuclear envelope. Wash and Lamin Dm0 occupy similar genomic regions that overlap with transcriptionally silent chromatin including constitutive heterochromatin. Strikingly, wash mutant and knockdown nuclei exhibit the same abnormal wrinkled morphology observed in diverse laminopathies, including the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, and consistent with disruption of the nuclear organization of several sub-nuclear structures including cajal bodies and the chromocenter in salivary glands. We also found that Wash and Lamin knockdown disrupt chromatin accessibility of repressive compartments in agreement with an observed global redistribution of repressive histone modifications. Functional genetic approaches show wash mutants exhibit similar phenotypes to lamin Dm0 mutants, suggesting they participate in similar regulatory networks. Our results reveal a novel role for Wash in modulating nuclear organization via its interaction with the nuclear envelope protein Lamin Dm0. These findings highlight the functional complexity of WASP family proteins and provide new venues to understand their molecular roles in cell biology and disease. We evaluated the effect of Wash knockdown in S2R+ cells on chromatin accessibility using an M.SssI-based approach.
Project description:16S metagenomic analysis has provided much information about the intestinal microbiome. However, there are no reports that describe their appropriate taxonomic classification rank. Moreover, studies differ on the taxonomic ranking of the same microorganism. Intestinal microbiome exerts a significant degree of influence on the host via the metabolome. In the present study, we searched for their appropriate classification ranks based on the correlation between the metabolome and microbiome. Over 200 metabolites were identified by capillary electrophoresis and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS) based metabolomics of faeces from antibiotics-treated and untreated mice. Nine phyla, 15 orders, 22 classes, 40 families, and 59 genera were identified by 16S metagenomic analysis. Principle component analysis (PCA) of the intestinal microbiome at each taxonomic rank revealed differences between the antibiotic-treated and untreated groups on the first principle component in the family and genus-level analyses. These differences were similar to those found in the metabolome PCA. In addition, a strong correlation between principle component score of the metabolome and that of the microbiome was observed in the case of family and genus-level analyses. From these results, we hypothesize that lower taxonomic ranks such as family or genus are preferable while using 16S metagenome analysis for investigating the crosstalk, via metabolites, between intestinal microbiome and the host.