Project description:Genome-wide epigenetic changes such as histone modifications form a critical layer of gene regulations and have been implicated in a number of different disorders such as cancer and inflammation. Progress has made to decrease the input required for gold-standard genome-wide profiling tools like chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next generation sequencing (i.e. ChIP-seq) to allow scarce primary tissues of specific type from patients and lab animals to be tested. However, there has been very little effort to rapidly increase the throughput of these low-input tools. In this report, we demonstrate LIFE-ChIP-seq (Low-Input Fluidized-bed Enabled Chromatin Immunoprecipitation combined with sequencing), an automated and high-throughput microfluidic platform capable of running multiple sets of ChIP assays in as little as 1 h with as few as 50 cells per assay. Our technology will enable testing of a large number of samples and replicates with low-abundance primary samples in the context of precision medicine.
Project description:Effect of ethanol dosage and upflow velocity on taxonomic profile and metabolic potential in fluidized bed reactor applied to surfactant removal
Project description:A frightening resurgence of bed bug infestations has occurred over the last 10 years in the US. Current chemical methods have been inadequate for controlling bed bugs due to widespread insecticide resistance. Little is known about the mechanisms of resistance present in US bed bug populations, making it extremely difficult to develop intelligent strategies to control this pest. We have identified bed bugs collected in Richmond, VA which exhibit both kdr-type (L925I) and metabolic resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. LD50 bioassays determined resistance ratios of ~6000-fold to the insecticide deltamethrin, with contact bioassays confirming cross-resistance to several other labeled formulations. To identify metabolic genes potentially involved in the detoxification of pyrethroids, we performed deep-sequencing of the adult bed bug transcriptome, obtaining more than 2.5 million reads on the 454 titanium platform. Following assembly, analysis of newly identified gene transcripts in both Harlan (susceptible) and Richmond (resistant) bed bugs revealed several candidate cytochrome P450 and carboxyesterase genes which were significantly over-expressed in the resistant strain, consistent with the idea of increased metabolic resistance. These data will accelerate efforts to understand the biochemical basis for insecticide resistance in bed bugs, and provide molecular markers to assist in the surveillance of metabolic resistance. Deep sequencing was performed from total RNA isolated from adult male bed bugs using the Titanium 454 platform
