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.
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
Project description:The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is an urban pest of global health significance, severely affecting the physical and mental health of humans. In contrast to most other blood-feeding arthropods, bed bugs are not major vectors of pathogens, but the underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon are largely unexplored. Here, we present the first transcriptomics study of bed bugs in response to immune challenges. To study transcriptional variations in bed begs following ingestion of bacteria, we extracted and processed mRNA from immune-related tissues of adult male bed bugs after ingestion of sterile blood or blood laced with the Gram-positive (Gr+) bacterium Bacillus subtilis or the Gram-negative (Gr–) bacterium Escherichia coli. We analyzed mRNA from the bed bugs’ midgut (the primary tissue involved in blood ingestion) and from the rest of their bodies (RoB; body minus head and midgut tissues).
Project description:The expansion of repressive epigenetic marks has been implicated in heterochromatin formation during embryonic development, but the general applicability of this mechanism is unclear. Here we show that nuclear rearrangement of repressive histone marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 into non-overlapping structural layers characterizes senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHF) formation in human fibroblasts. However, the global landscape of these repressive marks remains unchanged upon SAHF formation, suggesting that in somatic cells heterochromatin can be formed through the spatial repositioning of pre-existing repressively marked histones. This model is reinforced by the correlation of pre-senescent replication timing with both the subsequent layered structure of SAHFs and the global landscape of the repressive marks, allowing us to integrate microscopic and genomic information. Furthermore, modulation of SAHF structure does not affect the occupancy of these repressive marks nor vice versa. These experiments reveal that high-order heterochromatin formation and epigenetic remodeling of the genome can be discrete events. ChIP-seq for different histone marks in both growing and Ras-induced senescent fibroblasts, in the presence or absence of certain sh-RNAs K9me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K9me3Sen2.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K9me2Grow3.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me2 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K9me2Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me2 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K27me3Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K27me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K27me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K27me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K36me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K36me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K36me3Sen2.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K36me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K4me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K4me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K4me3Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K4me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd most prevalent cause of cancer related deaths in United states alone, with over 55000 patients being diagnosed in 2019 alone and nearly as many succumbing to it. Late detection, lack of effective therapy and poor understanding of pancreatic cancer systemically contributes to its poor survival statistics. Obesity and high caloric intake linked co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been attributed as being risk factors for a number of cancers including pancreatic cancer. Studies on gut microbiome has shown that lifestyle factors as well as diet has a huge effect on the microbial flora of the gut. Further, modulation of gut microbiome has been seen to contribute to effects of intensive insulin therapy in mice on high fat diet. In another study, abnormal gut microbiota was reported to contribute to development of diabetes in Db/Db mice. Recent studies indicate that microbiome and microbial dysbiosis plays a role in not only the onset of disease but also in its outcome. In colorectal cancer, Fusobacterium has been reported to promote therapy resistance. Certain intra-tumoral bacteria have also been shown to elicit chemo-resistance by metabolizing anti-cancerous agents. In pancreatic cancer, studies on altered gut microbiome have been relatively recent. Microbial dysbiosis has been observed to be associated with pancreatic tumor progression. Modulation of microbiome has been shown to affect response to anti-PD1 therapy in this disease as well. However, most of the studies in pancreatic cancer and microbiome have remained focused om immune modulation. In the current study, we observed that in a T2D mouse model, the microbiome changed significantly as the hyperglycemia developed in these animals. Our results further showed that, tumors implanted in the T2D mice responded poorly to Gemcitabine/Paclitaxel (Gem/Pac) standard of care compared to those in the control group. A metabolomic reconstruction of the WGS of the gut microbiota further revealed that an enrichment of bacterial population involved in drug metabolism in the T2D group.