Project description:Apis mellifera workers in temperate climates display two castes; short lived summer bees that engage in nursing, hive maintenance and foraging, and long lived winter bees (diutinus bees) which remain within the hive and are essential for thermoregulation. Label free quantitative proteomic analysis was conducted on A. mellifera workers sampled from July to October 2019 to compare the proteomes of workers as the colony progresses through the year. Proteomic analysis revealed a shift in protein expression in workers in September and October in comparison to July and August samples. Workers samples in September and October had a higher abundance of proteins associated with oxidative phosphorylation and storage proteins such as hexamerin. Interestingly, a shift in protein expression was detected in newly emerged bees between July to October, providing evidence that workers have adapted to emerge with a different protein profile in preparation for the winter months.
Project description:We identified and validated characteristic miRNA expression profiles of human whole blood in workers exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and compared the usefulness of miRNA indicator of VOCs with the effectiveness of the already used urinary biomarkers of occupational exposure. Using a microarray based approach, we screened and detected deregulated miRNAs in their expression in workers exposed to VOCs (toluene [TOL], xylene [XYL] and ethylbenzene [EBZ]). Total 169 workers from four dockyards were enrolled in current study, and 50 subjects of them were used for miRNA microarray analysis.
Project description:We identified and validated characteristic miRNA expression profiles of human whole blood in workers exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and compared the usefulness of miRNA indicator of VOCs with the effectiveness of the already used urinary biomarkers of occupational exposure.
Project description:The effect of benzene exposure on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression was examined in a population of shoe-factory workers with well-characterized occupational exposures to benzene. We compared data from two microarray platforms (Illumina and Affymetrix). Keywords: occupational exposure
Project description:Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will be assessed for immunologic response to pneumococcal vaccination. Patients with IBD meet criteria as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for pneumococcal vaccination, yet the investigators have found that pneumococcal vaccination in this population is under-utilized. It is unknown whether or not IBD or IBD-related medications impact the immune response to this recommended vaccine.
Three groups of 25 patients each will be recruited. The first group will consist of outpatients with IBD who are receiving infliximab (Remicade TM) while on concommitant immunosuppressive therapy (with either 6MP, azathioprine, or methotrexate). This group is intended to represent a common ‘heavily immunosuppressed’ patient group with IBD.
The second group will consist of patients with IBD seen in our outpatient clinic who are not on any immune-suppressive medications. These patients meet CDC criteria for vaccination by virtue of having a chronic medical illness. The third group will consist of healthy age-matched (to the first group) controls.
After obtaining informed consent, patients will be screened with baseline lab tests including testing for antibodies against pneumococcus. At the baseline visit, patients will also undergo a brief medical history, physical examination, and assessment of their IBD disease activity.
Included patients will then undergo a one-time intramuscular vaccination with 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax TM). One month later, subjects will return for a blood draw to assess for response to pneumococcal vaccination.
Project description:RNA-seq from whole bodies of workers (major and minor) and queen from C. floridanus to increase replicate number from 2010 genome study
Project description:Ant societies exhibit a division of labor in which a queen is in charge of reproduction while non-reproductive workers maintain the colony. In Harpegnathos saltator, workers retain reproductive ability, inhibited by the queen pheromones. Following the queen loss, the colony undergoes social unrest with an antenna dueling tournament. Most workers quickly abandon the tournament while a few workers continue the dueling for months and become gamergates (pseudoqueens). However, the temporal dynamics of the molecular mechanisms underlining the caste transition and social dominance remain unclear. To identify genetic factors responsible for this transition, we compared transcriptomes of ovary, fat body, and non-visual brains between dueling and non-dueling workers.