Project description:Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the miRNA expression in non-infected (H) mammary gland parenchyma samples with that of glands infected with coagulase-positive staphy lococci (CoPS) or coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) using next-generation sequencing. Methods: miRNA-seq analysis was performed on mammary gland parenchyma samples collected from non-infected cows and those infected with coagulase-positive or -negative staphylococci. The miRNA libraries were constructed from total RNA using NEBNext Multiplex Small RNA Library Prep Set for Illumina (New England Biolabs) according to the manufacturer protocol. The quantification of the obtained libraries was performed on a Qubit 2.0 spectrophotometer (Invitrogen, Life Technologies), while a quality control on a TapeStation 2200 instrument (D1000 ScreenTape; Agilent). Single-end cycle sequencing was performed on the HiScanSQ platform (Illumina) with the use of TruSeq SR Cluster Kit v3- CBOT-HS and TruSeq SBS Kit v 3 - HS (Illumina). MicroRNA differentially expressed between investigated groups were identified with the DESeq2 software. Results: Comparing the CoPS and H groups, 256 known and 260 potentially new miRNAs were identifed, including 32 that were diferentially expressed (p≤0.05), of which 27 were upregulated and 5 downregulated. Comparing the CoNS and H groups, 242 known and 171 new unique miRNAs were identifed: 10 were upregulated (p≤0.05), and 2 downregulated (p≤0.05). Comparing CoPS with H and CoNS with H, 5 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were identifed; in both comparisons, diferentially-expressed miRNAs were associated with the bacterial invasion of epithelial cells and focal adhesion pathways. Four gene ontology terms were identifed in each comparison, with 2 being common to both immune system processes and signal transduction. Conclusions: Obtained results enabled us to characterize the miRNA profile of the mammary gland parenchyma tissue, not only the healthy one but also the tissue infected with coagulase-positive and negative staphylococci as well as allowed identification of miRNAs differing the examined groups and characteristic for the staphylococci infection. They also indicated that miRNAs, especially miR-99 and miR-182, play an essential role in the epigenetic regulation of a range of cellular processes, including immunological systems bacterial growth in dendritic cells and disease pathogenesis (miR-99), DNA repair and tumor progression (miR-182).
Project description:3D model of human epidermis exposed to Staphylococci reveals keratinocyte responses unique to atopy-associated S. aureus challenge.
Project description:Anthropogenic nutrient inputs alter soil biodiversity; however, it remains largely unknown whether changes in soil microeukaryotes (fungi and protists) are primarily driven by direct effects, such as modifications in soil properties, or by indirect effects, such as plant diversity loss. To disentangle these mechanisms, we investigated the long-term effects (11 years) of fertilization and manipulated plant diversity (1, 2, or 4 plant species) on soil microeukaryote communities in a temperate grassland experiment using long-amplicon rRNA sequencing. Our results indicate that fertilization generally had a stronger influence on microeukaryote communities than plant species richness. Fertilization altered the community composition of fungi and protists, increased OTU richness by 20.8% and 52.7%, respectively, and shifted community dominance from fungi to protists. Regarding plant diversity, we observed an effect exclusively on the protist community. Changes were primarily explained by increased plant biomass (driven by both fertilization and plant diversity) and by higher soil phosphorus and lower soil pH levels (driven exclusively by fertilization). Regarding life strategies, we observed synergistic treatment effects: fertilization primarily enhanced fungal saprophytes (only richness), fungal animal pathogens, and protist consumers, whereas plant diversity affected phototrophic protists (reduction) and protist animal pathogens (enhancement). Notably, fertilization and plant diversity decline together led to a cumulative increase in fungal plant pathogens. In conclusion, we highlight that fertilisation alone has a significant effect on soil microeukaryotes, while the additional decline in plant diversity affects different soil groups that are not directly affected by fertilisation. This synergistic pattern indicates that fertilization can influence the entire microeukaryote community through direct and indirect mechanisms, with a cumulative enhancement on certain groups, such as plant pathogens.
Project description:Analysis of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples may give information of the identity of unattached (planktonic) subgingival bacteria, the 35 forefront candidates for systemic dispersal via ulcerated periodontal pocket epithelium. Our study represents the first one targeting the identity of bacteria in gingival crevicular fluid. Methodology/Principal findings: We determined bacterial species diversity in GCF samples of a group of periodontitis patients and delineated contributing bacterial and host-associated factors. Subgingival paper point (PP) samples from the same sites were taken for comparison. After DNA extraction, 16S rRNA genes were PCR amplified and DNA-DNA hybridization was performed using a microarray for over 300 bacterial species or groups. Altogether 133 species from 41 genera and 8 phyla 45 were detected with 9 to 62 and 18 to 64 species in GCF and PP samples, respectively, 46 per patient. Projection to latent structures by means of partial least squares (PLS) was applied to the multivariate data analysis. PLS regression analysis showed that species of genera including Campylobacter, Selenomonas, Porphyromonas, Catonella, Tannerella, Dialister, Peptostreptococcus, Streptococcus and Eubacterium had significant positive correlations and the number of teeth with low-grade attachment loss a significant negative correlation to species diversity in GCF samples. OPLS/O2PLS discriminant analysis revealed significant positive correlations to GCF sample group membership for species of genera Campylobacter, Leptotrichia, Prevotella, Dialister, Tannerella, Haemophilus, Fusobacterium, Eubacterium, and Actinomyces. Conclusions/Significance: Among a variety of detected species those traditionally classified as Gram-negative anaerobes growing in mature subgingival biofilms were the main predictors for species diversity in GCF samples as well as responsible for distinguishing GCF samples from PP samples. GCF bacteria may provide new prospects for studying dynamic properties of subgingival biofilms. The microbial profiles of GCF and subgingival plaque were analyzed from 17 subjects with periodontal disease.
Project description:Amacrine cells (ACs) comprise a heterogeneous class of inhibitory neurons in the vertebrate retina, exhibiting morphological and functional complexity rivaling that of cortical interneurons. Here, we integrate single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases from 24 vertebrate species to reconstruct the evolutionary origins of this extreme diversity. We identify 42 orthologous AC types (oACs), most of which exhibit a one-to-one correspondence across amniotes and, in many cases, across vertebrates. While core molecular identities are conserved, AC types vary in abundance and gene expression across species, likely reflecting adaptations to distinct visual ecologies. AC diversity scales with that of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), indicative of co-evolution. Finally, we suggest that ACs arose from an AC-RGC hybrid precursor, with glycinergic ACs diverging early in vertebrate evolution, followed by a bifurcation between RGCs and GABAergic ACs. Together, these findings establish a unified evolutionary framework for understanding the diversity, development, and function of a class of inhibitory neurons across vertebrates.