Project description:Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder for which a definitive cure is still missing. This is characterized by an overwhelming inflammatory milieu in the colonic tract where a composite set of immune and non-immune cells orchestrate its pathogenesis. Over the last years, a growing body of evidence has been pinpointing gut virome dysbiosis as underlying its progression. Nonetheless, its role during the early phases of chronic inflammation is far from being fully defined. Here we show the gut virome-associated Hepatitis B virus protein X, most likely acquired after an event of zoonotic spillover, to be associated with the early stages of ulcerative colitis and to induce colonic inflammation in mice. It acts as a transcriptional regulator in epithelial cells, provoking barrier leakage and altering mucosal immunity at the level of both innate and adaptive immunity. This study paves the way to the comprehension of the aetiopathogenesis of intestinal inflammation and encourages further investigations of the virome as a trigger also in other scenarios. Moreover, it provides a brand-new standpoint that looks at the virome as a target for tailored treatments, blocking the early phases of chronic inflammation and possibly leading to better disease management.
Project description:Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe intestinal disorder connected to a gut microbiota dysbiosis. Approximately 7-8% of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are diagnosed with NEC with mortality rates reaching 20-50%. Fecal virome transfer (FVT) is an approach where the bacteria-free fecal fraction from a healthy donor is administered to a patient with a GM dysbiosis. FVT contains e.g. bacteriophages, eukaryotic viruses, and metabolites. Oral administered FVT from healthy milk-fed term pigs shows promising potential in preventing NEC in the preterm piglet model. However, efficacy and safety are inconsistent between experiments. In the current study, we aim to explore methods of creating reproducible FVT-like treatments and test if these act preventive against NEC and possess minimal side effects in the preterm piglet model. Using cesarean-delivered, formula-fed preterm pigs, we compare the NEC preventive effect of native donor fecal virome (nFV) with: 1) a defined bacteriophage cocktail targeting NEC-associated bacteria; and 2) a chemostat fecal virome propagation with lactose as the major carbohydrate source (cFV), and 3) chemostat fecal virome propagation with lactose and milk oligosaccharides (cFV-OS). All methods will be compared to control treatment with SM buffer (SM).
Project description:Malnutrition is a major underlying cause of mortality in children and women in low and middle-income countries, like Bangladesh. This is mostly due to the poor dietary diversity and where rice is the main staple food. This preliminary study has explored the potential for increased nutritional and health benefits from soaking rice in the traditional Bangladeshi style of traditional soaked rice Panta Bhat for its nutritional value and microbiome contents for possible nutritional and health benefits.
Project description:MiRNA plays an important role in post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants. Whether TOR is involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation remains unclear in potato and other plants. In this study, we conducted the high-throughput sequencing of genome-wide miRNAs in the potato seedlings for profiling their expression patterns and identifying TOR related miRNAs in potato.
Project description:Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that are implicated in regulation of gene expression, both in mammals and plants. While much progress has been made in determining the biological functions of lncRNAs in mammals, the functional roles of lncRNAs in plants are still poorly understood. Specifically, the roles of lncRNAs in plant defense responses are yet to be fully explored. Here, we used strand-specific RNA sequencing to identify 1649 lncRNAs in potato (Solanum tuberosum) from stem tissues. The lncRNAs are expressed from all 12 potato chromosomes and generally smaller in size compared to protein-coding genes. Like in other plants, most potato lncRNAs (86%) are transcribed from intergenic regions and possess single exons. A time-course RNA-seq analysis between a tolerant and susceptible potato cultivar challenged with Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasilience revealed that 227 of these lncRNAs could be associated with response to this pathogen. These results suggest that lncRNAs have potential functional roles in potato defense responses. This work provides the foundation for further functional studies in understanding potato defense mechanisms.
Project description:Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that are implicated in regulation of gene expression, both in mammals and plants. While much progress has been made in determining the biological functions of lncRNAs in mammals, the functional roles of lncRNAs in plants are still poorly understood. Specifically, the roles of lncRNAs in plant defense responses are yet to be fully explored. Here, we used strand-specific RNA sequencing to identify 1649 lncRNAs in potato (Solanum tuberosum) from stem tissues. The lncRNAs are expressed from all 12 potato chromosomes and generally smaller in size compared to protein-coding genes. Like in other plants, most potato lncRNAs (86%) are transcribed from intergenic regions and possess single exons. A time-course RNA-seq analysis between a tolerant and susceptible potato cultivar challenged with Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasilience revealed that 227 of these lncRNAs could be associated with response to this pathogen. These results suggest that lncRNAs have potential functional roles in potato defense responses. This work provides the foundation for further functional studies in understanding potato defense mechanisms.