Project description:The skin commensal yeast Malassezia is associated with several skin disorders. To establish a reference resource, we sought to determine the complete genome sequence of Malassezia sympodialis and identify its protein-coding genes. A novel genome annotation workflow combining RNA sequencing, proteomics, and manual curation was developed to determine gene structures with high accuracy.
Project description:Primary objectives: The primary objective is to investigate circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) via deep sequencing for mutation detection and by whole genome sequencing for copy number analyses before start (baseline) with regorafenib and at defined time points during administration of regorafenib for treatment efficacy in colorectal cancer patients in terms of overall survival (OS).
Primary endpoints: circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) via deep sequencing for mutation detection and by whole genome sequencing for copy number analyses before start (baseline) with regorafenib and at defined time points during administration of regorafenib for treatment efficacy in colorectal cancer patients in terms of overall survival (OS).
Project description:The resident skin microbiota plays a fundamental role in the control of skin physiology and growing evidence support the idea that, at this barrier site, both immunity and inflammatory processes are controlled by skin resident microbiota. However, how defined skin microbes influence the skin immune system under both steady state conditions and inflammatory settings remains poorly understood. Obesity has been linked to increased prevalence of skin inflammatory disorders. We used microarray analysis to investigate how Corynebacterium spp., dominant members of the skin microbiota of mice and humans, influence gene expression in the skin in mice under normal diet or a high-fat diet regimen.
Project description:Background: The skin harbors complex communities of resident microorganisms, yet little is known of their physiological roles and the molecular mechanisms that mediate cutaneous host-microbe interactions. Here, we profiled skin transcriptomes of mice reared in the presence and absence of microbiota to elucidate the range of pathways and functions modulated in the skin by the microbiota. Results: A total of 2820 genes were differentially regulated in response to microbial colonization and were enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms related to the host-immune response and epidermal differentiation. Innate immune response genes and genes involved in cytokine activity were generally upregulated in response to microbiota and included genes encoding toll-like receptors, antimicrobial peptides, the complement cascade, and genes involved in IL-1 family cytokine signaling and homing of T cells. Our results also reveal a role for the microbiota in modulating epidermal differentiation and development, with differential expression of genes in the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC). Genes with correlated co-expression patterns were enriched in binding sites for the transcription factors Klf4, AP-1, and SP-1, all implicated as regulators of epidermal differentiation. Finally, we identified transcriptional signatures of microbial regulation common to both the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. Conclusions: With this foundational approach, we establish a critical resource for understanding the genome-wide implications of microbially mediated gene expression in the skin and emphasize prospective ways in which the microbiome contributes to skin health and disease.
Project description:Scratching damages upper layers of the skin, breaks this first line of immune defence, and leads to inflammation response, which often also modifies the microbiota of the skin. Although the healing of incision wounds is well-described, there are fewer studies on superficial wounds. We used a simulated model of skin scratching to study changes in the host transcriptome, skin microbiota, and their relationship. Additionally, we examined the effect of nanosized ZnO, TiO2, and Ag on both intact and damaged skin. At 24 h after exposure, the number of neutrophils was increased, 396 genes were differentially expressed, and microbiota compositions changed between scratched and intact control skin. At 7 d, the skin was still colonised by gut-associated microbes, including Lachnospiraceae, present in the cage environment, while the transcriptomic responses decreased. To sum up, the nanomaterial exposures reduced the relative abundance of cutaneous microbes on healthy skin, but the effect of scratching was more significant for the transcriptome than the nanomaterial exposure both at 24 h and 7 d. We conclude that superficial skin scratching induces inflammatory cell accumulation and changes in gene expression especially at 24 h, while the changes in the microbiota last at least 7 days.
Project description:Under steady state conditions, the immune system is poised to sense and respond to the microbiota. As such, immunity to the microbiota, including T cell responses, is expected to precede any inflammatory trigger. How this pool of preformed microbiota-specific T cells contributes to tissue pathologies remains unclear. Here, using an experimental model of psoriasis, we show that recall responses to commensal skin fungi can significantly aggravate tissue inflammation. Enhanced pathology caused by fungi pre-exposure depends on Th17 responses and neutrophil extracellular traps and recapitulates features of the transcriptional landscape of human lesional psoriatic skin. Together, our results propose that recall responses directed to skin fungi can directly promote skin inflammation and that exploration of tissue inflammation should be assessed in the context of recall responses to the microbiota.