Project description:The purpose of this study is to determine whether the presence of pathogenic Escherichia coli in colon is associated with psychiatric disorders.
Project description:Although the relationship between phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary dynamics has attracted large interest, very little is known about the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to adaptive evolution. In this study, we analyzed phenotypic and genotypic changes in E. coli cells during adaptive evolution to ethanol stress. To quantify the phenotypic changes, transcriptome analyses were performed.
Project description:ChIP-seq of ATF-7::GFP from Wild Type or pmk-1 mutant animals exposed to either non-pathogenic E. coli OP50 or pathogenic P. aeruginosa PA14
Project description:Understand the mechanisms of evolution in large-scale bio-production by tracking population dynamics leading to production decline in mevalonic acid-producing Escherichia coli. Industrial bioproduction entails growth of the production host to large bioreactors (e.g. 1-300 m3). This may put the organism at risk for generating non-producing subpopulations of genetic heterogeneity, which is not phenotypically detected at lab-scale (e.g. 2 L). To study these dynamics, we experimentally simulated these growth durations by passing mevalonic acid-producing E. coli to maintain the populations in exponential growth for 45 generations.
Project description:Long-term laboratory evolution experiments provide a controlled record of evolutionary dynamics and metabolic change in microorganisms. Nevertheless, the correspondence between genetic mutation and phenotypic adaptation remains elusive, partly because of the overwhelming number of genetic changes that accrue after tens-of-thousands of generations. Using a coarse-grained characterization of bacterial physiology applied to Lenski's laboratory-evolved strains of Escherichia coli, we identify an intermediate measure between genotype and phenotype that provides insight into the dynamics of adaptation.
Project description:Hanl Lee & Angelyn Lao. Transmission dynamics and control strategies assessment of avian influenza A (H5N6) in the Philippines. Infectious Disease Modelling 3 (2018).
Due to the outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (HPAI) H5N6 in the Philippines (particularly in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija) in August 2017, there has been an increase in the need to cull the domestic birds to control the spread of the infection. However, this control method poses a negative impact on the poultry industry. In addition, the pathogenicity and transmissibility of the H5N6 in both the birds and the humans remain largely unknown which call for the necessity to develop more strategic control methods for the virus. In this study, we constructed a mathematical model for the bilinear and half-saturated incidence to compare their corresponding effect on transmission dynamics of H5N6. The simulations of half-saturated incidence model were similar to what occurred during the H5N6 outbreak (2017) in the Philippines. Instead of culling the birds, we implemented other control strategies such as non-medicinal (personal protection and poultry isolation) and medicinal (poultry vaccination) ways to prevent, reduce, and control the rate of the H5N6 virus transmission. Among the proposed control strategies, we have shown that the poultry isolation strategy is still the most effective in reducing the infected birds.
Project description:Hanl Lee & Angelyn Lao. Transmission dynamics and control strategies assessment of avian influenza A (H5N6) in the Philippines. Infectious Disease Modelling 3 (2018).
Due to the outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (HPAI) H5N6 in the Philippines (particularly in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija) in August 2017, there has been an increase in the need to cull the domestic birds to control the spread of the infection. However, this control method poses a negative impact on the poultry industry. In addition, the pathogenicity and transmissibility of the H5N6 in both the birds and the humans remain largely unknown which call for the necessity to develop more strategic control methods for the virus. In this study, we constructed a mathematical model for the bilinear and half-saturated incidence to compare their corresponding effect on transmission dynamics of H5N6. The simulations of half-saturated incidence model were similar to what occurred during the H5N6 outbreak (2017) in the Philippines. Instead of culling the birds, we implemented other control strategies such as non-medicinal (personal protection and poultry isolation) and medicinal (poultry vaccination) ways to prevent, reduce, and control the rate of the H5N6 virus transmission. Among the proposed control strategies, we have shown that the poultry isolation strategy is still the most effective in reducing the infected birds.
Project description:Escherichia coli release Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) which carry diverse molecular cargo. Pathogenic E.coli EVs contain virulence factors which assist during infection in the host in different mechanisms.The RNA cargo of E.coli EVs has not been assessed in their effect in the host. We used microarray data to asses and compare the global response of bladder cells to EV-RNA from pathogenic E.coli (Uropathogenic UPEC 536) and non-pathogenic E. coli (probiotic Nissle 1917)