Project description:Fungal infections pose a significant threat to patients with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Particularly those caused by Scedosporium/Lomentospora species, being the second most common filamentous fungi in the respiratory tract of these patients after Aspergillus. The current serodiagnostic methods for detecting Scedosporium/Lomentospora, such as Counterimmunoelectrophoresis and ELISA using crude extracts, are neither standardized nor commercially available, and they suffer from cross-reactivity with other fungal species. This study aimed to identify specific antigens of Scedosporium boydii with potential utility for serodiagnosis in pwCF. The antigenic profile of S. boydii was analyzed by combining Two-Dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and immunoblotting with sera from pwCF with microbiological cultures of respiratory samples positive for Scedosporium/Lomentospora (Scedo+), and sera from mice intravenously infected with S. boydii. The fungal antigens specifically recognized by pwCF Scedo+ were: 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Pgd), 40S ribosomal protein S1 (Rps1) and S18 (Rps18), Small glutamine-rich tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein (Sgta), Cytochrome c peroxidase (Ccp), Mannitol-1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase (Mpd), L xylulose reductase (Lxr), Tetrahydroxynaphthalene reductase (Thnr), Heat shock 70 kDa protein (Hsp70), Proteasome subunits alpha (Psma6) and beta (Psmb2), Peroxiredoxin-1 (Prdx1), ATP dependent Clp protease proteolytic subunit (Clpp), 3 ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (Kat), 4 aminobutyrate aminotransferase (Abat), Succinyl CoA:3-ketoacid CoA transferase 1 (Scot) and Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pck). The fungal antigens specifically recognized by infected mice were: Hsp70, S5 DRBM domain-containing ribosomal protein (Rps5), mitochondrial NFU1 iron-sulfur cluster scaffold-like protein (Nfu1), 60S ribosomal protein L8 (Rpsl8), phosphomannomutase (Pmm) and proteasome subunit alpha type 5 protein (Psma5).
Project description:The naked mole-rat (NMR; Heterocephalus glaber) has recently gained considerable attention in the scientific community for its unique potential to unveil novel insights in the fields of medicine, biochemistry, and evolution. NMRs exhibit unique adaptations that include protracted fertility, cancer resistance, eusociality, and anoxia. This suite of adaptations is not found in other rodent species, suggesting that interrogating conserved and accelerated regions in the NMR genome will find regions of the NMR genome fundamental to their unique adaptations. However, the current NMR genome assembly has limits that make studying structural variations, heterozygosity, and non-coding adaptations challenging. We present a complete diploid naked-mole rat genome assembly by integrating long-read and 10X-linked read genome sequencing of a male NMR and its parents, and Hi-C sequencing in the NMR hypothalamus (N=2). Reads were identified as maternal, paternal or ambiguous (TrioCanu). We then polished genomes with Flye, Racon and Medaka. Assemblies were then scaffolded using the following tools in order: Scaff10X, Salsa2, 3d-DNA, Minimap2-alignment between assemblies, and the Juicebox Assembly Tools. We then subjected the assemblies to another round of polishing, including short-read polishing with Freebayes. We assembled the NMR mitochondrial genome with mitoVGP. Y chromosome contigs were identified by aligning male and female 10X linked reads to the paternal genome and finding male-biased contigs not present in the maternal genome. Contigs were assembled with publicly available male NMR Fibroblast Hi-C-seq data (SRR820318). Both assemblies have their sex chromosome haplotypes merged so that both assemblies have a high-quality X and Y chromosome. Finally, assemblies were evaluated with Quast, BUSCO, and Merqury, which all reported the base-pair quality and contiguity of both assemblies as high-quality. The assembly will next be annotated by Ensembl using public RNA-seq data from multiple tissues (SRP061363). Together, this assembly will provide a high-quality resource to the NMR and comparative genomics communities.
Project description:The naked mole-rat (NMR; Heterocephalus glaber) has recently gained considerable attention in the scientific community for its unique potential to unveil novel insights in the fields of medicine, biochemistry, and evolution. NMRs exhibit unique adaptations that include protracted fertility, cancer resistance, eusociality, and anoxia. This suite of adaptations is not found in other rodent species, suggesting that interrogating conserved and accelerated regions in the NMR genome will find regions of the NMR genome fundamental to their unique adaptations. However, the current NMR genome assembly has limits that make studying structural variations, heterozygosity, and non-coding adaptations challenging. We present a complete diploid naked-mole rat genome assembly by integrating long-read and 10X-linked read genome sequencing of a male NMR and its parents, and Hi-C sequencing in the NMR hypothalamus (N=2). Reads were identified as maternal, paternal or ambiguous (TrioCanu). We then polished genomes with Flye, Racon and Medaka. Assemblies were then scaffolded using the following tools in order: Scaff10X, Salsa2, 3d-DNA, Minimap2-alignment between assemblies, and the Juicebox Assembly Tools. We then subjected the assemblies to another round of polishing, including short-read polishing with Freebayes. We assembled the NMR mitochondrial genome with mitoVGP. Y chromosome contigs were identified by aligning male and female 10X linked reads to the paternal genome and finding male-biased contigs not present in the maternal genome. Contigs were assembled with publicly available male NMR Fibroblast Hi-C-seq data (SRR820318). Both assemblies have their sex chromosome haplotypes merged so that both assemblies have a high-quality X and Y chromosome. Finally, assemblies were evaluated with Quast, BUSCO, and Merqury, which all reported the base-pair quality and contiguity of both assemblies as high-quality. The assembly will next be annotated by Ensembl using public RNA-seq data from multiple tissues (SRP061363). Together, this assembly will provide a high-quality resource to the NMR and comparative genomics communities.