Project description:Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia worldwide. The novel ST-4821 clonal complex caused several serogroup C meningococcal outbreaks unexpectedly during 2003–2005 in China. We fabricated a whole-genome microarray of Chinese N. meningitidis serogroup C representative isolate 053442 and characterized 27 ST-4821 complex isolates which were isolated from different serogroups using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis. This paper provides important clues which are helpful to understand the genome composition and genetic background of different serogroups isolates, and possess significant meaning to the study of the newly emerged hyperinvasive lineage. Keywords: comparative genomic hybridization
Project description:We compare the transcriptome of gnotobiotic Ae. aegypti generated by contaminating axenic (bacteria-free) larvae with bacterial isolates found in natural mosquito breeding sites. We focused on four bacterial isolates (Lysobacter, Flavobacterium, Paenibacillus and Enterobacteriaceae) and found that different gnotobiotic treatments resulted in massive transcriptomic changes throughout the mosquito development.
Project description:In this study, we introduce BacDrop, a bacterial droplet-based high throughput scRNA-seq technology that can be applied to large cell numbers. We applied BacDrop to study Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates and elucidated their critical, genome-wide heterogeneity in the absence and presence of antibiotic perturbations.
Project description:Background Gastric Helicobacter pylori colonization leads to iron deficiency anemia (IDA), especially in children and adolescents. However the pathogenesis is poorly understood. Objective We sought to identify specific H. pylori genes involved in IDA development, by comparing bacterial genome-wide expression profiling in patients affected or not. Methods H. pylori were isolated from four children with IDA and four from matched controls without IDA. Based on these isolates, cDNA microarrays under iron-replete or depleted conditions were systematically performed to compare gene expression profiles at the whole genome level. Real-time reverse-transcription (RT-) PCR and protein assays were performed for further assessing the profile differentiation of the identified H. pylori IDA-associated genes. Results We identified 29 and 11 genes with significantly higher or lower expression in the IDA isolates compared to non-IDA isolates, respectively. Especially notable were higher expression of sabA gene encoding sialic acid-binding adhesin in the IDA isolates, which was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR study. Moreover, iron-depletion in vitro led to up-regulation of fecA1 and frpB1 genes and down-regulation of pfr, as predicted. Known iron-regulated genes such as fur, pfr, fecA, and feoB did not significantly differ between both groups. The IDA isolates had significantly higher expression of vacuolating cytotoxin gene vacA than non-IDA isolates, consistent with the results of VacA protein assays. There were no significant differences in bacterial growth value between IDA and non-IDA isolates. Conclusions It is likely that H. pylori carrying high expression of sabA causes IDA, especially in children and adolescents who have increased daily iron demand. In addition, it is possible that several host-interactive genes, including vacA, may play a synergistic role for sabA in IDA development.
Project description:Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia worldwide. The novel ST-4821 clonal complex caused several serogroup C meningococcal outbreaks unexpectedly during 2003â2005 in China. We fabricated a whole-genome microarray of Chinese N. meningitidis serogroup C representative isolate 053442 and characterized 27 ST-4821 complex isolates which were isolated from different serogroups using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis. This paper provides important clues which are helpful to understand the genome composition and genetic background of different serogroups isolates, and possess significant meaning to the study of the newly emerged hyperinvasive lineage. To further understand the genome diversity of ST-4821 complex isolates, CGH analysis was employed to compare the genomic content of 053442 with those of 27 ST-4821 complex isolates which were isolated from 14 provinces of China during 1977â2005.
Project description:Neisseria meningitidis is a major cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia worldwide. Seven new serogroup C meningococci were isolated from two provinces of China in January, 2006. Their PorA VR types were P1.20, 9. Multilocus sequence typing results indicated that they all belonged to ST-7. It is a new serogroup C N. meningitidis sequence type clone identified in China. Here we also present the results of a genomic comparison of these isolates with other 15 N. meningitidis serogroup A and B isolates, which belonged to ST-7, based on comparative genomic hybridization analysis. The data described here would be helpful to monitor the spread of this new serogroup C meningococci sequence type clone in China and worldwide. Keywords: comparative genomic hybridization To compare the genome compositions of these menC ST-7 isolates with those of menC ST-4821 isolates, menA ST-7 isolates and menB ST-7 isolates, we performed comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis among 17 N. meningitidis isolates (including two newly identified menC ST-7 isolates) using an updated version of the whole-genome microarray of N. meningitidis serogroup C isolate 053442 .
Project description:Sexual reproduction and recombination are essential for the survival of most eukaryotic populations. Until recently, the impact of these processes on the structure of bacterial populations has been largely overlooked. The advent of large-scale whole-genome sequencing and the concomitant development of molecular tools, such as microarray technology, facilitate the sensitive detection of recombination events in bacteria. These techniques are revealing that bacterial populations are comprised of isolates that show a surprisingly wide spectrum of genetic diversity at the DNA level. Our new awareness of this genetic diversity is increasing our understanding of population structures and of how these affect host?pathogen relationships. Set of arrays organized by shared biological context, such as organism, tumors types, processes, etc. Keywords: Logical Set
Project description:Hypermutable P. aeruginosa isolates are prevalent in cystic fibrosis and associated with acute exacerbations of chronic lung infections leading to early death and increased resistance emergence. Achievable epithelial lining fluid concentration-time profiles of meropenem and tobramycin in monotherapy and combination regimens were simulated against two clinical hypermutable P. aeruginosa isolates; CW8 (MICmeropenem=8mg/L, MICtobramycin=8mg/L) and CW44 (MICmeropenem=4mg/L, MICtobramycin=2mg/L) in an 8-day hollow fiber infection model (HFIM). Both isolates were previously characterised with genotypes resembling those of carbapenem- and aminoglycoside-resistant strains. Meropenem at 1 or 2g every 8h (3h infusion) and tobramycin at 5 or 10mg/kg body weight every 24h (0.5h infusion) were studied. Total and resistant bacterial counts were determined. Whole genome sequencing was performed on mutants and whole population samples at 191h, and transcriptomics at 1 and 191h. Mechanism-based modelling of total and resistant populations was informed by the multi-omics analysis. While all regimens against both isolates produced regrowth, the high dose combination synergistically suppressed resistant regrowth against CW8 up to ~96h. The high dose combination provided some killing against CW44, however failed to prevent resistant regrowth. In CW8, mutations emerged during treatment in pmrB, ampR, and multiple efflux pump regulators; in CW44, mutations in pmrB and PBP2 were observed. In CW8, resistance genes mexB and oprM were downregulated by the combination at 1h and coincided with synergistic killing, with differential expression of outer membrane norspermidine and lipopolysaccharide genes at 191h. Mechanism-based modelling incorporating subpopulation and mechanistic synergy successfully characterized the bacterial response of CW8, while mechanistic synergy was not required for CW44. Incorporating information from the multi-omics analyses was instrumental in building the mechanism-based model to describe the bacterial response of the hypermutable isolates, whereas MICs and traditional PK/PD indices could not predict the outcomes of the HFIM.