Project description:To carry out population genetics analyses of the Arctic gregion we carried out Illumina Bead-Array-based enotyping on 18 samples from Greenland.
Project description:An oligonucleotide microarray containing 50-mer oligonucleotides representing 9277 unique Atlantic halibut genes has been designed, printed and is currently being used for the study of gene expression in developing halibut. The oligonucleotides are based on all of the Atlantic halibut data available at the time of printing; these included ESTs and complete cDNAs derived from the Pleurogene sequencing project as well as sequences deposited in GenBank by other groups as of September 2006. Of the Pleurogene ESTs, 5040 are functionally annotated; the remainder are unknown (1016) or are similar to unannotated sequences in GenBank (1626). In addition to Atlantic halibut features, several control features have been incorporated, including an oligonucleotide representing a heterologous plant gene (92 spots) and empty spots containing buffer only (1344). The array contains 48 subgrids, each comprised of 32 columns and 26 rows. Every feature is printed at least four times as side-by-side quadruplicates, resulting in a microarray containing 39936 features. This microarray has been utilized to identify genes differentially expressed in larval Atlantic halibut during the developmental period from post-hatch to post-metamorphosis. Keywords: Development stage comparison
Project description:White muscle samples from juvenile Pacific halibut were analyzed in discovery-driven proteomics to investigate the effects of temperature-induced growth manipulations and to identify protein markers of somatic growth. Juvenile Pacific halibut were either acclimated to 2C (low temperature) and 9C (control temperature) to elicit growth suppression and also initially acclimated to 2C and subsequently transferred to 9C to elicit growth compensation. This project was led by Josep Planas at the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
Project description:In the present study, genomic binding sites of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) were identified in vivo in the rat hippocampus applying chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next-generation sequencing. We identified 2470 significant GR-binding sites (GBS) and were able to confirm GR binding to a random selection of these GBS covering a wide range of P values. Analysis of the genomic distribution of the significant GBS revealed a high prevalence of intragenic GBS. Gene ontology clusters involved in neuronal plasticity and other essential neuronal processes were overrepresented among the genes harboring a GBS or located in the vicinity of a GBS. Male adrenalectomized rats were challenged with increasing doses of the GR agonist corticosterone (CORT) ranging from 3 to 3000 μg/kg, resulting in clear differences in the GR-binding profile to individual GBS. Two groups of GBS could be distinguished: a low-CORT group that displayed GR binding across the full range of CORT concentrations, and a second high-CORT group that displayed significant GR binding only after administering the highest concentration of CORT. All validated GBS, in both the low-CORT and high-CORT groups, displayed mineralocorticoid receptor binding, which remained relatively constant from 30 μg/kg CORT upward. Motif analysis revealed that almost all GBS contained a glucocorticoid response element resembling the consensus motif in literature. In addition, motifs corresponding with new potential GR-interacting proteins were identified, such as zinc finger and BTB domain containing 3 (Zbtb3) and CUP (CG11181 gene product from transcript CG11181-RB), which may be involved in GR-dependent transactivation and transrepression, respectively. In conclusion, our results highlight the existence of 2 populations of GBS in the rat hippocampal genome. - See more at: http://press.endocrine.org/doi/10.1210/en.2012-2187?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed#sthash.LqK088DP.dpuf
Project description:The CiaRH and LiaFSR two-component regulatory systems in Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) are essential mediators of the organism s response to biologically important sources of environmental stress, and positive regulators of GBS virulence. Transcriptional profiling of CiaR mutant GBS and LiaR mutant GBS reveals that LiaR is positively-regulated by CiaR, and the individual mutant transcriptomes share a number of commonly-regulated genes. To determine the GBS response to loss of both of these key regulatory systems, we constructed a GBS mutant strain with non-polar deletions in both ciaR and liaR, and performed transcriptional profiling using DNA microarray analysis, comparing wild-type GBS to CiaR/LiaR double mutant GBS under non-stressed conditions.
Project description:Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a pervasive perinatal pathogen, yet factors driving GBS dissemination in utero are poorly defined. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a complication marked by dysregulated immunity and maternal microbial dysbiosis, increases risk for GBS perinatal disease. We interrogated host-pathogen dynamics in a novel murine GDM model of GBS colonization and perinatal transmission. GDM mice had greater GBS in utero dissemination and subsequently worse neonatal outcomes. Dual-RNA sequencing revealed differential GBS adaptation to the GDM reproductive tract, including a putative glycosyltransferase (yfhO), and altered host responses. GDM disruption of immunity included reduced uterine natural killer cell activation, impaired recruitment to placentae, and altered vaginal cytokines. Lastly, we observed distinct vaginal microbial taxa associated with GDM status and GBS invasive disease status. Our translational model of GBS perinatal transmission in GDM hosts recapitulates several clinical aspects and enables discovery of host and bacterial drivers of GBS perinatal disease.
Project description:Group B Streptococcus (GBS) frequently colonizes the vagina asymptomatically where the bacterium interacts with a complex microbial community. During pregnancy, colonization can trigger adverse outcomes and neonatal invasive infection. Using an adapted murine model of vaginal colonization, we show that the human pathobiont Candida albicans supports GBS fitness in the vaginal tract and ascension to the uterus. C. albicans positively associates with GBS across several human studies, and C. albicans and GBS physically interact in a mouse co-colonization model. This co-colonization contributes to GBS persistence in the vagina, cervix, and uterus and facilitates antibiotic evasion. Across clinical isolates, the hyphal form of C. albicans promotes GBS aggregation and adhesion to host epithelial cells. Contact with GBS induces arginine biosynthesis in C. albicans, which drives bacterial virulence gene expression and primes GBS adhesion. These findings show that interkingdom nutrient exchange can increase GBS pathogenic potential and highlight targets for preventative therapies.