ABSTRACT: Meta-genomic Analysis of Microbial Diversity and Molecular Detection of Quarantine Pathogens Associated with Imported Seed Potato to Sri Lanka
Project description:Meta-genomic Analysis of Microbial Diversity and Molecular Detection of Quarantine Pathogens Associated with Imported Seed Potato to Sri Lanka
Project description:Chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is an increasing problem in Sri Lanka especially among the farming community. The etiologies although uncertain, have been associated with occupational and environmental factors. The expression pattern of genes in blood of these CKDu patients in an endemic region of Sri Lanka was analyzed compared to healthy individuals from a non-endemic region to see any expression changes that could be associated to environmental factors. Pattern of expression changes could lead to either strengthen or weaken current hypotheses for the causes.
Project description:In Asia, oral cancer (OC) and oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) constitute major health problems linked to use of betel quid. This work performed CGH genome-wide analysis of OC (12 from India, 12 from Sri Lanka) and OSF (6 from India) cases with normal controls.
Project description:The objective of this study was to understand the shared and unique elements of the host transcriptional response to different viral pathogens. We identified 162 subjects in the US and Sri Lanka with infections due to influenza, enterovirus/rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, dengue virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr Virus, or adenovirus. Our dataset allowed us to identify common pathways at the molecular level as well as virus-specific differences in the host immune response. Conserved elements of the host response to these viral infections high-lighted the importance of interferon pathway activation. However, the magnitude of the re-sponses varied between pathogens. We also identified virus-specific responses to influenza, enterovirus/rhinovirus, and dengue infections.
Project description:Phloem localization of plant viruses is advantageous for acquisition by sap-sucking vectors but hampers host-virus protein interaction studies. In this study, Potato leafroll virus (PLRV)-host protein complexes were isolated from systemically infected potato, a natural host of the virus. Comparing two different co-immunoprecipitation support matrices coupled to mass spectrometry, we identified 44 potato proteins and one viral protein (P1) specifically associated with virus isolated from infected phloem. An additional 142 proteins interact in complex with virus at varying degrees of confidence. Greater than 80% of these proteins were previously found to form high confidence interactions with PLRV isolated from the model host Nicotiana benthamiana. Bioinformatics revealed that these proteins are enriched for functions related to plasmodesmata, organelle membrane transport, translation and mRNA processing. Our results show that model system proteomics experiments are extremely valuable for understanding protein interactions regulating infection in recalcitrant pathogens such as phloem-limited viruses.
Project description:Hypnale hypnale (hump-nosed pit viper) is considered to be one among the medically important venomous snake species of India and Sri Lanka. In the present study, venom proteome profiling of a single Hypnale hypnale from Western Ghats of India was achieved using SDS-PAGE based protein separation followed by LC-MS/MS analysis
