1
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King KA, Benton AH, Caudill MT, Stoyanof ST, Kang L, Michalak P, Lahmers KK, Dunman PM, DeHart TG, Ahmad SS, Jutras BL, Poncin K, De Bolle X, Caswell CC. Post-transcriptional control of the essential enzyme MurF by a small regulatory RNA in Brucella abortus. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:129-141. [PMID: 38082493 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Brucella abortus is a facultative, intracellular, zoonotic pathogen that resides inside macrophages during infection. This is a specialized niche where B. abortus encounters various stresses as it navigates through the macrophage. In order to survive this harsh environment, B. abortus utilizes post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression through the use of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs). Here, we characterize a Brucella sRNAs called MavR (for MurF- and virulence-regulating sRNA), and we demonstrate that MavR is required for the full virulence of B. abortus in macrophages and in a mouse model of chronic infection. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies revealed that a major regulatory target of MavR is MurF. MurF is an essential protein that catalyzes the final cytoplasmic step in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis; however, we did not detect any differences in the amount or chemical composition of PG in the ΔmavR mutant. A 6-nucleotide regulatory seed region within MavR was identified, and mutation of this seed region resulted in dysregulation of MurF production, as well as significant attenuation of infection in a mouse model. Overall, the present study underscores the importance of sRNA regulation in the physiology and virulence of Brucella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kellie A King
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Angela H Benton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Mitchell T Caudill
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - S Tristan Stoyanof
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
- College of Pharmacy, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
- Center for One Health Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
- Center for One Health Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Institute for Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Kevin K Lahmers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Paul M Dunman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Tanner G DeHart
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Saadman S Ahmad
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Brandon L Jutras
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Katy Poncin
- URBM, Narilis, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | | | - Clayton C Caswell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Center for One Health Research, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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2
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Cereghino C, Roesch F, Carrau L, Hardy A, Ribeiro-Filho HV, Henrion-Lacritick A, Koh C, Marano JM, Bates TA, Rai P, Chuong C, Akter S, Vallet T, Blanc H, Elliott TJ, Brown AM, Michalak P, LeRoith T, Bloom JD, Marques RE, Saleh MC, Vignuzzi M, Weger-Lucarelli J. The E2 glycoprotein holds key residues for Mayaro virus adaptation to the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1010491. [PMID: 37018377 PMCID: PMC10109513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptation to mosquito vectors suited for transmission in urban settings is a major driver in the emergence of arboviruses. To better anticipate future emergence events, it is crucial to assess their potential to adapt to new vector hosts. In this work, we used two different experimental evolution approaches to study the adaptation process of an emerging alphavirus, Mayaro virus (MAYV), to Ae. aegypti, an urban mosquito vector of many other arboviruses. We identified E2-T179N as a key mutation increasing MAYV replication in insect cells and enhancing transmission after escaping the midgut of live Ae. aegypti. In contrast, this mutation decreased viral replication and binding in human fibroblasts, a primary cellular target of MAYV in humans. We also showed that MAYV E2-T179N generates reduced viremia and displays less severe tissue pathology in vivo in a mouse model. We found evidence in mouse fibroblasts that MAYV E2-T179N is less dependent on the Mxra8 receptor for replication than WT MAYV. Similarly, exogenous expression of human apolipoprotein receptor 2 and Mxra8 enhanced WT MAYV replication compared to MAYV E2-T179N. When this mutation was introduced in the closely related chikungunya virus, which has caused major outbreaks globally in the past two decades, we observed increased replication in both human and insect cells, suggesting E2 position 179 is an important determinant of alphavirus host-adaptation, although in a virus-specific manner. Collectively, these results indicate that adaptation at the T179 residue in MAYV E2 may result in increased vector competence-but coming at the cost of optimal replication in humans-and may represent a first step towards a future emergence event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Cereghino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ferdinand Roesch
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
- UMR 1282 ISP, INRAE Centre Val de Loire, Nouzilly, France
| | - Lucía Carrau
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Hardy
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Helder V. Ribeiro-Filho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Annabelle Henrion-Lacritick
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Cassandra Koh
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Jeffrey M. Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Tyler A. Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Shamima Akter
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Thomas Vallet
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Hervé Blanc
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Truitt J. Elliott
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Research and Informatics, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Anne M. Brown
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, Untied States of Ameria
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tanya LeRoith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jesse D. Bloom
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rafael Elias Marques
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria-Carla Saleh
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
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3
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Porier DL, Adam A, Kang L, Michalak P, Tupik J, Santos MA, Lee C, Allen IC, Wang T, Auguste AJ. Humoral and T-cell-mediated responses to a pre-clinical Zika vaccine candidate that utilizes a unique insect-specific flavivirus platform. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.01.530296. [PMID: 36909623 PMCID: PMC10002724 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.01.530296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Vaccination is critical for the control and prevention of viral outbreaks, yet conventional vaccine platforms may involve trade-offs between immunogenicity and safety. Insect-specific viruses have emerged as a novel vaccine platform to overcome this challenge. Detailed studies of humoral and T-cell responses induced by new insect-specific flavivirus (ISFV)-based vaccine platforms are needed to better understand correlates of protection and improve vaccine efficacy. Previously, we used a novel ISFV called Aripo virus (ARPV) to create a Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccine candidate (designated ARPV/ZIKV). ARPV/ZIKV demonstrated exceptional safety and single-dose efficacy, completely protecting mice from a lethal ZIKV challenge. Here, we explore the development of immune responses induced by ARPV/ZIKV immunization and evaluate its correlates of protection. Passive transfer of ARPV/ZIKV-induced immune sera to naïve mice prior to challenge emphasized the importance of neutralizing antibodies as a correlate of protection. Depletion of T-cells in vaccinated mice and adoptive transfer of ARPV/ZIKV-primed T-cells to naïve mice prior to challenge indicated that ARPV/ZIKV-induced CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses contribute to the observed protection but may not be essential for protection during ZIKV challenge. However, vaccination of Rag1 KO, Tcra KO, and muMt - mice demonstrated the critical role for ARPV/ZIKV-induced T-cells in developing protective immune responses following vaccination. Overall, both humoral and T-cell-mediated responses induced by ISFV-based vaccines are important for comprehensive immunity, and ISFV platforms continue to be a promising method for future vaccine development.
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4
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Deeley S, Kang L, Michalak P, Hallerman E, Ford WM. DNA Metabarcoding-Based Evaluation of the Diet of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus) in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2023. [DOI: 10.1656/045.029.0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Deeley
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD 21401
| | - Lin Kang
- Biomedical Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA 71203
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA–MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060
| | - Eric Hallerman
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - W. Mark Ford
- US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Blacksburg, VA 24061
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5
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Oakes VJ, Todd SM, Carbonello AA, Michalak P, Lahmers KK. Coinfection of cattle in Virginia with Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype and Anaplasma marginale. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021; 34:36-41. [PMID: 34763583 DOI: 10.1177/10406387211057627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Theileria orientalis Ikeda is a newly identified agent of bovine infectious anemia in the United States. Although T. orientalis Ikeda is transmitted by ticks other than the tick that transmits Anaplasma marginale-a bacterial etiology of bovine infectious anemia-the geographic distributions of these 2 infectious organisms overlap, with coinfection reported in some cattle. Only anaplasmosis has an approved effective treatment in the United States. To provide rapid diagnostic information for producers with anemic animals, we developed a duplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) for A. marginale and T. orientalis. With a cutoff of 38 cycles, the duplex assay has a sensitivity of 97.0% and a specificity of 100% for A. marginale; with a cutoff of 45 cycles, the duplex assay has a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% for T. orientalis, compared to existing tests. In addition to providing a tool for improved clinical decision-making for veterinarians and producers, our rtPCR facilitates the study of coinfection of cattle in Virginia. Of 1,359 blood samples analyzed, 174 were positive for T. orientalis, 125 were positive for A. marginale, and 12 samples were positive for both T. orientalis and A. marginale. Hence, coinfection by these 2 agents of bovine infectious anemia does occur within Virginia. It is likely that this pattern of infection will be seen in other regions where T. orientalis and A. marginale infections are endemic, despite the difference in tick vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa J Oakes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - S Michelle Todd
- Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Amanda A Carbonello
- Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA, USA.,Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Kevin K Lahmers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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6
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Kang L, Michalak P, Hallerman E, Moncrief ND. A Draft Genome Assembly for the Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger. G3 (Bethesda) 2021; 11:6373894. [PMID: 34550334 PMCID: PMC8664420 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The eastern fox squirrel, Sciurus niger, exhibits marked geographic variation in size and coat color, is a model organism for studies of behavior and ecology, and a potential model for investigating physiological solutions to human porphyrias. We assembled a genome using Illumina HiSeq, PacBio SMRT, and Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platforms. Together, the sequencing data resulted in a draft genome of 2.99 Gb, containing 32,830 scaffolds with an average size of 90.9Kb and N50 of 183.8 Kb. Genome completeness was estimated to be 93.78%. A total of 24,443 protein-encoding genes were predicted from the assembly, and 23,079 (94.42%) were annotated. Repeat elements comprised an estimated 38.49% of the genome, with the majority being LINEs (13.92%), SINEs (6.04%), and LTR elements. The topology of the species tree reconstructed using maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis was congruent with those of previous studies. This genome assembly can prove useful for comparative studies of genome structure and function in this rapidly diversifying lineage of mammals, for studies of population genomics and adaptation, and for biomedical research. Predicted amino acid sequence alignments for genes affecting heme biosynthesis, color vision and hibernation showed point mutations and indels that may affect protein function and ecological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, LA 71203, USA.,Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, LA 71203, USA.,Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.,Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Eric Hallerman
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Nancy D Moncrief
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, Virginia 24112, USA. 276.634.4177
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7
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Aggarwal DD, Rybnikov S, Sapielkin S, Rashkovetsky E, Frenkel Z, Singh M, Michalak P, Korol AB. Seasonal changes in recombination characteristics in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:278-287. [PMID: 34163036 PMCID: PMC8405755 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00449-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental seasonality is a potent evolutionary force, capable of maintaining polymorphism, promoting phenotypic plasticity and causing bet-hedging. In Drosophila, environmental seasonality has been reported to affect life-history traits, tolerance to abiotic stressors and immunity. Oscillations in frequencies of alleles underlying fitness-related traits were also documented alongside SNPs across the genome. Here, we test for seasonal changes in two recombination characteristics, crossover rate and crossover interference, in a natural D. melanogaster population from India using morphological markers of the three major chromosomes. We show that winter flies, collected after the dry season, have significantly higher desiccation tolerance than their autumn counterparts. This difference proved to hold also for hybrids with three independent marker stocks, suggesting its genetic rather than plastic nature. Significant between-season changes are documented for crossover rate (in 9 of 13 studied intervals) and crossover interference (in four of eight studied pairs of intervals); both single and double crossovers were usually more frequent in the winter cohort. The winter flies also display weaker plasticity of both recombination characteristics to desiccation. We ascribe the observed differences to indirect selection on recombination caused by directional selection on desiccation tolerance. Our findings suggest that changes in recombination characteristics can arise even after a short period of seasonal adaptation (~8-10 generations).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dau Dayal Aggarwal
- Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India.
| | - Sviatoslav Rybnikov
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Shaul Sapielkin
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Zeev Frenkel
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Manvender Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, UIET, MD University, Rohtak, India
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA, USA
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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8
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Kang L, He G, Sharp AK, Wang X, Brown AM, Michalak P, Weger-Lucarelli J. A selective sweep in the Spike gene has driven SARS-CoV-2 human adaptation. Cell 2021; 184:4392-4400.e4. [PMID: 34289344 PMCID: PMC8260498 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic underscores the need to better understand animal-to-human transmission of coronaviruses and adaptive evolution within new hosts. We scanned more than 182,000 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes for selective sweep signatures and found a distinct footprint of positive selection located around a non-synonymous change (A1114G; T372A) within the spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD), predicted to remove glycosylation and increase binding to human ACE2 (hACE2), the cellular receptor. This change is present in all human SARS-CoV-2 sequences but not in closely related viruses from bats and pangolins. As predicted, T372A RBD bound hACE2 with higher affinity in experimental binding assays. We engineered the reversion mutant (A372T) and found that A372 (wild-type [WT]-SARS-CoV-2) enhanced replication in human lung cells relative to its putative ancestral variant (T372), an effect that was 20 times greater than the well-known D614G mutation. Our findings suggest that this mutation likely contributed to SARS-CoV-2 emergence from animal reservoirs or enabled sustained human-to-human transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA 71203, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Guijuan He
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Amanda K Sharp
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Wang
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Anne M Brown
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Research and Informatics, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA 71203, USA; Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
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9
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Kinney N, Kang L, Bains H, Lawson E, Husain M, Husain K, Sandhu I, Shin Y, Carter JK, Anandakrishnan R, Michalak P, Garner H. Ethnically biased microsatellites contribute to differential gene expression and glutathione metabolism in Africans and Europeans. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249148. [PMID: 33765058 PMCID: PMC7993785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately three percent of the human genome is occupied by microsatellites: a type of short tandem repeat (STR). Microsatellites have well established effects on (a) the genetic structure of diverse human populations and (b) expression of nearby genes. These lines of inquiry have uncovered 3,984 ethnically biased microsatellite loci (EBML) and 28,375 expression STRs (eSTRs), respectively. We hypothesize that a combination of EBML, eSTRs, and gene expression data (RNA-seq) can be used to show that microsatellites contribute to differential gene expression and phenotype in human populations. In fact, our previous study demonstrated a degree of mutual overlap between EBML and eSTRs but fell short of quantifying effects on gene expression. The present work aims to narrow the gap. First, we identify 313 overlapping EBML/eSTRs and recapitulate their mutual overlap. The 313 EBML/eSTRs are then characterized across ethnicity and tissue type. We use RNA-seq data to pursue validation of 49 regions that affect whole blood gene expression; 32 out of 54 affected genes are differentially expressed in Africans and Europeans. We quantify the relative contribution of these 32 genes to differential expression; fold change tends to be less than other differentially expressed genes. Repeat length correlates with expression for 15 of the 32 genes; two are conspicuously involved in glutathione metabolism. Finally, we repurpose a mathematical model of glutathione metabolism to investigate how a single polymorphic microsatellite affects phenotype. We conclude with a testable prediction that microsatellite polymorphisms affect GPX7 expression and oxidative stress in Africans and Europeans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Kinney
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Harpal Bains
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Lawson
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mesam Husain
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Kumayl Husain
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Inderjit Sandhu
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Yongdeok Shin
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Javan K. Carter
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Ramu Anandakrishnan
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Harold Garner
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
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10
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Anandakrishnan R, Carpenetti TL, Samuel P, Wasko B, Johnson C, Smith C, Kim J, Michalak P, Kang L, Kinney N, Santo A, Anstrom J, Garner HR, Varghese RT. DNA sequencing of anatomy lab cadavers to provide hands-on precision medicine introduction to medical students. BMC Med Educ 2020; 20:437. [PMID: 33198737 PMCID: PMC7670733 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02366-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical treatment informed by Precision Medicine is becoming a standard practice for many diseases, and patients are curious about the consequences of genomic variants in their genome. However, most medical students' understanding of Precision Medicine derives from classroom lectures. This format does little to foster an understanding for the potential and limitations of Precision Medicine. To close this gap, we implemented a hands-on Precision Medicine training program utilizing exome sequencing to prepare a clinical genetic report of cadavers studied in the anatomy lab. The program reinforces Precision Medicine related learning objectives for the Genetics curriculum. METHODS Pre-embalmed blood samples and embalmed tissue were obtained from cadavers (donors) used in the anatomy lab. DNA was isolated and sequenced and illustrative genetic reports provided to the students. The reports were used to facilitate discussion with students on the implications of pathogenic genomic variants and the potential correlation of these variants in each "donor" with any anatomical anomalies identified during cadaver dissection. RESULTS In 75% of cases, analysis of whole exome sequencing data identified a variant associated with increased risk for a disease/abnormal condition noted in the donor's cause of death or in the students' anatomical findings. This provided students with real-world examples of the potential relationship between genomic variants and disease risk. Our students also noted that diseases associated with 92% of the pathogenic variants identified were not related to the anatomical findings, demonstrating the limitations of Precision Medicine. CONCLUSION With this study, we have established protocols and classroom procedures incorporating hands-on Precision Medicine training in the medical student curriculum and a template for other medical educators interested in enhancing their Precision Medicine training program. The program engaged students in discovering variants that were associated with the pathophysiology of the cadaver they were studying, which led to more exposure and understanding of the potential risks and benefits of genomic medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramu Anandakrishnan
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
- Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA
| | - Tiffany L Carpenetti
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Peter Samuel
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Breezy Wasko
- Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, 23219, USA
| | - Craig Johnson
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Christy Smith
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Jessica Kim
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Nick Kinney
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
- Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA
| | - Arben Santo
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - John Anstrom
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Harold R Garner
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
- Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA
| | - Robin T Varghese
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.
- Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA.
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11
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Budnick JA, Sheehan LM, Ginder MJ, Failor KC, Perkowski JM, Pinto JF, Kohl KA, Kang L, Michalak P, Luo L, Heindl JE, Caswell CC. A central role for the transcriptional regulator VtlR in small RNA-mediated gene regulation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14968. [PMID: 32917931 PMCID: PMC7486931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72117-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
LysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) are the most common type of transcriptional regulators in prokaryotes and function by altering gene expression in response to environmental stimuli. In the class Alphaproteobacteria, a conserved LTTR named VtlR is critical to the establishment of host-microbe interactions. In the mammalian pathogen Brucella abortus, VtlR is required for full virulence in a mouse model of infection, and VtlR activates the expression of abcR2, which encodes a small regulatory RNA (sRNA). In the plant symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti, the ortholog of VtlR, named LsrB, is involved in the symbiosis of the bacterium with alfalfa. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a close relative of both B. abortus and S. meliloti, and this bacterium is the causative agent of crown gall disease in plants. In the present study, we demonstrate that VtlR is involved in the ability of A. tumefaciens to grow appropriately in artificial medium, and an A. tumefaciens vtlR deletion strain is defective in motility, biofilm formation, and tumorigenesis of potato discs. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed that more than 250 genes are dysregulated in the ∆vtlR strain, and importantly, VtlR directly controls the expression of three sRNAs in A. tumefaciens. Taken together, these data support a model in which VtlR indirectly regulates hundreds of genes via manipulation of sRNA pathways in A. tumefaciens, and moreover, while the VtlR/LsrB protein is present and structurally conserved in many members of the Alphaproteobacteria, the VtlR/LsrB regulatory circuitry has diverged in order to accommodate the unique environmental niche of each organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Budnick
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Lauren M Sheehan
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Miranda J Ginder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kevin C Failor
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Julia M Perkowski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - John F Pinto
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kirsten A Kohl
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
- Edward via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
- Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Li Luo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Plant Science Center, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Jason E Heindl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Clayton C Caswell
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.
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12
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Pinzari CA, Kang L, Michalak P, Jermiin LS, Price DK, Bonaccorso FJ. Analysis of Genomic Sequence Data Reveals the Origin and Evolutionary Separation of Hawaiian Hoary Bat Populations. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:1504-1514. [PMID: 32853363 PMCID: PMC7543519 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We examine the genetic history and population status of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus semotus), the most isolated bats on Earth, and their relationship to northern hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), through whole-genome analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms mapped to a de novo-assembled reference genome. Profiles of genomic diversity and divergence indicate that Hawaiian hoary bats are distinct from northern hoary bats, and form a monophyletic group, indicating a single ancestral colonization event 1.34 Ma, followed by substantial divergence between islands beginning 0.51 Ma. Phylogenetic analysis indicates Maui is central to the radiation across the archipelago, with the southward expansion to Hawai'i and westward to O'ahu and Kaua'i. Because this endangered species is of conservation concern, a clearer understanding of the population genetic structure of this bat in the Hawaiian Islands is of timely importance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Lars S Jermiin
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Ireland
- Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Donald K Price
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
| | - Frank J Bonaccorso
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawai‘i National Park, HI
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13
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Budnick JA, Sheehan LM, Benton AH, Pitzer JE, Kang L, Michalak P, Roop RM, Caswell CC. Characterizing the transport and utilization of the neurotransmitter GABA in the bacterial pathogen Brucella abortus. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237371. [PMID: 32845904 PMCID: PMC7449393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain; however, it is becoming more evident that this non-proteinogenic amino acid plays multiple physiological roles in biology. In the present study, the transport and function of GABA is studied in the highly infectious intracellular bacterium Brucella abortus. The data show that 3H-GABA is imported by B. abortus under nutrient limiting conditions and that the small RNAs AbcR1 and AbcR2 negatively regulate this transport. A specific transport system, gts, is responsible for the transport of GABA as determined by measuring 3H-GABA transport in isogenic deletion strains of known AbcR1/2 regulatory targets; however, this locus is unnecessary for Brucella infection in BALB/c mice. Similar assays revealed that 3H-GABA transport is uninhibited by the 20 standard proteinogenic amino acids, representing preference for the transport of 3H-GABA. Metabolic studies did not show any potential metabolic utilization of GABA by B. abortus as a carbon or nitrogen source, and RNA sequencing analysis revealed limited transcriptional differences between B. abortus 2308 with or without exposure to GABA. While this study provides evidence for GABA transport by B. abortus, questions remain as to why and when this transport is utilized during Brucella pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Budnick
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Lauren M. Sheehan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Angela H. Benton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Joshua E. Pitzer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lin Kang
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - R. Martin Roop
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Clayton C. Caswell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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14
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Gemmell NJ, Rutherford K, Prost S, Tollis M, Winter D, Macey JR, Adelson DL, Suh A, Bertozzi T, Grau JH, Organ C, Gardner PP, Muffato M, Patricio M, Billis K, Martin FJ, Flicek P, Petersen B, Kang L, Michalak P, Buckley TR, Wilson M, Cheng Y, Miller H, Schott RK, Jordan MD, Newcomb RD, Arroyo JI, Valenzuela N, Hore TA, Renart J, Peona V, Peart CR, Warmuth VM, Zeng L, Kortschak RD, Raison JM, Zapata VV, Wu Z, Santesmasses D, Mariotti M, Guigó R, Rupp SM, Twort VG, Dussex N, Taylor H, Abe H, Bond DM, Paterson JM, Mulcahy DG, Gonzalez VL, Barbieri CG, DeMeo DP, Pabinger S, Van Stijn T, Clarke S, Ryder O, Edwards SV, Salzberg SL, Anderson L, Nelson N, Stone C. The tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution. Nature 2020; 584:403-409. [PMID: 32760000 PMCID: PMC7116210 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2561-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)-the only living member of the reptilian order Rhynchocephalia (Sphenodontia), once widespread across Gondwana1,2-is an iconic species that is endemic to New Zealand2,3. A key link to the now-extinct stem reptiles (from which dinosaurs, modern reptiles, birds and mammals evolved), the tuatara provides key insights into the ancestral amniotes2,4. Here we analyse the genome of the tuatara, which-at approximately 5 Gb-is among the largest of the vertebrate genomes yet assembled. Our analyses of this genome, along with comparisons with other vertebrate genomes, reinforce the uniqueness of the tuatara. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the tuatara lineage diverged from that of snakes and lizards around 250 million years ago. This lineage also shows moderate rates of molecular evolution, with instances of punctuated evolution. Our genome sequence analysis identifies expansions of proteins, non-protein-coding RNA families and repeat elements, the latter of which show an amalgam of reptilian and mammalian features. The sequencing of the tuatara genome provides a valuable resource for deep comparative analyses of tetrapods, as well as for tuatara biology and conservation. Our study also provides important insights into both the technical challenges and the cultural obligations that are associated with genome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Kim Rutherford
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Stefan Prost
- LOEWE-Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, National Zoological Garden, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marc Tollis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - David Winter
- School of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | | | - David L Adelson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alexander Suh
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Terry Bertozzi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - José H Grau
- Amedes Genetics, Amedes Medizinische Dienstleistungen, Berlin, Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chris Organ
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Paul P Gardner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Matthieu Muffato
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Mateus Patricio
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Konstantinos Billis
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Fergal J Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Paul Flicek
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Bent Petersen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Thomas R Buckley
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Melissa Wilson
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Cheng
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Melissa D Jordan
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard D Newcomb
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - José Ignacio Arroyo
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicole Valenzuela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tim A Hore
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jaime Renart
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas 'Alberto Sols' CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Valentina Peona
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Claire R Peart
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Vera M Warmuth
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Lu Zeng
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - R Daniel Kortschak
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Joy M Raison
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Zhiqiang Wu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Didac Santesmasses
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco Mariotti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shawn M Rupp
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Victoria G Twort
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nicolas Dussex
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Helen Taylor
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hideaki Abe
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Donna M Bond
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - James M Paterson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Daniel G Mulcahy
- Global Genome Initiative, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vanessa L Gonzalez
- Global Genome Initiative, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Stephan Pabinger
- Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Center for Health and Bioresources, Molecular Diagnostics, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Shannon Clarke
- AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre, Mosgiel, New Zealand
| | - Oliver Ryder
- San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Steven L Salzberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay Anderson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Nicola Nelson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Clive Stone
- Ngatiwai Trust Board, Whangarei, New Zealand
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15
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Kinney N, Kang L, Eckstrand L, Pulenthiran A, Samuel P, Anandakrishnan R, Varghese RT, Michalak P, Garner HR. Abundance of ethnically biased microsatellites in human gene regions. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225216. [PMID: 31830051 PMCID: PMC6907796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsatellites-a type of short tandem repeat (STR)-have been used for decades as putatively neutral markers to study the genetic structure of diverse human populations. However, recent studies have demonstrated that some microsatellites contribute to gene expression, cis heritability, and phenotype. As a corollary, some microsatellites may contribute to differential gene expression and RNA/protein structure stability in distinct human populations. To test this hypothesis, we investigate genotype frequencies, functional relevance, and adaptive potential of microsatellites in five super-populations (ethnicities) drawn from the 1000 Genomes Project. We discover 3,984 ethnically-biased microsatellite loci (EBML); for each EBML at least one ethnicity has genotype frequencies statistically different from the remaining four. South Asian, East Asian, European, and American EBML show significant overlap; on the contrary, the set of African EBML is mostly unique. We cross-reference the 3,984 EBML with 2,060 previously identified expression STRs (eSTRs); repeats known to affect gene expression (64 total) are over-represented. The most significant pathway enrichments are those associated with the matrisome: a broad collection of genes encoding the extracellular matrix and its associated proteins. At least 14 of the EBML have established links to human disease. Analysis of the 3,984 EBML with respect to known selective sweep regions in the genome shows that allelic variation in some of them is likely associated with adaptive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Kinney
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
| | - Laurel Eckstrand
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Arichanah Pulenthiran
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Peter Samuel
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Ramu Anandakrishnan
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Robin T. Varghese
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - P. Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Harold R. Garner
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, United States of America
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16
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van Hoek ML, Prickett MD, Settlage RE, Kang L, Michalak P, Vliet KA, Bishop BM. The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) genome and identification of innate immunity genes and clusters. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:684. [PMID: 31470795 PMCID: PMC6716921 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6029-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We report the sequencing, assembly and analysis of the genome of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the largest extant lizard, with a focus on antimicrobial host-defense peptides. The Komodo dragon diet includes carrion, and a complex milieu of bacteria, including potentially pathogenic strains, has been detected in the saliva of wild dragons. They appear to be unaffected, suggesting that dragons have robust defenses against infection. While little information is available regarding the molecular biology of reptile immunity, it is believed that innate immunity, which employs antimicrobial host-defense peptides including defensins and cathelicidins, plays a more prominent role in reptile immunity than it does in mammals. . Results High molecular weight genomic DNA was extracted from Komodo dragon blood cells. Subsequent sequencing and assembly of the genome from the collected DNA yielded a genome size of 1.6 Gb with 45x coverage, and the identification of 17,213 predicted genes. Through further analyses of the genome, we identified genes and gene-clusters corresponding to antimicrobial host-defense peptide genes. Multiple β-defensin-related gene clusters were identified, as well as a cluster of potential Komodo dragon ovodefensin genes located in close proximity to a cluster of Komodo dragon β-defensin genes. In addition to these defensins, multiple cathelicidin-like genes were also identified in the genome. Overall, 66 β-defensin genes, six ovodefensin genes and three cathelicidin genes were identified in the Komodo dragon genome. Conclusions Genes with important roles in host-defense and innate immunity were identified in this newly sequenced Komodo dragon genome, suggesting that these organisms have a robust innate immune system. Specifically, multiple Komodo antimicrobial peptide genes were identified. Importantly, many of the antimicrobial peptide genes were found in gene clusters. We found that these innate immunity genes are conserved among reptiles, and the organization is similar to that seen in other avian and reptilian species. Having the genome of this important squamate will allow researchers to learn more about reptilian gene families and will be a valuable resource for researchers studying the evolution and biology of the endangered Komodo dragon. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-6029-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique L van Hoek
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, 20110, USA
| | - M Dennis Prickett
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita-Edif. C11, Università di Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Robert E Settlage
- Advanced Research Computing, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.,Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.,Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Kent A Vliet
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Barney M Bishop
- Department of Chemistry, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, 20110, USA.
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17
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Aggarwal DD, Rybnikov S, Cohen I, Frenkel Z, Rashkovetsky E, Michalak P, Korol AB. Desiccation-induced changes in recombination rate and crossover interference in Drosophila melanogaster: evidence for fitness-dependent plasticity. Genetica 2019; 147:291-302. [PMID: 31240599 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-019-00070-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is evolutionarily ambiguous, as being associated with both benefits and costs to its bearers, with the resultant dependent on a variety of conditions. While existing theoretical models explain the emergence and maintenance of recombination, some of its essential features remain underexplored. Here we focus on one such feature, recombination plasticity, and test whether recombination response to stress is fitness-dependent. We compare desiccation stress effects on recombination rate and crossover interference in chromosome 3 between desiccation-sensitive and desiccation-tolerant Drosophila lines. We show that relative to desiccation-tolerant genotypes, desiccation-sensitive genotypes exhibit a significant segment-specific increase in single- and double-crossover frequencies across the pericentromeric region of chromosome 3. Significant changes (relaxation) in crossover interference were found for the interval pairs flanking the centromere and extending to the left arm of the chromosome. These results indicate that desiccation is a recombinogenic factor and that desiccation-induced changes in both recombination rate and crossover interference are fitness-dependent, with a tendency of less fitted individuals to produce more variable progeny. Such dependence may play an important role in the regulation of genetic variation in populations experiencing environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dau Dayal Aggarwal
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
| | - Sviatoslav Rybnikov
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Cohen
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zeev Frenkel
- Department of Mathematics and Computational Science, Ariel University, 40700, Ariel, Israel
| | | | - Pawel Michalak
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.,Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel. .,Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
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18
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Kinney N, Titus-Glover K, Wren JD, Varghese RT, Michalak P, Liao H, Anandakrishnan R, Pulenthiran A, Kang L, Garner HR. CAGm: a repository of germline microsatellite variations in the 1000 genomes project. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:D39-D45. [PMID: 30329086 PMCID: PMC6323891 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome harbors an abundance of repetitive DNA; however, its function continues to be debated. Microsatellites-a class of short tandem repeat-are established as an important source of genetic variation. Array length variants are common among microsatellites and affect gene expression; but, efforts to understand the role and diversity of microsatellite variation has been hampered by several challenges. Without adequate depth, both long-read and short-read sequencing may not detect the variants present in a sample; additionally, large sample sizes are needed to reveal the degree of population-level polymorphism. To address these challenges we present the Comparative Analysis of Germline Microsatellites (CAGm): a database of germline microsatellites from 2529 individuals in the 1000 genomes project. A key novelty of CAGm is the ability to aggregate microsatellite variation by population, ethnicity (super population) and gender. The database provides advanced searching for microsatellites embedded in genes and functional elements. All data can be downloaded as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Two use-case scenarios are presented to demonstrate its utility: a mononucleotide (A) microsatellite at the BAT-26 locus and a dinucleotide (CA) microsatellite in the coding region of FGFRL1. CAGm is freely available at http://www.cagmdb.org/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Kinney
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Kyle Titus-Glover
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Jonathan D Wren
- Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program, Division of Genomics and Data Sciences Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Robin T Varghese
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- One Health Research Center, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 1410 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Institute of Evolution,University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Han Liao
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Ramu Anandakrishnan
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Arichanah Pulenthiran
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Harold R Garner
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, 101 E Wood St., Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA
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19
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Michalak P, Kang L, Schou MF, Garner HR, Loeschcke V. Genomic signatures of experimental adaptive radiation in Drosophila. Mol Ecol 2018; 28:600-614. [PMID: 30375065 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic environmental factors play a fundamental role in determining the distribution, abundance and adaptive diversification of species. Empowered by new technologies enabling rapid and increasingly accurate examination of genomic variation in populations, researchers may gain new insights into the genomic background of adaptive radiation and stress resistance. We investigated genomic variation across generations of large-scale experimental selection regimes originating from a single founder population of Drosophila melanogaster, diverging in response to ecologically relevant environmental stressors: heat shock, heat knock down, cold shock, desiccation and starvation. When compared to the founder population, and to parallel unselected controls, there were more than 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) displaying consistent allelic changes in response to selective pressures across generations. These SNPs were found in both coding and noncoding sequences, with the highest density in promoter regions, and involved a broad range of functionalities, including molecular chaperoning by heat-shock proteins. The SNP patterns were highly stressor-specific despite considerable variation among line replicates within each selection regime, as reflected by a principal component analysis, and co-occurred with selective sweep regions. Only ~15% of SNPs with putatively adaptive changes were shared by at least two selective regimes, while less than 1% of SNPs diverged in opposite directions. Divergent stressors driving evolution in the experimental system of adaptive radiation left distinct genomic signatures, most pronounced in starvation and heat-shock selection regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,One Health Research Center, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Mads F Schou
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Harold R Garner
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,The Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC, USA
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20
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Velmurugan KR, Michalak P, Kang L, Fonville NC, Garner HR. Dysfunctional DNA repair pathway via defective FANCD2 gene engenders multifarious exomic and transcriptomic effects in Fanconi anemia. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2018; 6:1199-1208. [PMID: 30450770 PMCID: PMC6305641 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Fanconi anemia (FA) affects only one in 130,000 births, but has severe and diverse clinical consequences. It has been theorized that defects in the FA DNA cross‐link repair complex lead to a spectrum of variants that are responsible for those diverse clinical phenotypes. Methods Using NextGen sequencing, we show that a clinically derived FA cell line had accumulated numerous genetic variants, including high‐impact mutations, such as deletion of start codons, introduction of premature stop codons, missense mutations, and INDELs. Results About 65% of SNPs and 55% of INDELs were found to be commonly present in both the FA dysfunctional and retrovirally corrected cell lines, showing their common origin. The number of INDELs, but not SNPs, is decreased in FANCD2‐corrected samples, suggesting that FANCD2 deficiency preferentially promotes the origin of INDELs. These genetic modifications had a considerable effect on the transcriptome, with statistically significant changes in the expression of 270 genes. These genetic and transcriptomic variants significantly impacted pathways and molecular functions, spanning a diverse spectrum of disease phenotypes/symptoms, consistent with the disease diversity seen in FA patients. Conclusion These results underscore the consequences of defects in the DNA cross‐link repair mechanism and indicate that accumulating diverse mutations from individual parent cells may make it difficult to anticipate the longitudinal clinical behavior of emerging disease states in an individual with FA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Raja Velmurugan
- Primary Care Research Network and the Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Primary Care Research Network and the Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lin Kang
- Primary Care Research Network and the Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | | | - Harold R Garner
- Primary Care Research Network and the Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia.,The Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, South Carolina
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21
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Abstract
Unique divergence of the BRCA2, a tumor suppressor gene, in Neanderthals relative to other primates, including modern humans, is highlighted. This divergence with potentially pathogenic consequences raises a question about cancer susceptibility in the archaic species that was replaced by modern humans about 40,000 years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- 1One Health Research Center, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 1410 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA.,2Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA.,3Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Lin Kang
- 2Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA
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22
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Yablonovitch AL, Fu J, Li K, Mahato S, Kang L, Rashkovetsky E, Korol AB, Tang H, Michalak P, Zelhof AC, Nevo E, Li JB. Regulation of gene expression and RNA editing in Drosophila adapting to divergent microclimates. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1570. [PMID: 29146998 PMCID: PMC5691062 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01658-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the mechanisms by which a species adapts to its environment is a key endeavor in the study of evolution. In particular, relatively little is known about how transcriptional processes are fine-tuned to adjust to different environmental conditions. Here we study Drosophila melanogaster from 'Evolution Canyon' in Israel, which consists of two opposing slopes with divergent microclimates. We identify several hundred differentially expressed genes and dozens of differentially edited sites between flies from each slope, correlate these changes with genetic differences, and use CRISPR mutagenesis to validate that an intronic SNP in prominin regulates its editing levels. We also demonstrate that while temperature affects editing levels at more sites than genetic differences, genetically regulated sites tend to be less affected by temperature. This work shows the extent to which gene expression and RNA editing differ between flies from different microclimates, and provides insights into the regulation responsible for these differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle L Yablonovitch
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jeremy Fu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Kexin Li
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.,Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Simpla Mahato
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | | | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Hua Tang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA.,Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.,Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Andrew C Zelhof
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Eviatar Nevo
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
| | - Jin Billy Li
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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23
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Kang L, George P, Price DK, Sharakhov I, Michalak P. Mapping Genomic Scaffolds to Chromosomes Using Laser Capture Microdissection in Application to Hawaiian Picture-Winged Drosophila. Cytogenet Genome Res 2017; 152:204-212. [PMID: 29130948 DOI: 10.1159/000481790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing technologies have led to a decreased cost and an increased throughput in genome sequencing. Yet, many genome assemblies based on short sequencing reads have been assembled only to the scaffold level due to the lack of sufficient chromosome mapping information. Traditional ways of mapping scaffolds to chromosomes require a large amount of laboratory work and time to generate genetic and/or physical maps. To address this problem, we conducted a rapid technique which uses laser capture microdissection and enables mapping scaffolds of de novo genome assemblies directly to chromosomes in Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila. We isolated and sequenced intact chromosome arms from larvae of D. differens. By mapping the reads of each chromosome to the recently assembled scaffolds from 3 Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila species, at least 67% of the scaffolds were successfully assigned to chromosome arms. Even though the scaffolds are not ordered within a chromosome, the fast-generated chromosome information allows for chromosome-related analyses after genome assembling. We utilize this new information to test the faster-X evolution effect for the first time in these Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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24
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Michalak P, Grzesik J, Rafiński J. TESTS FOR SEXUAL INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN TWO NEWT SPECIES, TRITURUS VULGARIS
AND TRITURUS MONTANDONI
: NO-CHOICE MATING DESIGN. Evolution 2017; 51:2045-2050. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1997.tb05128.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/1997] [Accepted: 08/04/1997] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology; Jagiellonian University; ul. Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków Poland
| | - Jolanta Grzesik
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology; Jagiellonian University; ul. Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków Poland
| | - Jan Rafiński
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology; Jagiellonian University; ul. Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków Poland
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25
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Bishop BM, Juba ML, Russo PS, Devine M, Barksdale SM, Scott S, Settlage R, Michalak P, Gupta K, Vliet K, Schnur JM, van Hoek ML. Discovery of Novel Antimicrobial Peptides from Varanus komodoensis (Komodo Dragon) by Large-Scale Analyses and De-Novo-Assisted Sequencing Using Electron-Transfer Dissociation Mass Spectrometry. J Proteome Res 2017; 16:1470-1482. [PMID: 28164707 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards and are the apex predators in their environs. They endure numerous strains of pathogenic bacteria in their saliva and recover from wounds inflicted by other dragons, reflecting the inherent robustness of their innate immune defense. We have employed a custom bioprospecting approach combining partial de novo peptide sequencing with transcriptome assembly to identify cationic antimicrobial peptides from Komodo dragon plasma. Through these analyses, we identified 48 novel potential cationic antimicrobial peptides. All but one of the identified peptides were derived from histone proteins. The antimicrobial effectiveness of eight of these peptides was evaluated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), with seven peptides exhibiting antimicrobial activity against both microbes and one only showing significant potency against P. aeruginosa. This study demonstrates the power and promise of our bioprospecting approach to cationic antimicrobial peptide discovery, and it reveals the presence of a plethora of novel histone-derived antimicrobial peptides in the plasma of the Komodo dragon. These findings may have broader implications regarding the role that intact histones and histone-derived peptides play in defending the host from infection. Data are available via ProteomeXChange with identifier PXD005043.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barney M Bishop
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 4C7, Manassas, Virginia, 20110, United States
| | - Melanie L Juba
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 4C7, Manassas, Virginia, 20110, United States
| | - Paul S Russo
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 1A9, Manassas, Virginia 20110, United States
| | - Megan Devine
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 4C7, Manassas, Virginia, 20110, United States
| | - Stephanie M Barksdale
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 1H8, Manassas, Virginia 20110, United States
| | - Shaylyn Scott
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 4C7, Manassas, Virginia, 20110, United States
| | - Robert Settlage
- Advanced Research Computing, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , 620 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kajal Gupta
- College of Science, George Mason University , 4400 University Drive, 5C3, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Kent Vliet
- Department of Biology, University of Florida , 876 Newell Drive, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, Florida 32511, United States
| | - Joel M Schnur
- College of Science, George Mason University , 4400 University Drive, 5C3, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States
| | - Monique L van Hoek
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University , 10920 George Mason Circle, 1H8, Manassas, Virginia 20110, United States
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26
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Velotta JP, Wegrzyn JL, Ginzburg S, Kang L, Czesny S, O'Neill RJ, McCormick SD, Michalak P, Schultz ET. Transcriptomic imprints of adaptation to fresh water: parallel evolution of osmoregulatory gene expression in the Alewife. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:831-848. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P. Velotta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT 06269-3043 USA
| | - Jill L. Wegrzyn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT 06269-3043 USA
| | - Samuel Ginzburg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT 06269-3043 USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences; Virginia Bioinformatics Institute; Virginia Tech; Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Sergiusz Czesny
- Lake Michigan Biological Station; Illinois Natural History Survey; University of Illinois; Zion IL 60099 USA
| | - Rachel J. O'Neill
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT 06269-3125 USA
| | - Stephen D. McCormick
- Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center; U.S. Geological Survey; Turners Falls MA 01376 USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biological Sciences; Virginia Bioinformatics Institute; Virginia Tech; Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Eric T. Schultz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs CT 06269-3043 USA
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27
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Michalak P, Kang L, Sarup PM, Schou MF, Loeschcke V. Nucleotide diversity inflation as a genome-wide response to experimental lifespan extension in Drosophila melanogaster. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:84. [PMID: 28088192 PMCID: PMC5237518 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3485-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Evolutionary theory predicts that antagonistically selected alleles, such as those with divergent pleiotropic effects in early and late life, may often reach intermediate population frequencies due to balancing selection, an elusive process when sought out empirically. Alternatively, genetic diversity may increase as a result of positive frequency-dependent selection and genetic purging in bottlenecked populations. Results While experimental evolution systems with directional phenotypic selection typically result in at least local heterozygosity loss, we report that selection for increased lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster leads to an extensive genome-wide increase of nucleotide diversity in the selected lines compared to replicate control lines, pronounced in regions with no or low recombination, such as chromosome 4 and centromere neighborhoods. These changes, particularly in coding sequences, are most consistent with the operation of balancing selection and the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging and life history traits that tend to be intercorrelated. Genes involved in antioxidant defenses, along with multiple lncRNAs, were among those most affected by balancing selection. Despite the overwhelming genetic diversification and the paucity of selective sweep regions, two genes with functions important for central nervous system and memory, Ptp10D and Ank2, evolved under positive selection in the longevity lines. Conclusions Overall, the ‘evolve-and-resequence’ experimental approach proves successful in providing unique insights into the complex evolutionary dynamics of genomic regions responsible for longevity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3485-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Lin Kang
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, 1015 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Pernille M Sarup
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Mads F Schou
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Volker Loeschcke
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark.
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Maciak S, Michalak K, Kale SD, Michalak P. Nucleolar Dominance and Repression of 45S Ribosomal RNA Genes in Hybrids between Xenopus borealis and X. muelleri (2n = 36). Cytogenet Genome Res 2016; 149:290-296. [PMID: 27728911 DOI: 10.1159/000450665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleolar dominance is a dramatic disruption in the formation of nucleoli and the expression of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, characteristic of some plant and animal hybrids. Here, we report that F1 hybrids produced from reciprocal crosses between 2 sister species of Xenopus clawed frogs, X. muelleri and X. borealis, undergo nucleolar dominance somewhat distinct from a pattern previously reported in hybrids between phylogenetically more distant Xenopus species. Patterns of nucleolar development, 45S rRNA expression, and gene copy inheritance were investigated using a combination of immunostaining, pyrosequencing, droplet digital PCR, flow cytometry, and epigenetic inhibition. In X. muelleri × X. borealis hybrids, typically only 1 nucleolus is formed, and 45S rRNA genes are predominantly expressed from 1 progenitor's alleles, X. muelleri, regardless of the cross-direction. These changes are accompanied by an extensive (∼80%) loss of rRNA gene copies in the hybrids relative to their parents, with the transcriptionally underdominant variant (X. borealis) being preferentially lost. Chemical treatment of hybrid larvae with a histone deacetylase inhibitor resulted in a partial derepression of the underdominant variant. Together, these observations shed light on the genetic and epigenetic basis of nucleolar dominance as an underappreciated manifestation of genetic conflicts within a hybrid genome.
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Kang L, Settlage R, McMahon W, Michalak K, Tae H, Garner HR, Stacy EA, Price DK, Michalak P. Genomic Signatures of Speciation in Sympatric and Allopatric Hawaiian Picture-Winged Drosophila. Genome Biol Evol 2016; 8:1482-8. [PMID: 27189993 PMCID: PMC4898809 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The Hawaiian archipelago provides a natural arena for understanding adaptive radiation and speciation. The Hawaiian Drosophila are one of the most diverse endemic groups in Hawaiì with up to 1,000 species. We sequenced and analyzed entire genomes of recently diverged species of Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila, Drosophila silvestris and Drosophila heteroneura from Hawaiì Island, in comparison with Drosophila planitibia, their sister species from Maui, a neighboring island where a common ancestor of all three had likely occurred. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism patterns suggest the more recent origin of D. silvestris and D. heteroneura, as well as a pervasive influence of positive selection on divergence of the three species, with the signatures of positive selection more prominent in sympatry than allopatry. Positively selected genes were significantly enriched for functional terms related to sensory detection and mating, suggesting that sexual selection played an important role in speciation of these species. In particular, sequence variation in Olfactory receptor and Gustatory receptor genes seems to play a major role in adaptive radiation in Hawaiian pictured-winged Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Robert Settlage
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Wyatt McMahon
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Hongseok Tae
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Harold R Garner
- Primary Care Research Network and the Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Elizabeth A Stacy
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Hawaiì at Hilo
| | - Donald K Price
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Hawaiì at Hilo
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
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30
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Michalak K, Maciak S, Kim YB, Santopietro G, Oh JH, Kang L, Garner HR, Michalak P. Nucleolar dominance and maternal control of 45S rDNA expression. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20152201. [PMID: 26645200 PMCID: PMC4685780 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a system of interspecies hybrids, trihybrids, and recombinants with varying proportions of genomes from three distinct Xenopus species, we provide evidence for de novo epigenetic silencing of paternal 45 S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) genes and their species-dependent expression dominance that escapes transcriptional inactivation after homologous recombination. The same pattern of imprinting is maintained in the offspring from mothers being genetic males (ZZ) sex-reversed to females, indicating that maternal control of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) expression is not sex-chromosome linked. Nucleolar dominance (nucleolus underdevelopment) in Xenopus hybrids appears to be associated with a major non-Mendelian reduction in the number of 45 S rDNA gene copies rather than a specific pattern of their expression. The loss of rRNA gene copies in F1 hybrids was non-random with respect to the parental species, with the transcriptionally dominant variant preferentially removed from hybrid zygotes. This dramatic disruption in the structure and function of 45 S rDNA impacts transcriptome patterns of small nucleolar RNAs and messenger RNAs, with genes from the ribosome and oxidative stress pathways being among the most affected. Unorthodoxies of rDNA inheritance and expression may be interpreted as hallmarks of genetic conflicts between parental genomes, as well as defensive epigenetic mechanisms employed to restore genome integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Sebastian Maciak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, PL-15-245, Poland
| | - Young Bun Kim
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | | | - Jung Hun Oh
- Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Harold R Garner
- The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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31
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Aggarwal DD, Rashkovetsky E, Michalak P, Cohen I, Ronin Y, Zhou D, Haddad GG, Korol AB. Experimental evolution of recombination and crossover interference in Drosophila caused by directional selection for stress-related traits. BMC Biol 2015; 13:101. [PMID: 26614097 PMCID: PMC4661966 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-015-0206-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Population genetics predicts that tight linkage between new and/or pre-existing beneficial and deleterious alleles should decrease the efficiency of natural selection in finite populations. By decoupling beneficial and deleterious alleles and facilitating the combination of beneficial alleles, recombination accelerates the formation of high-fitness genotypes. This may impose indirect selection for increased recombination. Despite the progress in theoretical understanding, interplay between recombination and selection remains a controversial issue in evolutionary biology. Even less satisfactory is the situation with crossover interference, which is a deviation of double-crossover frequency in a pair of adjacent intervals from the product of recombination rates in the two intervals expected on the assumption of crossover independence. Here, we report substantial changes in recombination and interference in three long-term directional selection experiments with Drosophila melanogaster: for desiccation (~50 generations), hypoxia, and hyperoxia tolerance (>200 generations each). RESULTS For all three experiments, we found a high interval-specific increase of recombination frequencies in selection lines (up to 40-50% per interval) compared to the control lines. We also discovered a profound effect of selection on interference as expressed by an increased frequency of double crossovers in selection lines. Our results show that changes in interference are not necessarily coupled with increased recombination. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the theoretical predictions that adaptation to a new environment can promote evolution toward higher recombination. Moreover, this is the first evidence of selection for different recombination-unrelated traits potentially leading, not only to evolution toward increased crossover rates, but also to changes in crossover interference, one of the fundamental features of recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Washington Street, MC 0477, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0477, USA
| | - Irit Cohen
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Yefim Ronin
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Dan Zhou
- University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - Gabriel G Haddad
- University of California, San Diego, USA
- Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, USA
| | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
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Keane M, Semeiks J, Webb AE, Li YI, Quesada V, Craig T, Madsen LB, van Dam S, Brawand D, Marques PI, Michalak P, Kang L, Bhak J, Yim HS, Grishin NV, Nielsen NH, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Oziolor EM, Matson CW, Church GM, Stuart GW, Patton JC, George JC, Suydam R, Larsen K, López-Otín C, O'Connell MJ, Bickham JW, Thomsen B, de Magalhães JP. Insights into the evolution of longevity from the bowhead whale genome. Cell Rep 2015; 10:112-22. [PMID: 25565328 PMCID: PMC4536333 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is estimated to live over 200 years and is possibly the longest-living mammal. These animals should possess protective molecular adaptations relevant to age-related diseases, particularly cancer. Here, we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of the bowhead whale genome and two transcriptomes from different populations. Our analysis identifies genes under positive selection and bowhead-specific mutations in genes linked to cancer and aging. In addition, we identify gene gain and loss involving genes associated with DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation, cancer, and aging. Our results expand our understanding of the evolution of mammalian longevity and suggest possible players involved in adaptive genetic changes conferring cancer resistance. We also found potentially relevant changes in genes related to additional processes, including thermoregulation, sensory perception, dietary adaptations, and immune response. Our data are made available online (http://www.bowhead-whale.org) to facilitate research in this long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Keane
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jeremy Semeiks
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biophysics and Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9050, USA
| | - Andrew E Webb
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Evolution Group, School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Yang I Li
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Víctor Quesada
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Universitario de Oncología (IUOPA), Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Thomas Craig
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Lone Bruhn Madsen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Sipko van Dam
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - David Brawand
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Patrícia I Marques
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Universitario de Oncología (IUOPA), Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Jong Bhak
- Personal Genomics Institute, Genome Research Foundation, Suwon 443-270, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung-Soon Yim
- KIOST, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Nick V Grishin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biophysics and Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9050, USA
| | | | | | - Elias M Oziolor
- Department of Environmental Science, Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR) and Institute for Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Cole W Matson
- Department of Environmental Science, Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR) and Institute for Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gary W Stuart
- The Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA) and Department of Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - John C Patton
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - J Craig George
- North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management, Barrow, AK 99723, USA
| | - Robert Suydam
- North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management, Barrow, AK 99723, USA
| | - Knud Larsen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Carlos López-Otín
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Universitario de Oncología (IUOPA), Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Mary J O'Connell
- Bioinformatics and Molecular Evolution Group, School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - John W Bickham
- Battelle Memorial Institute, Houston, TX 77079, USA; Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Bo Thomsen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - João Pedro de Magalhães
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
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Philipson CW, Bassaganya-Riera J, Viladomiu M, Kronsteiner B, Abedi V, Hoops S, Michalak P, Kang L, Girardin SE, Hontecillas R. Modeling the Regulatory Mechanisms by Which NLRX1 Modulates Innate Immune Responses to Helicobacter pylori Infection. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137839. [PMID: 26367386 PMCID: PMC4569576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori colonizes half of the world’s population as the dominant member of the gastric microbiota resulting in a lifelong chronic infection. Host responses toward the bacterium can result in asymptomatic, pathogenic or even favorable health outcomes; however, mechanisms underlying the dual role of H. pylori as a commensal versus pathogenic organism are not well characterized. Recent evidence suggests mononuclear phagocytes are largely involved in shaping dominant immunity during infection mediating the balance between host tolerance and succumbing to overt disease. We combined computational modeling, bioinformatics and experimental validation in order to investigate interactions between macrophages and intracellular H. pylori. Global transcriptomic analysis on bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) in a gentamycin protection assay at six time points unveiled the presence of three sequential host response waves: an early transient regulatory gene module followed by sustained and late effector responses. Kinetic behaviors of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are linked to differential expression of spatiotemporal response waves and function to induce effector immunity through extracellular and intracellular detection of H. pylori. We report that bacterial interaction with the host intracellular environment caused significant suppression of regulatory NLRC3 and NLRX1 in a pattern inverse to early regulatory responses. To further delineate complex immune responses and pathway crosstalk between effector and regulatory PRRs, we built a computational model calibrated using time-series RNAseq data. Our validated computational hypotheses are that: 1) NLRX1 expression regulates bacterial burden in macrophages; and 2) early host response cytokines down-regulate NLRX1 expression through a negative feedback circuit. This paper applies modeling approaches to characterize the regulatory role of NLRX1 in mechanisms of host tolerance employed by macrophages to respond to and/or to co-exist with intracellular H. pylori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casandra W. Philipson
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Monica Viladomiu
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Barbara Kronsteiner
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Vida Abedi
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Stefan Hoops
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Lin Kang
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Stephen E. Girardin
- Laboratory of Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Viladomiu M, Bassaganya-Riera J, Kronsteiner-Dobramysl B, Washington Philipson C, Michalak P, Eden K, Hontecillas R. Macrophages modulate bacterial persistence and gastric pathology during Helicobacter pylori infection (INC4P.346). The Journal of Immunology 2015. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.194.supp.125.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Based on preliminary data suggesting that macrophages are critical regulators of Helicobacter pylori colonization and gastric pathology, we investigated how macrophage phenotypes shape the outcome of infection and persistence. The loss of PPARγ in the myeloid compartment favors a 5 to 10-fold decrease in bacterial loads at the expense of more severe gastric lesions. PPARγ-deficient macrophages present altered control of transcription factors such as NFκB, which results in a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Stomach lamina propria analyses at weeks 0 to 4 post-infection revealed increased levels of CD11b+ F4/80hi CD64+ CR3CR1+ macrophages in WT mice, while PPARγKO mice failed to expand and maintain such population. Macrophage depletion using clodronate liposomes resulted in a significant reduction of gastric H. pylori in WT mice, thus abrogating the differences in bacterial loads observed between WT and PPARγKO mice. In vitro co-culture of H. pylori with bone marrow derived macrophages showed that either PPARγ loss or pharmacological blockade enhances bactericidal activity, which is associated to significant differential expression of chil1, etv5, iigp1, ptger4, sqle, osm, hspa2 and rptoros levels as revealed by global transcriptome analyses. Hence, macrophages facilitate H. pylori infection by 1) serving as bacterial reservoirs and allowing intracellular replication, and 2) favoring a gastric regulatory response that favors persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Pawel Michalak
- 2Medical Informatics and Systems Division at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 3Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
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35
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Washington Philipson C, Bassaganya-Riera J, Viladomiu M, Kronsteiner-Dobramysl B, Michalak P, Hontecillas R. Modulation of immune responses toward Helicobacter pylori infection by NLRs (INM6P.339). The Journal of Immunology 2015. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.194.supp.193.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori (HP) colonizes 50% of the world’s population resulting in a decades-long gastric infection. Bacterial interaction with host intracellular environment occurs via injection of bacterial components through a TIVSS or intracellular replication. HP has been recognized for its ability to modulate intracellular NOD-like receptors (NLR). Host responses toward the bacterium can result in asymptomatic, pathogenic or even favorable immunity. Mechanisms underlying the dual role of HP as a commensal versus pathogen are not completely understood. We combined computational modeling, bioinformatics and experimental validation to investigate intracellular host-HP interactions. Global transcriptomic analysis on bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) in a gentamycin protection assay unveiled that intracellular colonization of HP upregulated NOD1, NOD2, NLRP3, NLRC5 and inflammasome components (Caspase-1 and -11) but suppressed regulatory NLRX1 which was inversely correlated to TRAF6, NF-B, proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. Loss of NLRX1 facilitates bacterial clearance in BMDM and infected mice. Lastly, we constructed a computational model to shed light on complex immune responses and pathway crosstalk regulated by NLRX1 during infection. In conclusion, NLRX1 is associated with chronic bacterial persistence during H. pylori infection and it may represent an immune evasion mechanism employed by the bacterium to facilitate long-term host colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casandra Washington Philipson
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 3Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Monica Viladomiu
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Barbara Kronsteiner-Dobramysl
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- 1Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
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36
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Abstract
Cancer, one of the leading health concerns for humans, is by no means a human-unique malady. Accumulating evidence shows that cancer kills domestic and wild animals at a similar rate to humans and can even pose a conservation threat to certain species. Assuming that each physiologically active and proliferating cell is at risk of malignant transformation, any evolutionary increase in the number of cells (and thus body mass) will lead to a higher cancer frequency, all else being equal. However, available data fail to support the prediction that bigger animals are affected by cancer more than smaller ones. The unexpected lack of correlation between body size (and life span) and cancer risk across taxa was dubbed Peto's paradox. In this perspective, several plausible explanations of Peto's paradox are presented, with the emphasis on a largely underappreciated relation of cell size to both metabolism and cell division rates across species, which we believe are key factors underlying the paradox. We conclude that larger organisms have bigger and slowly dividing cells with lower energy turnover, all significantly reducing the risk of cancer initiation. Solving Peto's paradox will enhance our understanding the evolution of cancer and may provide new implications for cancer prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Maciak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA, USA
- Institute of Biology, University of BialystokBialystok, Poland
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA, USA
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37
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Mechkarska M, Coquet L, Leprince J, Jouenne T, Vaudry H, Michalak K, Michalak P, Conlon JM. Host-defense peptides from skin secretions of the octoploid frogs Xenopus vestitus and Xenopus wittei (Pipidae): insights into evolutionary relationships. Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics 2014; 11:20-8. [PMID: 25086320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The primary structures of host-defense peptides have proved useful in elucidating the evolution history of frogs. Peptidomic analysis was used to compare the diversity of host-defense peptides in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from the octoploid frogs, Xenopus vestitus (Kivu clawed frog) and Xenopus wittei (De Witte's clawed frog) in the family Pipidae. Structural characterization demonstrated that the X. vestitus peptides belong to the magainin (3 peptides), peptide glycine-leucine-amide (PGLa; 4 peptides), xenopsin-precursor fragment (XPF; 1 peptide), and caerulein-precursor fragment (CPF; 5 peptides) families. The X. wittei peptides comprise magainin (4 peptides), PGLa (1 peptide), XPF (2 peptides), and CPF (7 peptides). In addition, secretions from both species contain caerulein, identical to the peptide from Xenopus laevis, but X. wittei secretions contains the novel peptide [R4K]xenopsin. The variability in the numbers of paralogs in each peptide family indicates a selective silencing of the host-defense peptide genes following the polyploidization events. The primary structures of the peptides provide insight into phylogenetic relationships among the octoploid Xenopus frogs. The data support a sister-group relationship between X. vestitus and Xenopus lenduensis, suggestive of bifurcating speciation after allopolyploidization, whereas X. wittei is more closely related to the Xenopus amieti-Xenopus andrei group suggesting a common tetraploid ancestor. Consistent with previous data, the CPF peptides showed the highest growth inhibitory activity against bacteria with CPF-W6 (GIGSLLAKAAKLAAGLV.NH2) combining high antimicrobial potency against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC=4 μM) with relatively low hemolytic activity (LC50=190 μM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Laurent Coquet
- PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; CNRS UMR 6270, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Jérôme Leprince
- INSERM U-982, PRIMACEN, CNRS, IRIB, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Thierry Jouenne
- PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; CNRS UMR 6270, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Hubert Vaudry
- INSERM U-982, PRIMACEN, CNRS, IRIB, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington Street, MC 0477 Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington Street, MC 0477 Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA
| | - J Michael Conlon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
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Dittmar WJ, McIver L, Michalak P, Garner HR, Valdez G. EvoCor: a platform for predicting functionally related genes using phylogenetic and expression profiles. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:W72-5. [PMID: 24848012 PMCID: PMC4086105 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Revised: 05/03/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The wealth of publicly available gene expression and genomic data provides unique opportunities for computational inference to discover groups of genes that function to control specific cellular processes. Such genes are likely to have co-evolved and be expressed in the same tissues and cells. Unfortunately, the expertise and computational resources required to compare tens of genomes and gene expression data sets make this type of analysis difficult for the average end-user. Here, we describe the implementation of a web server that predicts genes involved in affecting specific cellular processes together with a gene of interest. We termed the server 'EvoCor', to denote that it detects functional relationships among genes through evolutionary analysis and gene expression correlation. This web server integrates profiles of sequence divergence derived by a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and tissue-wide gene expression patterns to determine putative functional linkages between pairs of genes. This server is easy to use and freely available at http://pilot-hmm.vbi.vt.edu/.
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Affiliation(s)
- W James Dittmar
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Lauren McIver
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Harold R Garner
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Gregorio Valdez
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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Viladomiu M, Hontecillas R, Michalak K, Philipson C, Schiff E, Carbo A, Michalak P, Bassaganya-Riera J. Immunoregulatory mechanisms of microRNAs during Clostridium difficult infection (MUC9P.819). The Journal of Immunology 2014. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.192.supp.199.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that play pivotal roles in the development and functionality of innate and adaptive immune cells, making them essential during the regulation of bacterial, viral and other immune infections. The role of miRNAs during host-pathogen interactions has recently been highlighted. However, the mechanisms by which miRNAs exert immunoregulatory actions are poorly understood. Our aim is to investigate the impact of Clostidium difficile infection (CDI) on host regulatory and effector pathways by focusing on the disruption of mucosal homeostasis by miRNAs. Sequencing studies on colonic samples and mucosal CD4+ T cells revealed a consistent upregulation of miR146b during CDI in mice, which correlated with worsened disease severity and upregulated MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17. Moreover, upregulation of miR146b correlated with increased levels of Th17 cells in the spleen, MLN and colonic lamina propria of CDI mice, while abrogating anti-inflammatory responses characterized by IL-10 production. In vivo miR146b inhibition by using locked nucleic acid resulted in accelerated recovery as well as a significant induction of IL-10 production by CD4+, CD8+ and NK T cells and reduced expression of IL-17 by CD4+RORγt+ T cells. C. difficile infection induces upregulation of miR146b at the gut mucosa that contributes to pathogenic Th17 responses and impared immunoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Viladomiu
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Casandra Philipson
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Eric Schiff
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Adria Carbo
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
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Michalak P. Evidence for maternal imprinting of 45S ribosomal RNA genes in Xenopus hybrids. Dev Genes Evol 2014; 224:125-8. [PMID: 24477594 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-014-0464-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We discovered that gene clusters of 45S ribosomal RNA in Xenopus hybrid frogs are maternally imprinted, similar to X chromosome inactivation in marsupial females. Paternal expression was partly restored after chemical inhibition of histone deacetylation during larval stages. This provides a new spectacular example of epigenetic silencing and first evidence of genomic imprinting in amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Washington Street, MC 0477, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0477, USA,
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Michalak K, Czesny S, Epifanio J, Snyder RJ, Schultz ET, Velotta JP, McCormick SD, Brown BL, Santopietro G, Michalak P. Beta-thymosin gene polymorphism associated with freshwater invasiveness of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 321:233-40. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2013] [Revised: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergiusz Czesny
- Lake Michigan Biological Station; Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute; University of Illinois; Champaign Illinois
| | - John Epifanio
- Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute; Champaign Illinois
| | | | - Eric T. Schultz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs Connecticut
| | - Jonathan P. Velotta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Connecticut; Storrs Connecticut
| | | | - Bonnie L. Brown
- Department of Biology; Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond Virginia
| | | | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute; Virginia Tech; Blacksburg Virginia
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Hübner S, Rashkovetsky E, Kim YB, Oh JH, Michalak K, Weiner D, Korol AB, Nevo E, Michalak P. Genome differentiation of Drosophila melanogaster from a microclimate contrast in Evolution Canyon, Israel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:21059-64. [PMID: 24324170 PMCID: PMC3876225 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1321533111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The opposite slopes of "Evolution Canyon" in Israel have served as a natural model system of adaptation to a microclimate contrast. Long-term studies of Drosophila melanogaster populations inhabiting the canyon have exhibited significant interslope divergence in thermal and drought stress resistance, candidate genes, mobile elements, habitat choice, mating discrimination, and wing-shape variation, all despite close physical proximity of the contrasting habitats, as well as substantial interslope migration. To examine patterns of genetic differentiation at the genome-wide level, we used high coverage sequencing of the flies' genomes. A total of 572 genes were significantly different in allele frequency between the slopes, 106 out of which were associated with 74 significantly overrepresented gene ontology (GO) terms, particularly so with response to stimulus and developmental and reproductive processes, thus corroborating previous observations of interslope divergence in stress response, life history, and mating functions. There were at least 37 chromosomal "islands" of interslope divergence and low sequence polymorphism, plausible signatures of selective sweeps, more abundant in flies derived from one (north-facing) of the slopes. Positive correlation between local recombination rate and the level of nucleotide polymorphism was also found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sariel Hübner
- Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 31905, Israel
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | | | - Young Bun Kim
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061; and
| | - Jung Hun Oh
- Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061; and
| | - Dmitry Weiner
- Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | | | - Eviatar Nevo
- Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061; and
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Viladomiu Pujol M, Hontecillas R, Pedragosa M, Michalak P, Michalak K, Lu P, Bassaganya-Riera J. Vitamin D receptor regulates mucosal immune responses to Clostridium difficile infection (P3076). The Journal of Immunology 2013. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.190.supp.187.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic bacterium that has re-emerged as a facultative pathogen and can cause diarrhea, colitis or even death. Vitamin D deficiency contributes to a 5-fold increase in healthcare costs during C. difficile infection (CDI). We investigated the role of vitamin D signaling during CDI by using vitamin D receptor (VDR) -/- and wild-type (WT) mice. The loss of VDR increased disease activity, weight loss, and the severity of colonic inflammatory lesions following CDI. RNAseq analyses showed upregulation of sentrin/SUMO-specific proteases (SENPs), downregulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit and cAMP-specific 3’5’-cyclic phophodiesterase in colons of VDR-/- mice. SENPs mediate deSUMOylation reactions that can affect both the transcriptional activity of nuclear receptors such as VDR and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ as well as their ability to antagonize NF-kB activity. These results provide a mechanistic basis for the upregulation of IFNγ, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-1β in colons of VDR-/- mice infected with C. difficile. In addition, miR-760-5p was down-regulated in VDR-/- mice and upregulated in WT mice after CDI. Of note, miR-760 has 128 mRNA targets, including lanthionine synthetase component C-like 2 (LANCL2), which is upstream of PPARγ. We provide novel molecular evidence in vivo suggesting novel mechanisms involving LANCL2 and PPARγ by which vitamin D regulates C. difficile-associated disease and immunopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Viladomiu Pujol
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Mireia Pedragosa
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Pinyi Lu
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 2Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Bioinformatics Inst. at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
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Bavarva JH, Tae H, Michalak P, Garner HR. Life cycle of an n-globin pseudogene microsatellite locus. Front Genet 2013; 4:267. [PMID: 24363661 PMCID: PMC3849843 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2013.00267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Viladomiu M, Hontecillas R, Pedragosa M, Carbo A, Hoops S, Michalak P, Michalak K, Guerrant RL, Roche JK, Warren CA, Bassaganya-Riera J. Modeling the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and microRNA-146 in mucosal immune responses to Clostridium difficile. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47525. [PMID: 23071818 PMCID: PMC3469550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic bacterium that has re-emerged as a facultative pathogen and can cause nosocomial diarrhea, colitis or even death. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ has been implicated in the prevention of inflammation in autoimmune and infectious diseases; however, its role in the immunoregulatory mechanisms modulating host responses to C. difficile and its toxins remains largely unknown. To characterize the role of PPARγ in C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD), immunity and gut pathology, we used a mouse model of C. difficile infection in wild-type and T cell-specific PPARγ null mice. The loss of PPARγ in T cells increased disease activity and colonic inflammatory lesions following C. difficile infection. Colonic expression of IL-17 was upregulated and IL-10 downregulated in colons of T cell-specific PPARγ null mice. Also, both the loss of PPARγ in T cells and C. difficile infection favored Th17 responses in spleen and colonic lamina propria of mice with CDAD. MicroRNA (miRNA)-sequencing analysis and RT-PCR validation indicated that miR-146b was significantly overexpressed and nuclear receptor co-activator 4 (NCOA4) suppressed in colons of C. difficile-infected mice. We next developed a computational model that predicts the upregulation of miR-146b, downregulation of the PPARγ co-activator NCOA4, and PPARγ, leading to upregulation of IL-17. Oral treatment of C. difficile-infected mice with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone ameliorated colitis and suppressed pro-inflammatory gene expression. In conclusion, our data indicates that miRNA-146b and PPARγ activation may be implicated in the regulation of Th17 responses and colitis in C. difficile-infected mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Viladomiu
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mireia Pedragosa
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Adria Carbo
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Stefan Hoops
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Medical Informatics and Systems Division, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- Medical Informatics and Systems Division, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Richard L. Guerrant
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - James K. Roche
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Cirle A. Warren
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Mechkarska M, Meetani M, Michalak P, Vaksman Z, Takada K, Conlon JM. Hybridization between the African clawed frogs Xenopus laevis and Xenopus muelleri (Pipidae) increases the multiplicity of antimicrobial peptides in skin secretions of female offspring. Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics 2012; 7:285-91. [PMID: 22687652 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2012.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2012] [Revised: 05/20/2012] [Accepted: 05/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Peptidomic analysis was used to compare the distribution of host-defense peptides in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from laboratory-generated female F1 hybrids of the common clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802) and Mueller's clawed frog Xenopus muelleri (Peters, 1844) with the corresponding distribution in skin secretions from the parent species. A total of 18 peptides were identified in secretions from the hybrid frogs. Eleven peptides (magainin-1, magainin-2, CPF-1, CPF-3, CPF-4, CPF-5, CPF-6, CPF-7, XPF-1, XPF-2, and PGLa) were identified in secretions of both the hybrids and X. laevis. Four peptides (magainin-M1, XPF-M1, CPF-M1, and tigerinin-M1) were previously found in skin secretions of X. muelleri but magainin-M2 and CPF-M2 from X. muelleri were not detected. Three previously undescribed peptides (magainin-LM1, PGLa-LM1, and CPF-LM1) were purified from the secretions of the hybrid frogs that were not detected in secretions from either X. laevis or X. muelleri. Magainin-LM1 differs from magainin-2 from X. laevis by a single amino acid substitution (Gly(13)→Ala) but PGLa-LM1 and CPF-LM1 differ appreciably in structure from orthologs in the parent species. CPF-LM1 shows potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and is hemolytic. The data indicate that hybridization increases the multiplicity of skin host-defense peptides in skin secretions. As the female F1 hybrids are fertile, hybridization may represent an adaptive strategy among Xenopus species to increase protection against pathogenic microorganisms in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
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Viladomiu M, Hontecillas R, Pedragosa M, Michalak P, Michalak K, Guerrant R, Roche J, Warren C, Bassaganya-Riera J. Modulation of immune responses to Clostridium difficile by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and miRNA-146b (164.14). The Journal of Immunology 2012. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.188.supp.164.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is typically a harmless anaerobic bacterium but has recently re-emerged as a pathogen that can cause nosocomial diarrhea, colitis and death. To investigate the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ in modulating immune responses to C. difficile we have performed several studies using a mouse model of antibiotic-induced C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD). The loss of PPARγ in T cells increased disease activity, body weight loss, and colonic inflammatory lesions after infection. It also resulted in upregulated IL-17 and MCP-1, and downregulated IL-10 expression, suggesting that a Th17 phenotype predominates during CDAD in mice lacking T cell PPARγ. Treatment of C. difficile-infected mice with PPAR γ agonists ameliorates disease severity and colonic lesions. RNA-seq results in colonic specimens indicated that three miRNAs were significantly overexpressed in infected mice: mmu-miR-146b, mmu-miR-1940, and mmu-miR-1298 (FDR P < 0.05). Real-time PCR results validated that infection results in overexpression of miR-146b, a molecule involved in regulating immunity and inflammation. Furthermore, NCOA4, a co-activator of PPARγ and target of miR-146b, was down-regulated in colons of infected mice. We provide novel evidence supporting a role for PPARγ in regulating C. difficile-related inflammation and immunopathology and explore the potential role of miRNA in modulating host responses to C. difficile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Viladomiu
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Mireia Pedragosa
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Richard Guerrant
- 2Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - James Roche
- 2Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Cirle Warren
- 2Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- 1Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
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Czesny S, Epifanio J, Michalak P. Genetic divergence between freshwater and marine morphs of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus): a 'next-generation' sequencing analysis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31803. [PMID: 22438868 PMCID: PMC3305293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 01/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, a small clupeid fish native to Atlantic Ocean, has recently (∼150 years ago) invaded the North American Great Lakes and despite challenges of freshwater environment its populations exploded and disrupted local food web structures. This range expansion has been accompanied by dramatic changes at all levels of organization. Growth rates, size at maturation, or fecundity are only a few of the most distinct morphological and life history traits that contrast the two alewife morphs. A question arises to what extent these rapidly evolving differences between marine and freshwater varieties result from regulatory (including phenotypic plasticity) or structural mutations. To gain insights into expression changes and sequence divergence between marine and freshwater alewives, we sequenced transcriptomes of individuals from Lake Michigan and Atlantic Ocean. Population specific single nucleotide polymorphisms were rare but interestingly occurred in sequences of genes that also tended to show large differences in expression. Our results show that the striking phenotypic divergence between anadromous and lake alewives can be attributed to massive regulatory modifications rather than coding changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiusz Czesny
- Lake Michigan Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Zion, Illinois, United States of America
| | - John Epifanio
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Madison-Villar MJ, Michalak P. Misexpression of testicular microRNA in sterile Xenopus hybrids points to tetrapod-specific microRNAs associated with male fertility. J Mol Evol 2011; 73:316-24. [PMID: 22207500 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-011-9478-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2011] [Accepted: 12/02/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex biological processes undergone by any organism, making it susceptible to perturbations that result in male sterility. Research has demonstrated that mutant phenotypes can be obtained from the disruption of epigenetic modifications, which are commonly microRNA guided. Employing the Xenopus system, whereby homogametic interspecies males are always sterile, thus violating Haldane's Rule, we deep-sequenced testes-specific small-RNAs to identify microRNAs most frequently misexpressed between sterile hybrids and their fertile parental taxa. Using these data, we cross-referenced our expression information with previously published mouse (Mus musculus) data and identified a subset of seven microRNAs common to both (miR-338, miR-222, miR-18, miR-30, miR-10, miR-196, and miR-365). We propose that these microRNAs are likely critical for spermatogenesis in all tetrapods, having retained testicular expression across ~350 million years of evolution (Amphibian-Mammal split). Gene targets of six of these microRNAs are known, and all the six associate with zinc and zinc finger proteins (both previously found critical in male fertility), and three with Hox genes (some of which have also previously been deemed critical for testicular development and male fertility). Expression information for these targets revealed that all those associated with zinc have previously been found to express in mammalian testes. One Hox target has known mammalian testicular expression, two have close relatives with known mammalian testicular expression, and two more are associated with proteins known to have mammalian testicular expression. In addition, miR-222 has prior association with spermatogenesis, and miR-30 has been found to be abundantly expressed in both mouse and human testes.
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Abstract
Hybridization often results in dramatic genome reconfigurations including epigenetic changes that control gene expression. Here we survey methylation patterns of interspecific Xenopus F1 hybrids relative to parental species X. laevis and X. muelleri, using methyl-sensitive amplification polymorphisms (MSAPs). Out of a total of 546 MSAP markers, 364 were effective in elucidating the difference in methylation patterns between the hybrids and the parental species. Principal coordinate analysis of methylated fragments revealed four distinct clusters with the two parental species separate from hybrid males and females. On average, hybrids were characterized by a higher proportion (70.6%) of methylated fragments compared with the parental species (64.5%), and this difference was consistent with previously observed disruptions of hybrid transcriptomes. The proportion of methylated fragments did not correlate with variation in genome size, as measured with flow cytometry. The levels of methylation in sterile hybrid males (73.8%) were higher than in fertile hybrid females (68.6%), but this difference was not statistically significant. A total of 76 methylated fragments (20.9%) were hybrid-unique, presumably originating from methylation alterations in hybrid genomes.
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