Project description:Gene dosage imbalance of heteromorphic sex chromosomes (XY or ZW) exists between the sexes, and with the autosomes. Mammalian X chromosome inactivation was long thought to imply a critical need for dosage compensation in vertebrates. However, mRNA abundance measurements that demonstrated sex chromosome transcripts are neither balanced between the sexes or with autosomes in monotreme mammals or birds brought sex chromosome dosage compensation into question. This study examines transcriptomic and proteomic levels of dosage compensation in platypus and chicken compared to mouse, a model eutherian species. We analyzed mRNA and protein levels in heart and liver tissues of chicken, mouse and platypus.
Project description:Biofilms are sessile microbial communities that are often resistant to conventional antimicrobial therapeutics and the host immune system. Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast and responsible for candidiasis. It readily colonizes host tissues and implant devices, and forms biofilms, which play an important role in pathogenesis and drug resistance. Its morphological transition from budding yeast to hyphal form and subsequent biofilm formation is regarded as the crucial factor for drug tolerance and virulence of Candida infections. In this study, nepodin (also called musizin) from Rumex japonicus root was investigated for antibiofilm, antihyphae, and antivirulence activities against fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strain. Nepodin at 2 µg/ml from Rumex plant effectively inhibited C. albicans biofilm formation by more than 90% but had no effect on planktonic cell growth. Also, Rumex root extract and nepodin inhibited hyphal growth and cell aggregation of C. albicans. Interestingly, nepodin also showed antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus or A. baumannii strains and two systems of dual biofilms of C. albicans and S. aureus or A. baumannii, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq and qRT-PCR showed nepodin repressed the expressions of several hypha/biofilm related genes (ECE1, HWP1, and UME6) and overexpressed several transport genes (CDR4, CDR11, IFD6, and TPO2), which supported observed phenotypic changes.
Project description:Background and aimsDioecious species with well-established sex chromosomes are rare in the plant kingdom. Most sex chromosomes increase in size but no comprehensive analysis of the kind of sequences that drive this expansion has been presented. Here we analyse sex chromosome structure in common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), a dioecious plant with XY1Y2 sex determination, and we provide the first chromosome-specific repeatome analysis for a plant species possessing sex chromosomes.MethodsWe flow-sorted and separately sequenced sex chromosomes and autosomes in R. acetosa using the two-dimensional fluorescence in situ hybridization in suspension (FISHIS) method and Illumina sequencing. We identified and quantified individual repeats using RepeatExplorer, Tandem Repeat Finder and the Tandem Repeats Analysis Program. We employed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to analyse the chromosomal localization of satellites and transposons.Key resultsWe identified a number of novel satellites, which have, in a fashion similar to previously known satellites, significantly expanded on the Y chromosome but not as much on the X or on autosomes. Additionally, the size increase of Y chromosomes is caused by non-long terminal repeat (LTR) and LTR retrotransposons, while only the latter contribute to the enlargement of the X chromosome. However, the X chromosome is populated by different LTR retrotransposon lineages than those on Y chromosomes.ConclusionsThe X and Y chromosomes have significantly diverged in terms of repeat composition. The lack of recombination probably contributed to the expansion of diverse satellites and microsatellites and faster fixation of newly inserted transposable elements (TEs) on the Y chromosomes. In addition, the X and Y chromosomes, despite similar total counts of TEs, differ significantly in the representation of individual TE lineages, which indicates that transposons proliferate preferentially in either the paternal or the maternal lineage.