Project description:Because zika virus is sexually transmitted, with sought to investigate how ZIKV infection affect the transcriptome of sertoli cells, which are nurse cells
Project description:<p>Urethral microbiome of adolescent males is designed to characterize the microbial communities resident in the urethra of young men, to identify differences in these communities as a function of race/ethnicity, circumcision status, sexual exposures, and uro-genital symptoms. We collect detailed sexual behavior and symptoms data using cellular telephones with Internet access. Specimens are routinely collected at monthly intervals, and intermittently following reported symptoms, specific sexual exposures, or identification of a sexually transmitted infection. We also collect periodic samples from the penile coronal sulcus to better characterize its relationship to the urethral micriobial communities.</p> <p>Participants are ages 14 - 17 at enrollment, and prior history of sexual exposure is not required for participation. Parental permission is obtained for each participant. The planned duration of followup is up to 4 years allowing for prospective observation of both physical and behavioral maturation from middle adolescence into young adulthood.</p> <p>The overall objectives of the project are to better characterize the healthy male urethral microbiome, and to use this information to better understand acquisition of urethritis and sexually transmitted infections, as well as chronic genital pain and prostatitis syndromes that become common among young adults.</p>
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is a major etiological agent of sexually transmitted infection. Some stressing conditions can result in persistent chlamydial infection, which is thought to associate with severe complications such as ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as key modulators in many biological processes. However, the role of lncRNAs in persistent chlamydial infection is still unclear. In this study, we used lncRNA and mRNA microarray to identify the global lncRNAs and mRNAs expression in penicillin-induced persistent chlamydial infection in HeLa cells as well as the control group (HeLa cells without C. trachomatis infection). Among 1005 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 585 lncRNAs were upregulated and 420 downregulated in persistent chlamydial infection, while 410 mRNAs were identified to express differentially, of which 113 mRNAs were upregulated and 297 downregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis with differentially expressed genes were performed. We then constructed the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) network. Four mRNAs were validated to be changed by quantitative real-time PCR which were correlated with the microarray result. Integration of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and hub genes were identified. These findings provide a new perspective on the molecular mechanism of penicillin-induced persistent chlamydial infection.
Project description:Genetic variants, including mobile element insertions (MEIs), are known to impact the epigenome. We hypothesized that the use of a genome graph, which encapsulates genetic diversity, could reveal missing epigenomic signal. We tested this in a dataset obtained by sequencing the epigenome of monocyte-derived macrophages from 35 ancestrally diverse individuals before and after Influenza virus infection, which also allowed us to investigate the potential role of MEIs in immunity. After characterizing genetic variants in this cohort using linked-reads, including 5140 Alu, 316 L1, 94 SVAs and 48 ERVs, we incorporated them into a genome graph. Mapping epigenetic data to this graph revealed 2.5%, 3.0% and 2.3% novel peaks for H3K4me1 and H3K27ac ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq respectively. Notably, using a genome graph also modified quantitative trait loci estimates and we observed 375 polymorphic MEIs in active epigenomic state. For example, we found an AluYh3 polymorphism whose chromatin state changed after infection and that was associated with the expression of TRIM25, a gene that restricts influenza RNA synthesis. Our results demonstrate that graph genomes can reveal regulatory regions that would have been overlooked by other approaches.
Project description:Genetic variants, including mobile element insertions (MEIs), are known to impact the epigenome. We hypothesized that the use of a genome graph, which encapsulates genetic diversity, could reveal missing epigenomic signal. We tested this in a dataset obtained by sequencing the epigenome of monocyte-derived macrophages from 35 ancestrally diverse individuals before and after Influenza virus infection, which also allowed us to investigate the potential role of MEIs in immunity. After characterizing genetic variants in this cohort using linked-reads, including 5140 Alu, 316 L1, 94 SVAs and 48 ERVs, we incorporated them into a genome graph. Mapping epigenetic data to this graph revealed 2.5%, 3.0% and 2.3% novel peaks for H3K4me1 and H3K27ac ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq respectively. Notably, using a genome graph also modified quantitative trait loci estimates and we observed 375 polymorphic MEIs in active epigenomic state. For example, we found an AluYh3 polymorphism whose chromatin state changed after infection and that was associated with the expression of TRIM25, a gene that restricts influenza RNA synthesis. Our results demonstrate that graph genomes can reveal regulatory regions that would have been overlooked by other approaches.
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is an intracellular bacterium, and is one of the main pathogens that cause sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have become vital regulators in many biological processes. However, few studies have shown that lncRNAs take part in the pathogenesis of C. trachomatis. Here, we used microarrays to study the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in HeLa cells at 12, 24, and 40 hours pot-infection (hpi). Our study provides evidence that lncRNAs are involved in the interaction between C. trachomatis and hosts.
Project description:Tissue tolerance is a sexually dimorphic trait. Here, we investigated the role of BCL6 in establishing hepatic chromatin landscape promoting sexually dimorphic tissue tolerance during E.Coli infection.
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen and the most frequently reported sexually transmitted bacteria in the United States. Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis targets epithelial cells within the genital tract which respond by secreting chemokines and cytokines. Persistent inflammation can lead to fibrosis, tubal infertility and/or ectopic pregnancy. Our objective was to determine the inflammatory mediators involved in clearance of low-grade infection and the potential involvement in chronic inflammation. Our hypothesis was that mRNA encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines will be differentially expressed in the female reproductive tract of mice infected with C. trachomatis at both 28 and 35 days post-infection compared to controls. Superarray analysis was performed using RT2 Profiler PCR arrays for mouse Cytokines and Chemokines (Qiagen).
Project description:The female reproductive tract (FRT) is vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and therefore a well-tuned immune surveillance system is crucial for maintaining a healthy FRT. However, our understanding of the factors that impact viral infection of the FRT and the host response are not well understood. In this work, we investigate the role of a hormonally regulated type I interferon, IFN epsilon, in control of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection of the FRT. We demonstrate that IFN epsilon has anti-ZIKV properties using a combination of IFN epsilon KO mice, blockade of endogenous IFN epsilon by neutralising Abs and rescue of IFN epsilon KO mice by recombinant IFN epsilon administered directly to the FRT.