Project description:The routine availability of high-depth virus sequence data would allow the sensitive detection of resistance-associated variants that can jeopardize HIV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. We introduce ve-SEQ, a high-throughput method for sequence-specific enrichment and characterization of whole-virus genomes at up to 20% divergence from a reference sequence and 1,000-fold greater sensitivity than direct sequencing. The extreme genetic diversity of HCV led us to implement an algorithm for the efficient design of panels of oligonucleotide probes to capture any sequence among a defined set of targets without detectable bias. ve-SEQ enables efficient detection and sequencing of any HCV genome, including mixtures and intra-host variants, in a single experiment, with greater tolerance of sequence diversity than standard amplification methods and greater sensitivity than metagenomic sequencing, features that are directly applicable to other pathogens or arbitrary groups of target organisms, allowing the combination of sensitive detection with sequencing in many settings.
Project description:The purpose of the study is to examine the efficacy of educational materials to promote hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake among adults born between 1945-1965.
Project description:The aim of the experiment was to compare a newly defined population VE-Cadherin+GFP+ to control populations, VE-Cadherin- GFP+ and VE-Cadherin+GFP-.
Project description:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV can be sensed by host innate immunity to induce expression of interferons (IFNs) and a number of antiviral effectors. HCV-encoded NS3/4 serine protease can subvert host innate immune responses by cleaving MAVS, a critical adaptor protein in the RLR-mediated IFN signaling. To study innate immunity in the context of HCV infection, we constructed Huh7-MAVSR cells which express a mutant MAVS resistant to NS3/4A cleavage. HCV infection induces robust IFN response in Huh7-MAVSR cells, providing a cellular system to study antiviral innate immune response against HCV infection. To analyze host innate antiviral effectors against HCV infection, we performed an mRNA microarray analysis in the HCV-infected Huh7-MAVSR cells.
Project description:Neurospora crassa is a reference organism to study carotene biosynthesis and light regulation for decades. However, there is no evidence of its capacity to produce secondary metabolites, a characteristic of many filamentous fungi. In this work, we report the role of the fungal specific velvet regulator complex in development and secondary metabolism in N. crassa. Four velvet genes were found in the genome. Deletion of ve-1 or ve-2 affects asexual and sexual development, secondary metabolism and light-dependent carotene biosynthesis. Deletion of vos-1 did not show significant differences in comparison to wild type. Deletion of lae-1 resulted in reduced protoperithecia formation and affected secondary metabolism. VE-1, VE-2, LAE-1 and VOS-1 showed nucleo-cytoplasmic localization, which was independent of light input. Two distinct velvet complexes were found in vivo: a heterotrimeric VE-1/VE-2/LAE-1 and a heterodimeric VE-2/VOS-1 complex, respectively. The heterotrimer-complex positively regulated sexual development and repressed asexual spore formation. Moreover, it repressed siderophore coprogen production under iron starvation conditions. The VE-1/VE-2 heterodimer controlled the production of carotene pigments. VE-1 regulated the expression of more than 15% of the whole genome, which corresponded mainly to regulatory, developmental and redox proteins. We also studied intergenera functions of the velvet complex through complementation of A. nidulans veA, velB, laeA, vosA mutants with their Neurospora crassa orthologues ve-1, ve-2, lae-1 and vos-1, respectively. Expression of VE-1 and VE-2 in A. nidulans successfully substituted the developmental and secondary metabolite functions of VeA and VelB by forming two functional chimeric velvet complexes in vivo, VelB/VE-1/LaeA and VE-2/VeA/LaeA, respectively. The N. crassa lae-1 and vos-1 genes did not complement respective A. nidulans mutants and failed to form corresponding complexes. Reciprocally, expression of veA restored the phenotypes of the N. crassa ve-1 mutant. All N. crassa velvet proteins heterologously expressed in A. nidulans were predominantly localized to nuclear fraction independent of light signal. These data highlight the conservation of the complex formation potential in N. crassa and A. nidulans. However, they also underline the similarities and differences of the velvet roles across genera according to the different life styles, niches and ontogenetic processes.
Project description:Hepatic complications of HCV infection, including fibrosis and cirrhosis are accelerated in HIV-infected individuals. Although liver biopsy remains the gold standard for staging HCV-associated liver disease, this test can result in serious complications and is subject to sampling error. These challenges have prompted a search for non-invasive methods for liver fibrosis staging. To this end, we compared serum proteome profiles at different stages of fibrosis in HIV/HCV co- and HCV mono-infected patients using SELDI-TOF MS.
Project description:Atoh1 is the master transcription factor of intestinal secretory cells. Lineage-tracing model of Atoh1+ve cells showed that the progeny of Atoh1+ve cells can develop into either LGR5+ve or LGR5-ve cells. Present analysis compared the gene expression profile of Atoh1+ve cell-derived LGR5+ve cells and LGR5-ve cells, compared to the resident LGR5+ve cell population of the mouse small intestine.
Project description:Although extensive studies have demonstrated the gene expression patterns of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells during chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the transcriptional profiles of global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells remains unclear. In this report, we recruited 10 long-term (~20 years) treatment-naM-CM-/ve chronic HCV (CHC) patients and 5 healthy donors (HDs) to investigate differences in global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells gene expression profile. Global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells showed unique transcriptional profiles in the expression of apoptosis-related genes. We identified BCL2, PMAIP1, and CASP1 in CD4+ T-cells and IER3 and BCL2A1 in CD8+ T-cells from CHC patients as HCV-specific gene signatures. The unique apoptosis-related gene expression profilesin global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells programmed by chronic HCV infection seemed to enhance activation-induced apoptosis, which was suffered by global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. We obtained 15 blood samples to identify the gene expression signatures of global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells due to chronic HCV infection. The samples included: 5 samples from high HCV viral load patients (HCV-h), 5 samples from low HCV viral load (HCV-l) and 5 samples from healthy donors (HD). HCV patients were all Ab+ and treatment-naive prior to the study. Samples were taken once from each individual. Global CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells were enriched by microbeads, and total RNA were used in gene chip analysis.