Project description:Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are genomic sequences that originated from retroviruses and are present in most eukaryotic genomes. Both beneficial and detrimental functions are attributed to ERVs, but whether ERVs contribute to antiviral immunity is not well studied. Here, we used herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection as a model and found that mice deficient in Toll-like receptor 7 (Tlr7-/-) that have high systemic levels of infectious ERVs are resistant to intravaginal HSV-2 infection, compared with wildtype C57BL/6 (B6) mice. We deleted the endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia virus (Emv2) locus on the Tlr7-/- background (Emv2-/-Tlr7-/-) and found that Emv2-/-Tlr7-/- mice lose protection against HSV-2 infection. Intravaginal application of purified ERVs prior to HSV-2 infection delays disease in both B6 and highly susceptible interferon-alpha receptor-deficient (Ifnar1-/-) mice. We did not observe enhanced type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling in the vaginal tissues from Tlr7-/- mice or B6 mice treated with purified ERVs, and instead found enrichment in genes associated with extracellular matrix organization. Together, our results revealed an IFN-independent modulation of the vaginal epithelium by ERVs that protects mice against vaginal HSV-2 infection and delays disease.
Project description:Rhizoctonia solani Kühn is a soilborne basidiomycetous fungus that causes significant damage to many economically important crops. R. solani isolates are classified into 13 Anastomosis Groups (AGs) with interspecific subgroups having distinctive morphology, pathogenicity and wide host range. However, the genetic factors that drive the unique fungal pathology are still not well characterized due to the limited number of available annotated genomes. Therefore, we performed genome sequencing, assembly, annotation and functional analysis of 13 R. solani isolates covering 7 AGs and selected subgroups (AG1-IA, AG1-IB, AG1-IC, AG2-2IIIB, AG3-PT, AG3-TB, AG4-HG-I, AG5, AG6, and AG8). Here, we report a pangenome comparative analysis of 13 R. solani isolates covering important groups to elucidate unique and common attributes associated with each isolate, including molecular factors potentially involved in determining AG-specific host preference. Finally, we present the largest repertoire of annotated R. solani genomes, compiled as a comprehensive and user-friendly database, viz. RsolaniDB. Since 7 genomes are reported for the first time, the database stands as a valuable platform for formulating new hypotheses by hosting annotated genomes, with tools for functional enrichment, orthologs and sequence analysis, currently not available with other accessible state-of-the-art platforms hosting Rhizoctonia genome sequences.