Project description:We present the data obtained from high-resolution ribosome profiling analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown under standard conditions (log phase) and cells subjected to oxidative stress (50 µM cumene hydroperoxide) and pH stress (pH 4.5). Our data shows pervasive ribosome pausing in the M. tb translatome. A large number of genes show very high pause immediately downstream to the translation start site. Moreover, serines and alanines in the E site of the ribosome exhibit highest pause scores.
Project description:HGPS is a rare premature ageing disease, caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene, which activates a cryptic splice site, resulting in the production of a mutant lamin A isoform, called progerin. Sporadic usage of the same cryptic splice site has been observed with normal physiological aging. As it is unknown how HGPS causes premature ageing defects, we set out to determine the gene signature of both young healthy individuals, old healthy individuals, as well as HGPS patients.
Project description:The major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis can survive in the host organism for decades without causing symptoms. A large cohort of Toxin-Antitoxin (TA) modules contribute to this persistence. Of these, 48 TA modules belong to the vapBC (virulence associated protein) gene family. VapC toxins are PIN domain endonucleases that, in Enterobacteria, inhibit translation by site-specific cleavage of initiator tRNA. In contrast, VapC20 of M. tuberculosis inhibits translation by site-specific cleavage of the universally conserved Sarcin-Ricin loop (SRL) in 23S rRNA. Here we identify cleavage targets for 12 VapCs from M. tuberculosis by applying UV-crosslinking and deep sequencing. Remarkably, these VapCs are all endoribo-nucleases that cleave RNA targets that are essential for decoding at the ribosomal A-site. Eleven VapCs cleave specific tRNAs while one exhibits SRL cleavage activity. These findings suggest that multiple vapBC modules contribute to the survival of M. tuberculosis in its human host by reducing the level of translation.
Project description:Infection or reactivation with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing solid organ transplantation or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Recent studies have shown that protection against latent HCMV infection relies on a much broader antigen spectrum than previously expected. The identification of novel immunogenic HCMV-derived peptides that facilitate HCMV control is therefore essential to improve immune monitoring of HCMV-specific T cells and HCMV vaccine development. In particular, only a few HCMV-derived peptides have been described for less common HLA alleles, such as HLA-A*03:01 and HLA-B*15:01, limiting the implementation of these techniques for a substantial number of patients. Here, we identified novel HCMV-derived HLA-A*03:01- and HLA-B*15:01-restricted immunogenic peptides by an innovative combined in vitro and in silico approach. We utilized the computational tools Peptide-PRISM (1) and PRICE (2) to analyze mass spectrometric (MS) and ribosome sequencing (ribo-seq) datasets, respectively. To refine our in silico approach, we utilized machine learning to rate the identified peptide candidates based on their translational activity, binding affinity and positioning within the small open reading frames (sORFs), with the goal of assessing their likelihood to be presented on HLA-A*03:01 and HLA-B*15:01 molecules. After identifying the highest-scoring 49 canonical and 49 cryptic potentially immunogenic peptides for each HLA allele, we assessed their immunogenicity by screening HCMV-seropositive and -seronegative healthy donors, as well as alloSCT patients for their peptide-specific T-cell responses. We used a stimulation procedure in two consecutive steps: peripheral blood cells (PBMCs) were stimulated starting with peptide pools and subsequently with potentially reactive single peptides. In vitro T-cell stimulation resulted in the direct identification of three canonical and one cryptic HLA-A*03-restricted immunogenic peptides as well as five canonical and one cryptic HLA-B*15-restricted immunogenic peptide, with a specific IFNγ+/CD8+ T cell response of ≥ 0.02%. Highest T-cell responses were identified against two HLA-A*03-restricted and three HLA-B*15-restricted canonical peptides with up to 3.42% of IFNγ+/CD8+ T cells in patients 180 days post alloSCT. In conclusion, we identified specific T-cell responses against eight canonical and two cryptic HLA-A*03:01- and HLA-B*15:01-restricted peptides in healthy individuals and post-transplanted patients and which were classified as immunogenic. Of these, six peptides are novel HCMV-derived, immunogenic peptides according to the UniProt database, broadening the spectrum of immunogenic HCMV-derived peptides for personalized immune monitoring and vaccine development.