Project description:A shaving proteomic approach was applied to explore surface protein expression of multi- and pan-drug resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the airways of cystic fibrosis patients with long-term chronic colonization compared to wild-type antibiotic-sensitive strains isolated from patients with recent infection.
2021-11-29 | MSV000088468 | MassIVE
Project description:Soil microbial responses to long-term management practices in the coastal region of North Carolina
Project description:Using Nanopore sequencing, our study has revealed a close correlation between genomic methylation levels and antibiotic resistance rates in Acinetobacter Baumannii. Specifically, the combined genome-wide DNA methylome and transcriptome analysis revealed the first epigenetic-based antibiotic-resistance mechanism in A. baumannii. Our findings suggest that the precise location of methylation sites along the chromosome could provide new diagnostic markers and drug targets to improve the management of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii infections.
Project description:Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is an opportunistic pathogen and its survival in water is critical for human infection. Therefore, identifying the genes of Lp that are required for survival in water may help devise strategies to prevent Legionella outbreaks. In this study, we exposed Lp in rich medium and in an artificial freshwater medium (Fraquil) for 2, 6 and 24 hours to uncover the global transcriptomic changes of Lp in water. The repression of major metabolic pathways, such as division, transcription and translation, suggests that Lp enters a dormant state in water. The induction of the flagellar associated genes (flg, fli and mot), enhance entry genes (enh) and some Icm/Dot effectors suggests that Lp may be waiting to establish intracellular replication in suitable host. Moreover, many genes involved in resistance to antibiotic and oxidative stress were induced, suggesting that Lp may be more tolerant to environmental stresses in water. Indeed, Lp exposed to water is more resistant to erythromycin, gentamycin and kanamycin than those cultured in rich medium. Apart from this, the gene bdhA involved in the degradation of the intracellular energy storage compound poly-hydroxybutyrate is highly expressed in water. Further characterization shows that bdhA is positively regulated by RpoS during short-term exposure to water. The deletion mutant of bdhA had a survival defect in water at 37°C, demonstrating that this gene is important for maintaining the long-term survivorship of Lp in water. Other identified genes highly induced upon exposure to water could also be necessary for Lp to survive in water.
Project description:This work aimed to characterize the molecular adaptations occurring in cork oak (Quercus suber) stems in adaptation to drought, and identify key genetic pathways regulating phellem development. One-year-old cork oak plants were grown for additional 6 months under well-watered (WW) or water-deficit (WD) conditions and main stems were targeted for transcriptomic analysis. WD had a negative impact on secondary growth, decreasing the activity of the vascular cambium and phellogen. Following a tissue-specific approach, we analyzed the transcriptional changes imposed by WD in phellem (outer bark), inner bark, and xylem, and found a global downregulation of genes related to cell division, cell wall biogenesis, lignin and/or suberin biosynthesis. Phellem and phloem showed a concerted upregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, suggesting a determinant role of stem photosynthesis in the adaptation of young plants to long-term drought. The data gathered will be important to further harness the diverse genetic background of this species for the development of optimized management practices.
