Project description:Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are the most common illnesses transmitted by ticks, and the annual number of reported TBD cases continues to increase. The Asian longhorned tick, a vector associated with at least 30 human pathogens, is native to eastern Asia and recently reached the USA as an emerging disease threat. Newly identified tick-transmitted pathogens continue to be reported, raising concerns about how TBDs occur. Interestingly, tick can harbor pathogens without being affected themselves. For viral infections, ticks have their own immune systems that protect them from infection. Meanwhile, tick-borne viruses have evolved to avoid these defenses as they establish themselves within the vector. Here, we show in detail that infecting longhorned ticks with distinct arthropod-borne RNA viruses through two approaches natural blood feeding and injection, all induce the production of vsiRNAs. Dicer2-like homolog plays a role in regulating antiviral RNAi responses as knocking down of this gene enhanced viral replication. Furthermore, we demonstrate that tick antiviral RNAi responses are inhibited through expression heterologous VSR proteins in recombinant SINV. We identify both the virus and tick factors are critical components to understanding TBDs. Importantly, our study introduces a novel, in vivo virus-vector-mouse model system for exploring TBDs in the future.
Project description:Among the multidrug-resistant (MDR) clones of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that were epidemiologically particularly successful, the 100-32 MDR Beijing clone, also called B0/W148 clone, has emerged since the early sixties. These B0/W148 strains belonging to the lineage 2 within the global Mtb phylogeny, are the main contributors to the MDR epidemic in Russia and Eastern Europe, and since the USSR’s fall, have also propagated to Western Europe. Among the various mutations that were identified as being specific for the MDR B0/W148 clone, we focused on two found in the transcriptional regulators KdpDE and WhiB6 and characterized in a H37Rv strain background the transcriptional profile associated with these mutations and their potential impact on the in vitro and in vivo growth characteristics.
Project description:Among the multidrug-resistant (MDR) clones of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that were epidemiologically particularly successful, the 100-32 MDR Beijing clone, also called B0/W148 clone, has emerged since the early sixties. These B0/W148 strains belonging to the lineage 2 within the global Mtb phylogeny, are the main contributors to the MDR epidemic in Russia and Eastern Europe, and since the USSR’s fall, have also propagated to Western Europe. Among the various mutations that were identified as being specific for the MDR B0/W148 clone, we focused on two found in the transcriptional regulators KdpDE and WhiB6 and characterized in a H37Rv strain background the transcriptional profile associated with these mutations and their potential impact on the in vitro and in vivo growth characteristics.
2024-09-25 | GSE269917 | GEO
Project description:Cryphonectria parasitica invasion in south-eastern Europe
Project description:Modern genetic data combined with appropriate statistical methods have the potential to contribute substantially to our understanding of human history. We have developed an approach that exploits the genomic structure of admixed populations to date and characterize historical mixture events at fine scales. We used this to produce an atlas of worldwide human admixture history, constructed using genetic data alone and encompassing over 100 events occurring over the past 4,000 years. We identify events whose dates and participants suggest they describe genetic impacts of the Mongol Empire, Arab slave trade, Bantu expansion, first millennium CE migrations in eastern Europe, and European colonialism, as well as unrecorded events, revealing admixture to be an almost universal force shaping human populations.
Project description:Ticks are vectors of different pathogens causing human and animal diseases. Particularly, Rickettsia slovaca is zoonotic infectious bacterium transmitted by Dermacentor ticks, agent of tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA), common across Europe. Current studies point to extreme complexity of bacterial induced effects in tick host. Systems biology tools, including proteomics, greatly contribute to understanding of molecular details of pathogen-tick-host interactions. Herein we compared laboratory-infected ticks with uninfected control after four weeks of incubation. Propagation of R. slovaca was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Using DNA was confirmed infection with R. slovaca. By proteomic approach, we discovered 33 differentially abundant gel spots, 23 of them accumulated upon artificial infection with R. slovaca. Modest 6.9% of tick proteome was affected. The protein localizations showing that eight proteins spots might be secreted, three cytoplasmic, two mitochondrial, six likely having multiple localizations, one cell membrane and one nucleus. We identified following proteins defensin, serpins, glycine-rich protein, heat shock protein involved in artificially infected tick vector, Dermacentor reticulatus. Discovered differentially abundant proteins should be further evaluated as targets to block the transmission of bacterial pathogen.