Project description:We focus our analyses on the description of viral small RNAs (FHVdeltaB2 or FHV) and based on genetic and molecular evidende, classify them and discuss their relevance in antiviral defense. Small RNAs from adult Drosophila flies from different genetic backgrounds and infected with FHV-deltaB2 or FHV were sequenced using the illumina platform.
Project description:In order to study the mechanism of histone acetylation affecting development of ocular melanoma, we treated ocular melanoma cells with histone deacetylatase inhibitor LBH589. The results showed that the METTL14 was increased after LBH589 treatment. The study aims to reveal the interaction between histone acetylation and m6A modification, and to further explore the relationship between the expression level of METTL14 and the survival time of ocular melanoma patients, hopefully providing new ideas for the treatment of malignant tumors.
Project description:Bacillus licheniformis-fermented products (BLFP) are probiotics with antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that can improve growth performance. This study aimed to, firstly, compare the fecal microbiota of cats with chronic diarrhea (n = 8) with that of healthy cats (n = 4) from the same household using next-generation sequencing and, secondly, evaluate the effectiveness of oral administration of BLFP in relieving clinical signs and altering the intestinal microbiota in diarrheal cats. Six out of eight cats with diarrhea showed clinical improvement after BLFP administration for 7 days, and in two cats the stool condition was normal. A higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was noted in the feces of diarrheal cats without clinical improvement as compared with those in the healthy control group and in the diarrheal cats with clinical improvement after receiving BLFP. The phylum Bacteroidetes and class Bacteroidia decreased significantly in diarrheal cats regardless of BLFP administration. Blautia spp., Ruminococcus torques, and Ruminococcus gnavus, which belong to the Clostridium cluster XIVa and have been reported as beneficial to intestinal health, increased significantly in feces after BLFP treatment. Furthermore, a significant decrease in Clostridium perfringens was noted in diarrheal cats after BLFP administration. Overall, BLFP could be a potential probiotic to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms and improve fecal microbiota in cats with chronic diarrhea.
Project description:We extend our established agent-based multiscale computational model of infection of lung tissue by SARS-CoV-2 to include pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models of remdesivir. We model remdesivir treatment for COVID-19; however, our methods are general to other viral infections and antiviral therapies. We investigate the effects of drug potency, drug dosing frequency, treatment initiation delay, antiviral half-life, and variability in cellular uptake and metabolism of remdesivir and its active metabolite on treatment outcomes in a simulated patch of infected epithelial tissue. Non-spatial deterministic population models which treat all cells of a given class as identical can clarify how treatment dosage and timing influence treatment efficacy. However, they do not reveal how cell-to-cell variability affects treatment outcomes. Our simulations suggest that for a given treatment regime, including cell-to-cell variation in drug uptake, permeability and metabolism increase the likelihood of uncontrolled infection as the cells with the lowest internal levels of antiviral act as super-spreaders within the tissue. The model predicts substantial variability in infection outcomes between similar tissue patches for different treatment options. In models with cellular metabolic variability, antiviral doses have to be increased significantly (>50% depending on simulation parameters) to achieve the same treatment results as with the homogeneous cellular metabolism.
Project description:In order to study the mechanism of METTL14 and the development of ocular melanoma, we established a model of overexpression of METTL14 in ocular melanoma. The results showed that the expression of FAT4 was increased after METTL14 overexpression. In order to reveal the interaction between METTL14 and FAT4 and to further explore the relationship between the expression level of METTL14 and the survival time of ocular melanoma patients provides new ideas for the treatment of malignant tumors.
Project description:We focus our analyses on the description of viral small RNAs (FHVdeltaB2 or FHV) and based on genetic and molecular evidende, classify them and discuss their relevance in antiviral defense.
Project description:The major focus of Dr. Argueso's research is to characterize the carbohydrate portion of the different mucins expressed by the ocular surface epithelia as well as the enzymes involved with their synthesis, and to determine whether the alteration of mucin glycosylation is associated with ocular surface disease.
Project description:The major focus of Dr. Argueso's research is to characterize the carbohydrate portion of the different mucins expressed by the ocular surface epithelia as well as the enzymes involved with their synthesis, and to determine whether the alteration of mucin glycosylation is associated with ocular surface disease. Highly glycosylated mucins on the ocular surface (cornea and conjunctiva) are the first line of defense of the eye against injury and infection. Changes in O-glycosylation of mucins may cause ocular surface disorders, such as dry eye. Gene expression patterns in the conjunctival epithelium of three normal subjects were analyzed. The three subjects have the same ABO-blood-group. For each donor, conjunctival cells were obtained by impression cytology. Conjunctival impression cytology was performed on each eye two times with a one-week interval. Conjunctival cells obtained from each individual were pooled and the RNA isolated. All three samples were hybridized to the custom designed CFG GLYCOv2 glycogene array.
Project description:Purpose: To study the effects of raltegravir treatment for corneal cells on host gene expression during FHV-1 infection and in uninfected cells. Method: For examination of effects in infected cells, corneal cells were infected with FHV-1 for 2 hours and treated with raltegravir or DMSO for 2 h. For examination of effects in uninfected cells, corneal cells were infected with FHV-1 for 2 h. Data was analyzed using a standard pipeline. Follow up of results were done with SYBR green based qPCR and functional assays where relevant. Results: In infected cells, we identifed 399 differentially expressed genes following raltegravir therapy. Many of these genes had functions as anti-angiogenic factors and in metabolic pathways. In contrast, in uninfected cells, only 27 genes were identified as differentially regulated by raltegravir, with little overlap with those modulated during infection and little shared biological functions. This indicates that raltegravir is unlikely to induce side effects in vivo. Conclusion: Our study represents the first, to our knowledge, use of RNAseq technology to study the effects of an antiviral on host gene expression during a virus infection. We conclude that such methodology will be useful in future studies to identify bystander effects of drug treatment.