65 research outputs found
Further Insights into the Gut Microbiota of Cowâs Milk Allergic Infants: Analysis of Microbial Functionality and Its Correlation with Three Fecal Biomarkers
Cowâs milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most prevalent food allergies in children. Several studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota influences the acquisition of oral tolerance to food antigens at initial stages of life. Changes in the gut microbiota composition and/or functionality (i.e., dysbiosis) have been linked to inadequate immune system regulation and the emergence of pathologies. Moreover, omic sciences have become an essential tool for the analysis of the gut microbiota. On the other hand, the use of fecal biomarkers for the diagnosis of CMA has recently been reviewed, with fecal calprotectin, α-1 antitrypsin, and lactoferrin being the most relevant. This study aimed at evaluating functional changes in the gut microbiota in the feces of cowâs milk allergic infants (AI) compared to control infants (CI) by metagenomic shotgun sequencing and at correlating these findings with the levels of fecal biomarkers (α-1 antitrypsin, lactoferrin, and calprotectin) by an integrative approach. We have observed differences between AI and CI groups in terms of fecal protein levels and metagenomic analysis. Our findings suggest that AI have altered glycerophospholipid metabolism as well as higher levels of lactoferrin and calprotectin that could be explained by their allergic status.This research was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI17/01087 and PI20/01366) and FundaciĂłn Sociedad Española de Alergia e InmunologĂa ClĂnica (FSEAIC_2016). It was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund âInvesting in your futureâ for the thematic network and co-operative research centers ARADyAL RD16/0006/0015 and RD16/0006/0026. T.B-T is supported by FPI-CEU predoctoral fellowship. D.B. acknowledges financial support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI19/00044)
Unravelling the Gut Microbiota of Cowâs MilkâAllergic Infants, Their Mothers, and Their Grandmothers
The gut microbiome constitutes a highly complex
ecosystem in which bacteria are the most prominent
components. Around 70% of primary colonization of the gut
microbiota is maternal in origin [1], and the first 1000 days
of life are crucial for the development of the intestinal
microbiota [2]. Despite its early formation, the gut microbiota
is highly dynamic and dependent on host-associated
confounding factors such as age, diet, antibiotics, lifestyle, and
environmental conditions [3,4]. Alterations in gut microbiota
have been described in people with different types of allergy,
including cowâs milk allergy (CMA)This work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos
III (PI17/01087) and Fundación Sociedad Española
de Alergia e InmunologĂa ClĂnica (FSEAIC_2016). It
was cofunded by the European Regional Development
Fund âInvesting in your futureâ for the Thematic
Network and Co-operative Research Centers ARADyAL
RD16/0006/0015 and RD16/0006/0026. It was additionally
supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation in Spain
(PCI2018-092930), cofunded by the European program
ERA HDHL - Nutrition & the Epigenome, project Dietary
Intervention in Food Allergy: Microbiome, Epigenetic and
Metabolomic interactions (DIFAMEM). DR and EZ-V
acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science,
Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-095166-B-I00).
CU acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministry
of Economy (SAF2017-90083-R). TCB-T thanks CEUInternational Doctoral School (CEINDO) for his fellowship
Evolutionary Analysis of Mitogenomes from Parasitic and Free-Living Flatworms
Copyright: © 2015 SolĂ et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article
Genome landscapes and bacteriophage codon usage
Across all kingdoms of biological life, protein-coding genes exhibit unequal
usage of synonmous codons. Although alternative theories abound, translational
selection has been accepted as an important mechanism that shapes the patterns
of codon usage in prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes. Here we analyze patterns
of codon usage across 74 diverse bacteriophages that infect E. coli, P.
aeruginosa and L. lactis as their primary host. We introduce the concept of a
`genome landscape,' which helps reveal non-trivial, long-range patterns in
codon usage across a genome. We develop a series of randomization tests that
allow us to interrogate the significance of one aspect of codon usage, such a
GC content, while controlling for another aspect, such as adaptation to
host-preferred codons. We find that 33 phage genomes exhibit highly non-random
patterns in their GC3-content, use of host-preferred codons, or both. We show
that the head and tail proteins of these phages exhibit significant bias
towards host-preferred codons, relative to the non-structural phage proteins.
Our results support the hypothesis of translational selection on viral genes
for host-preferred codons, over a broad range of bacteriophages.Comment: 9 Color Figures, 5 Tables, 53 Reference
Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal
Background: Leishmaniosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis caused by the nematodes Dirofilaria immitis or Dirofilaria repens are vector-borne zoonoses widely present in the Mediterranean basin. In addition, some studies reported that the endosymbiont Wolbachia spp. play a role in the biology and pathogenesis of filarial parasites. The aim of this work was to evaluate the frequency of mono-and co-infections by L. infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. and their association with clinical signs in dogs from the south of Portugal. Leishmanial, filarial and Wolbachia spp. DNA were evaluated by specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays in blood samples from 230 dogs.Findings: One hundred and thirty-nine (60.4 %) dogs were qPCR-positive for L. infantum and 26 (11.3 %) for filariae (24 for D. immitis only, one D. immitis and for Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides and another one for Acanthocheilonema reconditum only). Wolbachia spp. DNA was amplified from 16 (64.0 %) out of the 25 D. immitis-positive dogs. Nineteen (8.3 %) dogs were co-infected with L. infantum and D. immitis, including the one (0.4 %) A. drancunculoides-positive animal. In dogs without clinical signs consistent with leishmaniosis and/or dirofilariosis, L. infantum prevalence was 69 %, whereas in those dogs with at least one clinical manifestation compatible with any of the two parasitoses prevalence was 42.7 %. Leishmania prevalence was significantly higher in apparently healthy mongrels (77.2 %) and pets (76.9 %) than in defined-breed dogs (including crosses; 58.8 %) and in dogs with an aptitude other than pet (i.e. farm, guard, hunting, shepherd or stray), respectively, whereas in those dogs with at least one clinical sign, the detection of L. infantum DNA was higher in males (53.3 %) and in those dogs not receiving insect repellents (52.8 %).Conclusions: The molecular detection of canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) agents, some of which are zoonotic, reinforces the need to implement efficient prophylactic measures, such as insect repellents and macrocyclic lactones (including compliance to administration), in the geographical areas where these agents are distributed, with the view to prevent infection and disease among mammalian hosts including humans
. FIRST MOLECULAR DETECTION OF LEISHMANIA INFANTUM IN SERGENTOMYIA MINUTA (DIPTERA, PSYCHODIDAE) IN ALENTEJO, SOUTHERN PORTUGAL
One
Sergentomyia minuta female was positive for L. infantum infection and another for human blood as a meal source
Transcription of toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4 and 9, FoxP3 and Th17 cytokines in a susceptible experimental model of canine Leishmania infantum infection
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a chronic zoonotic systemic disease resulting from complex interactions between protozoa and the canine immune system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of the innate immune system and facilitate the early detection of many infections. However, the role of TLRs in CanL remains unknown and information describing TLR transcription during infection is extremely scarce. The aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of L. infantum infection on canine TLR transcription using a susceptible model. The objectives of this study were to evaluate transcription of TLRs 2, 3, 4 and 9 by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in skin, spleen, lymph node and liver in the presence or absence of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagle dogs. These findings were compared with clinical and serological data, parasite densities in infected tissues and transcription of IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3 in different tissues in non-infected dogs (n = 10), and at six months (n = 24) and 15 months (n = 7) post infection. Results revealed significant down regulation of transcription with disease progression in lymph node samples for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9, IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3. In spleen samples, significant down regulation of transcription was seen in TLR4 and IL-22 when both infected groups were compared with controls. In liver samples, down regulation of transcription was evident with disease progression for IL-22. In the skin, upregulation was seen only for TLR9 and FoxP3 in the early stages of infection. Subtle changes or down regulation in TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and FoxP3 are indicative of the silent establishment of infection that Leishmania is renowned for. These observations provide new insights about TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and Foxp3 in the liver, spleen, lymph node and skin in CanL and highlight possible markers of disease susceptibility in this model
SIGffRid: A tool to search for sigma factor binding sites in bacterial genomes using comparative approach and biologically driven statistics
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many programs have been developed to identify transcription factor binding sites. However, most of them are not able to infer two-word motifs with variable spacer lengths. This case is encountered for RNA polymerase Sigma (<it>Ï</it>) Factor Binding Sites (SFBSs) usually composed of two boxes, called -35 and -10 in reference to the transcription initiation point. Our goal is to design an algorithm detecting SFBS by using combinational and statistical constraints deduced from biological observations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe a new approach to identify SFBSs by comparing two related bacterial genomes. The method, named SIGffRid (SIGma Factor binding sites Finder using R'MES to select Input Data), performs a simultaneous analysis of pairs of promoter regions of orthologous genes. SIGffRid uses a prior identification of over-represented patterns in whole genomes as selection criteria for potential -35 and -10 boxes. These patterns are then grouped using pairs of short seeds (of which one is possibly gapped), allowing a variable-length spacer between them. Next, the motifs are extended guided by statistical considerations, a feature that ensures a selection of motifs with statistically relevant properties. We applied our method to the pair of related bacterial genomes of <it>Streptomyces coelicolor </it>and <it>Streptomyces avermitilis</it>. Cross-check with the well-defined SFBSs of the SigR regulon in <it>S. coelicolor </it>is detailed, validating the algorithm. SFBSs for HrdB and BldN were also found; and the results suggested some new targets for these <it>Ï </it>factors. In addition, consensus motifs for BldD and new SFBSs binding sites were defined, overlapping previously proposed consensuses. Relevant tests were carried out also on bacteria with moderate GC content (i.e. <it>Escherichia coli</it>/<it>Salmonella typhimurium </it>and <it>Bacillus subtilis</it>/<it>Bacillus licheniformis </it>pairs). Motifs of house-keeping <it>Ï </it>factors were found as well as other SFBSs such as that of SigW in <it>Bacillus </it>strains.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We demonstrate that our approach combining statistical and biological criteria was successful to predict SFBSs. The method versatility autorizes the recognition of other kinds of two-box regulatory sites.</p
SIGffRid: A tool to search for sigma factor binding sites in bacterial genomes using comparative approach and biologically driven statistics
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many programs have been developed to identify transcription factor binding sites. However, most of them are not able to infer two-word motifs with variable spacer lengths. This case is encountered for RNA polymerase Sigma (<it>Ï</it>) Factor Binding Sites (SFBSs) usually composed of two boxes, called -35 and -10 in reference to the transcription initiation point. Our goal is to design an algorithm detecting SFBS by using combinational and statistical constraints deduced from biological observations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe a new approach to identify SFBSs by comparing two related bacterial genomes. The method, named SIGffRid (SIGma Factor binding sites Finder using R'MES to select Input Data), performs a simultaneous analysis of pairs of promoter regions of orthologous genes. SIGffRid uses a prior identification of over-represented patterns in whole genomes as selection criteria for potential -35 and -10 boxes. These patterns are then grouped using pairs of short seeds (of which one is possibly gapped), allowing a variable-length spacer between them. Next, the motifs are extended guided by statistical considerations, a feature that ensures a selection of motifs with statistically relevant properties. We applied our method to the pair of related bacterial genomes of <it>Streptomyces coelicolor </it>and <it>Streptomyces avermitilis</it>. Cross-check with the well-defined SFBSs of the SigR regulon in <it>S. coelicolor </it>is detailed, validating the algorithm. SFBSs for HrdB and BldN were also found; and the results suggested some new targets for these <it>Ï </it>factors. In addition, consensus motifs for BldD and new SFBSs binding sites were defined, overlapping previously proposed consensuses. Relevant tests were carried out also on bacteria with moderate GC content (i.e. <it>Escherichia coli</it>/<it>Salmonella typhimurium </it>and <it>Bacillus subtilis</it>/<it>Bacillus licheniformis </it>pairs). Motifs of house-keeping <it>Ï </it>factors were found as well as other SFBSs such as that of SigW in <it>Bacillus </it>strains.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We demonstrate that our approach combining statistical and biological criteria was successful to predict SFBSs. The method versatility autorizes the recognition of other kinds of two-box regulatory sites.</p
The enigmatic mitochondrial genome of Rhabdopleura compacta (Pterobranchia) reveals insights into selection of an efficient tRNA system and supports monophyly of Ambulacraria
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Hemichordata comprises solitary-living Enteropneusta and colonial-living Pterobranchia, sharing morphological features with both Chordata and Echinodermata. Despite their key role for understanding deuterostome evolution, hemichordate phylogeny is controversial and only few molecular data are available for phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, mitochondrial sequences are completely lacking for pterobranchs. Therefore, we determined and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the pterobranch <it>Rhabdopleura compacta </it>to elucidate deuterostome evolution. Thereby, we also gained important insights in mitochondrial tRNA evolution.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mitochondrial DNA of <it>Rhabdopleura compacta </it>corresponds in size and gene content to typical mitochondrial genomes of metazoans, but shows the strongest known strand-specific mutational bias in the nucleotide composition among deuterostomes with a very GT-rich main-coding strand. The order of the protein-coding genes in <it>R. compacta </it>is similar to that of the deuterostome ground pattern. However, the protein-coding genes have been highly affected by a strand-specific mutational pressure showing unusual codon frequency and amino acid composition. This composition caused extremely long branches in phylogenetic analyses. The unusual codon frequency points to a selection pressure on the tRNA translation system to codon-anticodon sequences of highest versatility instead of showing adaptations in anticodon sequences to the most frequent codons. Furthermore, an assignment of the codon AGG to Lysine has been detected in the mitochondrial genome of <it>R. compacta</it>, which is otherwise observed only in the mitogenomes of some arthropods. The genomes of these arthropods do not have such a strong strand-specific bias as found in <it>R. compacta </it>but possess an identical mutation in the anticodon sequence of the tRNA<sub>Lys</sub>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A strong reversed asymmetrical mutational constraint in the mitochondrial genome of <it>Rhabdopleura compacta </it>may have arisen by an inversion of the replication direction and adaptation to this bias in the protein sequences leading to an enigmatic mitochondrial genome. Although, phylogenetic analyses of protein coding sequences are hampered, features of the tRNA system of <it>R. compacta </it>support the monophyly of Ambulacraria. The identical reassignment of AGG to Lysine in two distinct groups may have occurred by convergent evolution in the anticodon sequence of the tRNA<sub>Lys</sub>.</p
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