The mosquito melanization response requires hierarchical activation of non-catalytic clip domain serine protease homologs.

Serine protease cascades regulate important insect immune responses namely melanization and Toll pathway activation. An important component of these cascades are clip-domain serine protease homologs (cSPHs), which are non-catalytic, but essential for activating the enzyme prophenoloxidase (PPO) in the melanization response during septic infections. The activation of cSPHs requires their proteolytic cleavage, yet factors that control their activation and the complexity of their interactions within these cascades remain unclear. Here, we report the identification of CLIPA28 as a novel immune-related cSPH in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Functional genetic analysis using RNA interference (RNAi) revealed that CLIPA28 is essential for the melanization of Plasmodium berghei parasites in refractory mosquitoes, and for mosquito resistance to fungal infections. We further show, using combined biochemical and genetic approaches, that CLIPA28 is member of a network of at least four cSPHs, whereby members are activated in a hierarchical manner following septic infections. Depletion of the complement-like protein TEP1 abolished the activation of this network after septic infections, whereas, depletion of the serine protease inhibitor 2 (SRPN2) triggered enhanced network activation, even in naïve mosquitoes, culminating in a dramatic reduction in cSPHs hemolymph levels, which paralleled that of PPO. Our data suggest that cSPHs are engaged in complex and multilayered interactions within serine protease cascades that regulate melanization, and identify TEP1 and SRPN2 as two master regulators of the cSPH network

Drosophila as a Model Organism in Host–Pathogen Interaction Studies

Owing to the genetic similarities and conserved pathways between a fruit fly and mammals, the use of the Drosophila model as a platform to unveil novel mechanisms of infection and disease progression has been justified and widely instigated. Gaining proper insight into host–pathogen interactions and identifying chief factors involved in host defense and pathogen virulence in Drosophila serves as a foundation to establish novel strategies for infectious disease prevention and control in higher organisms, including humans.We acknowledge Qatar University (QUST-1-CHS-2020-4) for funding this publication

The Microbiota and Gut-Related Disorders: Insights from Animal Models

Over the past decade, the scientific committee has called for broadening our horizons in understanding host–microbe interactions and infectious disease progression. Owing to the fact that the human gut harbors trillions of microbes that exhibit various roles including the production of vitamins, absorption of nutrients, pathogen displacement, and development of the host immune system, particular attention has been given to the use of germ-free (GF) animal models in unraveling the effect of the gut microbiota on the physiology and pathophysiology of the host. In this review, we discuss common methods used to generate GF fruit fly, zebrafish, and mice model systems and highlight the use of these GF model organisms in addressing the role of gut-microbiota in gut-related disorders (metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer), and in activating host defense mechanisms and amending pathogenic virulence.The authors are supported by internal grants from Qatar University (QUCP-CHS-2019-1)

COVID-19 Vaccine Platforms: Challenges and Safety Contemplations

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic as of March 2020, creating a global crisis and claiming millions of lives. To halt the pandemic and alleviate its impact on society, economy, and public health, the development of vaccines and antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 was a dire need. To date, various platforms have been utilized for SARSCoV-2 vaccine development, and over 200 vaccine candidates have been produced, many of which have obtained the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for emergency use. Despite this successful development and licensure, concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of these vaccines have arisen, given the unprecedented speed of vaccine development and the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains and variants. In this review, we summarize the different platforms used for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine development, discuss their strengths and limitations, and highlight the major safety concerns and potential risks associated with each vaccine type

COVID-19 Vaccination: The Mainspring of Challenges and the Seed of Remonstrance

As of March 2020, the time when the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became a pandemic, our existence has been threatened and the lives of millions have been claimed. With this ongoing global issue, vaccines are considered of paramount importance in curtailing the outbreak and probably a prime gamble to bring us back to ‘ordinary life’. To date, more than 200 vaccine candidates have been produced, many of which were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use, with the research and discovery phase of their production process passed over. Capering such a chief practice in COVID-19 vaccine development, and manufacturing vaccines at an unprecedented speed brought many challenges into play and raised COVID-19 vaccine remonstrance. In this review, we highlight relevant challenges to global COVID-19 vaccine development, dissemination, and deployment, particularly at the level of large-scale production and distribution. We also delineate public perception on COVID-19 vaccination and outline the main facets affecting people’s willingness to get vaccinated

Advances in Cardiovascular Biomarker Discovery.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Among them, hypertension and its pathological complications pose a major risk for the development of other cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure and stroke. Identifying novel and early stage biomarkers of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is of paramount importance in predicting and preventing the major morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. Biomarkers of such diseases or predisposition to their development are identified by changes in a specific indicator's expression between healthy individuals and patients. These include changes in protein and microRNA (miRNA) levels. Protein profiling using mass spectrometry and miRNA screening utilizing microarray and sequencing have facilitated the discovery of proteins and miRNA as biomarker candidates. In this review, we summarized some of the different, promising early stage protein and miRNA biomarker candidates as well as the currently used biomarkers for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Although a number of promising markers have been identified, it is unlikely that a single biomarker will unambiguously aid in the classification of these diseases. A multi-marker panel-strategy appears useful and promising for classifying and refining risk stratification among patients with cardiovascular disease.This research was funded by Qatar University [Grant QUERG-CMED-2020-3]

Editorial: Unconventional Animal Models in Infectious Disease Research

Beyond an in vitro setting, the use of a biological system is considered imperious to unravel the enigma of host-pathogen interactions, particularly those eventuating in an infectious disease scenery. In the past two-decades, the use of animal models, especially the unconventional ones, in studying infectious disease occurrence and progression has stemmed out. This rise in the use of animal models in research was greatly reinforced by the furtherance advancements in the field of genetics that has opened up for feasible genetic manipulation of both the host and the pathogen as needed throughout the course of conducted studies. Within this frame of reference, our launched topic envisioned to bring in research work that have used a broad spectrum of unconventional animal models to introduce pioneering findings in host-pathogen interaction studies. These findings will not only shed more light on our understanding of host-pathogen interfaces, but also set the foundation for innovative therapeutic regimens to control infectious diseases

The Use of Drosophila Melanogaster as A Model Organism To Study The Effect Of Innate Immunity On Metabolism

Apart from its traditional role in disease control, recent body of evidence has implicated a role of the immune system in regulating metabolic homeostasis. Owing to the importance of this “immune-metabolic alignment” in dictating a state of health or disease, a proper mechanistic understanding of this alignment is crucial in opening up for promising therapeutic approaches against a broad range of chronic, metabolic, and inflammatory disorders like obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel syndrome. In this project, we addressed the role of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) innate immune pathway in regulating different metabolic parameters using the Drosophila melanogaster (DM) fruit fly model organism. Mutant JAK/STAT pathway flies with a systemic knockdown of either Domeless (Dome) [domeG0282], the receptor that activates JAK/STAT signaling, or the signal-transducer and activator of transcription protein at 92E (Stat92E) [stat92EEY10528], were used. The results of the study revealed that blocking JAK/STAT signaling alters the metabolic profile of mutant flies. Both domeG0282 and stat92EEY10528 mutants had an increase in body weight, lipid deprivation from their fat body (lipid storage organ in flies), irregular accumulation of lipid droplets in the gut, systemic elevation of glucose and triglyceride levels, and differential down-regulation in the relative gene expression of different peptide hormones (Tachykinin, Allatostatin C, and Diuretic hormone 31) known to regulate metabolic homeostasis in flies. Because the JAK/STAT pathway is evolutionary conserved between invertebrates and vertebrates, our potential findings in the fruit fly serves as a platform for further immune-metabolic translational studies in more complex mammalian systems including humans. indicates that the FFQ can be used as a valid dietary method to assess vitamin D status in Qatar’s population

UNCONVENTIONAL ANIMAL MODELS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH

Apart from genetics and physiology, our understanding of other important aspects of the biological life, such as host-pathogen interactions stayed at its infancy for many years. Back then, many infectious diseases lacked appropriate animal models that could be used to unravel the nature of such interactions. However in the last two decades, several unconventional animal models, namely, Acanthamoeba castellanii, Dictyostelium discoideum, fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), Caenorhabditis elegans, Dugesia japonica, zebrafish (Danio rerio), and other higher vertebrates (other than mice) have been increasingly used to study infectious diseases and understand the mechanisms of disease development and progression. The use of model organisms in bacterial and viral infectious disease research was further supported by recent advancements in the field of forward and reverse genetics, where both the host and its pathogen can be genetically manipulated at low cost and with minimal effort. The feasibility of manipulating various animal models helps in generating variant strains that could be utilized in (i) uncovering the role of particular host or bacteria/virus factors in the infection process, (ii) understanding different mechanisms of tissue invasion intracellular establishment, pathogen dissemination, deciphering host defense mechanisms and immune strategies to fight-off invading pathogens, and most importantly identifying novel virulence factors associated with pathogenesis. Collectively, this promoted our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and opened-up for the identification of novel drug therapeutic targets and vaccine development. In this Research Topic, we owe to shed more light on the use of unconventional model organisms as a platform for advancement in infectious disease research that is related to bacteria and viruses and address novel groundbreaking findings in host-pathogen interaction studies. This will, in turn, lend a hand to unveil novel mechanisms of infection and disease progression and establish new methods of disease treatment and prevention. Therefore, we invite submissions of original or review research articles that address host-pathogen interactions, infectious disease progression, disease treatment and prevention, drug screening, and vaccine development, using unconventional animal models

THE USE OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER AS A MODEL ORGANISM TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF BACTERIAL INFECTION ON HOST SURVIVAL AND METABOLISM

Enterobacteriaceae, a large family of facultative anaerobic bacteria, encloses a broad spectrum of bacterial species including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Shigella sonnei, that produce enterotoxins and cause gastrointestinal tract diseases. While much is known about the regulation and function of enterotoxins within the intestine of the host; the lack of cheap, practical, and genetically tractable model organisms has restricted the investigation of others facets of this host-pathogen interaction. Our group, among others, has employed Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism to shed more light on some aspects of host-pathogen interplays. In this project, we addressed the effect of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Shigella sonnei infection on altering the metabolic homeostasis of the host. Drosophila melanogaster flies were orally infected with Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, or Shigella sonnei, a method that mimics the natural route used by enteric pathogens to gain access to the gastrointestinal tract in humans. The results of our study revealed that both Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei pathogens were capable of colonizing the host gut, resulting in a reduction in the life span of the infected host. Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei infected flies also exhibited altered metabolic profiles including lipid droplets deprivation from their fat body (normal lipid storage organ in flies), irregular accumulation of lipid droplets in their gut, and significant elevation of systemic glucose and triglyceride levels. These metabolic alterations could be mechanistically attributed to the differential down-regulation in the expression of metabolic peptide hormones (Allatostatin A, Diuretic hormone 31, and Tachykinin) detected in the gut of Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei infected flies. Salmonella enterica; however, was unable to colonize the gut of the host; and therefore, Salmonella enterica infected flies exhibited a relatively normal metabolic status as that of non infected flies. Gaining a proper mechanistic understanding of infection-induced metabolic alterations helps in modulating the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal tract diseases in a host and opens up for promising therapeutic approaches for infection induced metabolic disorder