Core Gene Set As the Basis of Multilocus Sequence Analysis of the Subclass Actinobacteridae

Comparative genomic sequencing is shedding new light on bacterial identification, taxonomy and phylogeny. An in silico assessment of a core gene set necessary for cellular functioning was made to determine a consensus set of genes that would be useful for the identification, taxonomy and phylogeny of the species belonging to the subclass Actinobacteridae which contained two orders Actinomycetales and Bifidobacteriales. The subclass Actinobacteridae comprised about 85% of the actinobacteria families. The following recommended criteria were used to establish a comprehensive gene set; the gene should (i) be long enough to contain phylogenetically useful information, (ii) not be subject to horizontal gene transfer, (iii) be a single copy (iv) have at least two regions sufficiently conserved that allow the design of amplification and sequencing primers and (v) predict whole-genome relationships. We applied these constraints to 50 different Actinobacteridae genomes and made 1,224 pairwise comparisons of the genome conserved regions and gene fragments obtained by using Sequence VARiability Analysis Program (SVARAP), which allow designing the primers. Following a comparative statistical modeling phase, 3 gene fragments were selected, ychF, rpoB, and secY with R2>0.85. Selected sets of broad range primers were tested from the 3 gene fragments and were demonstrated to be useful for amplification and sequencing of 25 species belonging to 9 genera of Actinobacteridae. The intraspecies similarities were 96.3–100% for ychF, 97.8–100% for rpoB and 96.9–100% for secY among 73 strains belonging to 15 species of the subclass Actinobacteridae compare to 99.4–100% for 16S rRNA. The phylogenetic topology obtained from the combined datasets ychF+rpoB+secY was globally similar to that inferred from the 16S rRNA but with higher confidence. It was concluded that multi-locus sequence analysis using core gene set might represent the first consensus and valid approach for investigating the bacterial identification, phylogeny and taxonomy

Modulation of the blood-brain barrier for therapeutic benefit

THESIS 10358To date this lab has carried out novel work in the area of low-molecular weight (<1 kDa) drug delivery to the retina (Campbell, Nguyen et al. 2009; Tam, Kiang et al. 2010). This work was carried by suppression of claudin-5 (CL5), a tight junction protein expressed on endothelial cells of the inner blood-retina barrier, by delivery of small interfering RNA molecules. Recently this work has been extended to include a limited study on suppression of claudin-5 at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and this resulted in successful delivery of a low-molecular weight compound to the brain (Campbell, Humphries et al. 2011). The primary goal of the study presented here is to extend this BBB modulation to a comprehensive exploration of the benefits of barrier modulation to conditions affecting the brain

Public Health–Driven Research and Innovation for Next-Generation Influenza Vaccines, European Union

Influenza virus infections are a major public health threat. Vaccination is available, but unpredictable antigenic changes in circulating strains require annual modification of seasonal influenza vaccines. Vaccine effectiveness has proven limited, particularly in certain groups, such as the elderly. Moreover, preparedness for upcoming pandemics is challenging because we can predict neither the strain that will cause the next pandemic nor the severity of the pandemic. The European Union fosters research and innovation to develop novel vaccines that evoke broadly protective and long-lasting immune responses against both seasonal and pandemic influenza, underpinned by a political commitment to global public health

The need for innovation and implementation research for maternal and newborn health

Despite substantial progress during the Millennium Development Goals era, figures remain staggering: 303 000 women died due to pregnancy or childbirth-related causes in 2015;1 225 million women wanting to avoid pregnancy do not use safe and effective family planning;2 and 45% of all under-5 deaths happen during the neonatal period.

A Whole-Genome Assembly of the Domestic Cow, \u3ci\u3eBos taurus\u3c/i\u3e

Background: The genome of the domestic cow, Bos Taurus, was sequenced using a mixture of hierarchical and whole-genome shotgun sequencing methods. Results: We have assembled the 35 million sequence reads and applied a variety of assembly improvement techniques, creating an assembly of 2.86 billion base pairs that has multiple improvements over previous assemblies: it is more complete, covering more of the genome; thousands of gaps have been closed; many erroneous inversions, deletions, and translocations have been corrected; and thousands of single-nucleotide errors have been corrected. Our evaluation using independent metrics demonstrates that the resulting assembly is substantially more accurate and complete than alternative versions. Conclusions: By using independent mapping data and conserved synteny between the cow and human genomes, we were able to construct an assembly with excellent large-scale contiguity in which a large majority (approximately 91%) of the genome has been placed onto the 30 B. taurus chromosomes. We constructed a new cow-human synteny map that expands upon previous maps. We also identified for the first time a portion of the B. taurus Y chromosome