Objective: Here, we applied a multi-omics approach (i) to examine molecular pathways related to de- and remyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions; and (ii) to translate these findings to the CSF proteome in order to identify molecules that are differentially expressed among MS subtypes.
Methods: To relate differentially expressed genes in MS lesions to de- and remyelination, we compared transcriptome of MS lesions to transcriptome of cuprizone (CPZ)-induced de- and remyelination. Protein products of the overlapping orthologous genes were measured within the CSF by quantitative proteomics, parallel reaction monitoring (PRM).
Distinct bacteria are able to cope with highly diverse lifestyles; for instance, they can be free living or host-associated. Thus, these organisms must possess a large and varied genomic arsenal to withstand different environmental conditions. To facilitate the identification of genomic features that might influence bacterial adaptation to a specific niche, we introduce LifeStyle-Specific-Islands (LiSSI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPoor nutrition during critical growth phases may alter the structural and physiologic development of vital organs thus "programming" the susceptibility to adult-onset diseases and disease-related health conditions. Epigenome-wide association studies have been performed in birth-weight discordant twin pairs to find evidence for such "programming" effects, but no significant results emerged. We further investigated this issue using a new computational approach: Instead of probing single genomic sites for significant alterations in epigenetic marks, we scan for differentially methylated genomic regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGemmatimonadetes represents a poorly understood bacterial phylum with only a handful of cultured species. Recently, one of its few representatives, Gemmatimonas phototrophica, was found to contain purple bacterial photosynthetic reaction centres. However, almost nothing is known about the environmental distribution of phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacteria are highly diverse organisms that are able to adapt to a broad range of environments and hosts due to their high genomic plasticity. Horizontal gene transfer plays a pivotal role in this genome plasticity and in evolution by leaps through the incorporation of large blocks of genome sequences, ordinarily known as genomic islands (GEIs). GEIs may harbor genes encoding virulence, metabolism, antibiotic resistance and symbiosis-related functions, namely pathogenicity islands (PAIs), metabolic islands (MIs), resistance islands (RIs) and symbiotic islands (SIs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLactococcus lactis subsp. lactis NCDO 2118 is a nondairy lactic acid bacterium, a xylose fermenter, and a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) producer isolated from frozen peas. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Over the last decade network enrichment analysis has become popular in computational systems biology to elucidate aberrant network modules. Traditionally, these approaches focus on combining gene expression data with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Nowadays, the so-called omics technologies allow for inclusion of many more data sets, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn life sciences, and particularly biomedical research, linking aberrant pathways exhibiting phenotype-specific alterations to the underlying physical condition or disease is an ongoing challenge. Computationally, a key approach for pathway identification is data enrichment, combined with generation of biological networks. This allows identification of intrinsic patterns in the data and their linkage to a specific context such as cellular compartments, diseases or functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNext-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have made high-throughput sequencing available to medium- and small-size laboratories, culminating in a tidal wave of genomic information. The quantity of sequenced bacterial genomes has not only brought excitement to the field of genomics but also heightened expectations that NGS would boost antibacterial discovery and vaccine development. Although many possible drug and vaccine targets have been discovered, the success rate of genome-based analysis has remained below expectations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe review the level of genomic specificity regarding actinobacterial pathogenicity. As they occupy various niches in diverse habitats, one may assume the existence of lifestyle-specific genomic features. We include 240 actinobacteria classified into four pathogenicity classes: human pathogens (HPs), broad-spectrum pathogens (BPs), opportunistic pathogens (OPs) and non-pathogenic (NP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Current immunological bioinformatic approaches focus on the prediction of allele-specific epitopes capable of triggering immunogenic activity. The prediction of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I epitopes is well studied, and various software solutions exist for this purpose. However, currently available tools do not account for the concentration of epitope products in the mature protein product and its relation to the reliability of target selection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStand Genomic Sci
December 2012
The Actinobacteria, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain P54B96, a nonmotile, non-sporulating and a mesophile bacterium, was isolated from liver, lung and mediastinal lymph node lesions in an antelope from South Africa. This strain is interesting in the sense that it has been found together with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs) which could nevertheless play a role in the lesion formation. In this work, we describe a set of features of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of several infectious and contagious chronic diseases, including caseous lymphadenitis, ulcerative lymphangitis, mastitis, and edematous skin disease, in a broad spectrum of hosts. In addition, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections pose a rising worldwide economic problem in ruminants. The complete genome sequences of 15 C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the causative agent of several veterinary diseases in a broad range of economically important hosts, which can vary from caseous lymphadenitis in sheep and goats (biovar ovis) to ulcerative lymphangitis in cattle and horses (biovar equi). Existing vaccines against C. pseudotuberculosis are mainly intended for small ruminants and, even in these hosts, they still present remarkable limitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew sequencing platforms have enabled rapid decoding of complete prokaryotic genomes at relatively low cost. The Ion Torrent platform is an example of these technologies, characterized by lower coverage, generating challenges for the genome assembly. One particular problem is the lack of genomes that enable reference-based assembly, such as the one used in the present study, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi, which causes high economic losses in the US equine industry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bacteriol
December 2012
Exiguobacterium antarcticum is a psychotropic bacterium isolated for the first time from microbial mats of Lake Fryxell in Antarctica. Many organisms of the genus Exiguobacterium are extremophiles and have properties of biotechnological interest, e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bacteriol
December 2012
The bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is of major veterinary importance because it affects livestock, particularly sheep, goats, and horses, in several countries, including Australia, Brazil, the United States, and Canada, resulting in significant economic losses. In the present study, we describe the complete genome of the Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Cp316 strain, biovar equi, isolated from the abscess of a North American horse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pan-genomic studies aim, for instance, at defining the core, dispensable and unique genes within a species. A pan-genomics study for vaccine design tries to assess the best candidates for a vaccine against a specific pathogen. In this context, rather than studying genes predicted to be exported in a single genome, with pan-genomics it is possible to study genes present in different strains within the same species, such as virulence factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a pathogen of great veterinary and economic importance, since it affects livestock, mainly sheep and goats, worldwide, together with reports of its presence in camels in several Arabic, Asiatic, and East and West African countries, as well as Australia. In this article, we report the genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain Cp162, collected from the external neck abscess of a camel in the United Kingdom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genus Campylobacter contains pathogens causing a wide range of diseases, targeting both humans and animals. Among them, the Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus and venerealis deserve special attention, as they are the etiological agents of human bacterial gastroenteritis and bovine genital campylobacteriosis, respectively. We compare the whole genomes of both subspecies to get insights into genomic architecture, phylogenetic relationships, genome conservation and core virulence factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we report the whole-genome sequences of two ovine-pathogenic Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates: strain 3/99-5, which represents the first C. pseudotuberculosis genome originating from the United Kingdom, and 42/02-A, the second from Australia. These genome sequences will contribute to the objective of determining the global pan-genome of this bacterium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis causes disease in several animal species, although distinct biovars exist that appear to be restricted to specific hosts. In order to facilitate a better understanding of the differences between biovars, we report here the complete genome sequence of the equine pathogen Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain 1/06-A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work we report the genome of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain 267, isolated from a llama. This pathogen is of great veterinary and economic importance, as it is the cause of caseous lymphadenitis in several livestock species around the world and causes significant losses due to the high cost of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bacteriol
December 2011
In this work, we report the whole-genome sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bv. equi strain CIP 52.97 (Collection Institut Pasteur), isolated in 1952 from a case of ulcerative lymphangitis in a Kenyan horse, which has evidently caused significant losses to agribusiness.
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