Transcriptional changes and preservation of bone mass in hibernating black bears.

Physical inactivity leads to losses of bone mass and strength in most mammalian species. In contrast, hibernating bears show no bone loss over the prolonged periods (4-6 months) of immobility during winter, which suggests that they have adaptive mechanisms to preserve bone mass. To identify transcriptional changes that underlie molecular mechanisms preventing disuse osteoporosis, we conducted a large-scale gene expression screening in the trabecular bone and bone marrow, comparing hibernating and summer active bears through sequencing of the transcriptome.

Endless Forms: Within-Host Variation in the Structure of the West Nile Virus RNA Genome during Serial Passage in Bird Hosts.

RNA viruses are infamous for their high rates of mutation, which produce swarms of genetic variants within individual hosts. To date, analyses of intrahost genetic diversity have focused on the primary genome sequence. However, virus phenotypes are shaped not only by primary sequence but also by the secondary structures into which this sequence folds.

Cranberry-derived proanthocyanidins induce a differential transcriptomic response within Candida albicans urinary biofilms.

Candida albicans is one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, azoles are poorly active against biofilms, echinocandins do not achieve clinically useful urinary concentrations, and amphotericin B exhibits severe toxicities. Thus, novel strategies are needed to prevent Candida UTIs, which are often associated with urinary catheter biofilms.

Correction: Dengue virus serotype 2 infection alters midgut and carcass gene expression in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Corrigendum: RNA-Seq Comparison of Larval and Adult Malpighian Tubules of the Yellow Fever Mosquito Reveals Life Stage-Specific Changes in Renal Function.

[This corrects the article on p. 283 in vol. 8, PMID: 28536536.

Transcriptomic responses of Biomphalaria pfeifferi to Schistosoma mansoni: Investigation of a neglected African snail that supports more S. mansoni transmission than any other snail species.

Background: Biomphalaria pfeifferi is highly compatible with the widespread human-infecting blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni and transmits more cases of this parasite to people than any other snail species. For these reasons, B. pfeifferi is the world's most important vector snail for S.

RNA-Seq Comparison of Larval and Adult Malpighian Tubules of the Yellow Fever Mosquito Reveals Life Stage-Specific Changes in Renal Function.

The life history of presents diverse challenges to its diuretic system. During the larval and pupal life stages mosquitoes are aquatic. With the emergence of the adult they become terrestrial.

Zinc-Dependent Transcriptional Regulation in .

Zinc homeostasis is critical for bacterial survival and is mediated largely at the transcriptional level by the regulation of zinc uptake and efflux genes. Here we use RNA-seq to assess transcriptional changes as a result of zinc limitation in the denitrifying bacterium . The results identify the differential expression of 147 genes, most of which were upregulated in zinc-depleted medium.

Dengue virus serotype 2 infection alters midgut and carcass gene expression in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

Background: The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus is currently an important vector for dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus, and its role in transmission of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) may increase in the future due to its ability to colonize temperate regions. In contrast to Aedes aegypti, the dominant vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus, genetic responses of Ae. albopictus upon infection with an arbovirus are not well characterized.

Transcriptomic Changes Associated with Pregnancy in a Marsupial, the Gray Short-Tailed Opossum Monodelphis domestica.

Live birth has emerged as a reproductive strategy many times across vertebrate evolution; however, mammals account for the majority of viviparous vertebrates. Marsupials are a mammalian lineage that last shared a common ancestor with eutherians (placental mammals) over 148 million years ago. Marsupials are noted for giving birth to highly altricial young after a short gestation, and represent humans' most distant viviparous mammalian relatives.

De novo assembly of a tadpole shrimp (Triops newberryi) transcriptome and preliminary differential gene expression analysis.

Next-generation sequencing techniques, such as RNA sequencing, have provided a wealth of genomic information for nonmodel species. Transcriptomic information can be used to quantify the patterns of gene expression, which can identify how environmental differences invoke organismal stress responses and provide a gauge in predicting species adaptability. In our study, we used RNA sequencing to characterize the first transcriptome from a naupliar tadpole shrimp (Triops newberryi) to identify the genes expressed during the early life history stages and which could be important for future genomic studies.

Complete Genome Sequence of Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC 15439, Producer of the Methymycin/Pikromycin Family of Macrolide Antibiotics, Using PacBio Technology.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC 15439, a producer of the methymycin/pikromycin family of macrolide antibiotics and a model host for natural product studies, obtained exclusively using PacBio sequencing technology. The 9.03-Mbp genome harbors 8,775 genes and 11 polyketide and nonribosomal peptide natural product gene clusters.

Small mosquitoes, large implications: crowding and starvation affects gene expression and nutrient accumulation in Aedes aegypti.

Background: Environmental factors such as temperature, nutrient availability, and larval density determine the outcome of postembryonic development in mosquitoes. Suboptimal temperatures, crowding, and starvation during the larval phase reduce adult mosquito size, nutrient stores and affect vectorial capacity.

Methods: In this study we compared adult female Aedes aegypti, Rockefeller strain, raised under standard laboratory conditions (Large) with those raised under crowded and nutritionally deprived conditions (Small).

Comparative genome analysis of non-toxigenic non-O1 versus toxigenic O1 .

Pathogenic strains of are responsible for endemic and pandemic outbreaks of the disease cholera. The complete toxigenic mechanisms underlying virulence in strains are poorly understood. The hypothesis of this work was that virulent versus non-virulent strains of harbor distinctive genomic elements that encode virulence.

Draft Genome Sequences of Vancomycin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Related to Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate S. aureus.

We report the draft genome sequences of three vancomycin-susceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. S. aureus strain MV8 is a sequence type 8 (ST-8) staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element type IV (SCCmec IV) derivative, while the other two strains (S.

Draft Genomes of Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Strain MM66 and MM66 Derivatives with Altered Vancomycin Resistance Levels.

The draft genomes of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) strain MM66 and MM66 isolates demonstrating altered vancomycin resistance levels were produced in an effort to provide information on mutations contributing to the vancomycin resistance levels observed in these strains.

Improved Hybrid Genome Assemblies of Two Strains of Bacteroides xylanisolvens, SD_CC_1b and SD_CC_2a, Obtained Using Illumina and 454 Sequencing Technologies.

Bacteroides xlyanisolvens strains (SD_CC_1b, SD_CC_2a) isolated from human feces were grown on crystalline cellulose. Cellulolytic properties are not common in Bacteroides species. Here, we report improved genome sequences of both of the B.

Genome Sequence of Non-O1 Vibrio cholerae PS15.

The draft genome sequence of a non-O1 Vibrio cholerae strain, PS15, organized into 3,512 open reading frames within a 3.9-Mb genome, was determined. The PS15 genome sequence will allow for the study of the evolution of virulence and environmental adaptation in V.

Analysis of the transcriptomes downstream of Eyeless and the Hedgehog, Decapentaplegic and Notch signaling pathways in Drosophila melanogaster.

Tissue-specific transcription factors are thought to cooperate with signaling pathways to promote patterned tissue specification, in part by co-regulating transcription. The Drosophila melanogaster Pax6 homolog Eyeless forms a complex, incompletely understood regulatory network with the Hedgehog, Decapentaplegic and Notch signaling pathways to control eye-specific gene expression. We report a combinatorial approach, including mRNAseq and microarray analyses, to identify targets co-regulated by Eyeless and Hedgehog, Decapentaplegic or Notch.

Genome-wide association genetics of an adaptive trait in lodgepole pine.

Pine cones that remain closed and retain seeds until fire causes the cones to open (cone serotiny) represent a key adaptive trait in a variety of pine species. In lodgepole pine, there is substantial geographical variation in serotiny across the Rocky Mountain region. This variation in serotiny has evolved as a result of geographically divergent selection, with consequences that extend to forest communities and ecosystems.

Carrier testing for severe childhood recessive diseases by next-generation sequencing.

Of 7028 disorders with suspected Mendelian inheritance, 1139 are recessive and have an established molecular basis. Although individually uncommon, Mendelian diseases collectively account for ~20% of infant mortality and ~10% of pediatric hospitalizations. Preconception screening, together with genetic counseling of carriers, has resulted in remarkable declines in the incidence of several severe recessive diseases including Tay-Sachs disease and cystic fibrosis.

C6/36 Aedes albopictus cells have a dysfunctional antiviral RNA interference response.

Mosquitoes rely on RNA interference (RNAi) as their primary defense against viral infections. To this end, the combination of RNAi and invertebrate cell culture systems has become an invaluable tool in studying virus-vector interactions. Nevertheless, a recent study failed to detect an active RNAi response to West Nile virus (WNV) infection in C6/36 (Aedes albopictus) cells, a mosquito cell line frequently used to study arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses).

Genome, epigenome and RNA sequences of monozygotic twins discordant for multiple sclerosis.

Monozygotic or 'identical' twins have been widely studied to dissect the relative contributions of genetics and environment in human diseases. In multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease and common cause of neurodegeneration and disability in young adults, disease discordance in monozygotic twins has been interpreted to indicate environmental importance in its pathogenesis. However, genetic and epigenetic differences between monozygotic twins have been described, challenging the accepted experimental model in disambiguating the effects of nature and nurture.

Genomic convergence analysis of schizophrenia: mRNA sequencing reveals altered synaptic vesicular transport in post-mortem cerebellum.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common, disabling mental illness with high heritability but complex, poorly understood genetic etiology. As the first phase of a genomic convergence analysis of SCZ, we generated 16.7 billion nucleotides of short read, shotgun sequences of cDNA from post-mortem cerebellar cortices of 14 patients and six, matched controls.