Publications by authors named "R Bontrop"
The regions in the genome that encode components of the immune system are often featured by polymorphism, copy number variation, and segmental duplications. There is a need to thoroughly characterize these complex regions to gain insight into the impact of genomic diversity on health and disease. Here we resolve the organization of complete major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II regions in rhesus macaques by using a long-read sequencing strategy (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) in concert with adaptive sampling.
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- The study investigates how SARS-CoV-2 affects different parts of the body and explores whether the virus itself or the immune response causes these effects.
- Using a PET imaging technique with specific nanobodies, researchers track the distribution of immune cells and virus-infected cells in macaques during an experimental infection by scanning them at various intervals.
- The findings reveal that the nanobodies effectively report on immune responses, showing where virus-related lesions occur and how immune cells are recruited in response to the infection, providing a new way to monitor immune activity in living organisms.
Introduction: The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) play a pivotal role in modulating the NK cell responses, for instance, through interaction with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Both gene systems map to different chromosomes but co-evolved during evolution. The human gene family is characterized by abundant allelic polymorphism and copy number variation.
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- COVID-19 can cause not only breathing problems but also issues with the brain, known as neurological symptoms. Some people have long-lasting effects called long COVID.
- Scientists studied four monkeys infected with SARS-CoV-2 to see how the virus affects the brain over time using special scans and tests.
- They found that the brain showed more activity in specific areas shortly after infection, and certain brain cells were more active in infected monkeys compared to healthy ones, indicating inflammation in the brain.