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Genes Jun 2024The grooming behavior of honeybees serves as a crucial auto-protective mechanism against mite infestations. Compared to , demonstrates more effective grooming behavior... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The grooming behavior of honeybees serves as a crucial auto-protective mechanism against mite infestations. Compared to , demonstrates more effective grooming behavior in removing mites from the bodies of infested bees. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating grooming behavior remain elusive. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the auto-grooming behavior between and and employed RNA-sequencing technology to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in bee brains with varying degrees of grooming behavior intensity. We observed that exhibited a higher frequency of mite removal between day 5 and day 15 compared to , with day-9 bees showing the highest frequency of mite removal in . RNA-sequencing results revealed the differential expression of the and genes in and the and genes in . Subsequent homology analysis identified the gene and gene of as homologous to the gene and gene of . These DEGs are annotated in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, the glutamatergic synaptic pathway, and the calcium signaling pathway. Moreover, , , , and may be closely related to the auto-grooming behavior of , conferring resistance against infestation. Our results further explain the relationship between honeybee grooming behavior and brain function at the molecular level and provide a reference basis for further studies of the mechanism of honeybee grooming behavior.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Varroidae; Grooming; Brain; Transcriptome; Mite Infestations; Gene Expression Profiling
PubMed: 38927699
DOI: 10.3390/genes15060763 -
Genes Jun 2024Despite remarkable advances in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections (IFIs), rapid, specific, sensitive, and cost-effective detection methods remain elusive. Due... (Review)
Review
Despite remarkable advances in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections (IFIs), rapid, specific, sensitive, and cost-effective detection methods remain elusive. Due to their stability, ease of production, and specificity to signature molecules of fungal pathogens, short single-stranded sequences of DNA, RNA, and XNA, collectively called aptamers, have emerged as promising diagnostic markers. In this perspective, we summarize recent progress in aptamer-based diagnostic tools for IFIs and discuss how these tools could potentially meet the needs and provide economical and simple solutions for point-of-care for better management of IFIs.
Topics: Humans; Aptamers, Nucleotide; Invasive Fungal Infections; Fungi; SELEX Aptamer Technique
PubMed: 38927669
DOI: 10.3390/genes15060733 -
Genes May 2024Infections with gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) reduce the economic efficiency of sheep operations and compromise animal welfare. Understanding the host's response to...
Infections with gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) reduce the economic efficiency of sheep operations and compromise animal welfare. Understanding the host's response to GIN infection can help producers identify animals that are naturally resistant to infection. The objective of this study was to characterize the hepatic transcriptome of sheep that had been naturally exposed to GIN parasites. The hepatic transcriptome was studied using RNA-Sequencing technology in animals characterized as high ( = 5) or medium ( = 6) based on their innate immune acute-phase (AP) response phenotype compared with uninfected controls ( = 4), and with biased antibody-mediated (AbMR, = 5) or cell-mediated (CMR, = 5) adaptive immune responsiveness compared to uninfected controls ( = 3). Following the assessment of sheep selected for innate responses, 0, 136, and 167 genes were differentially expressed (DE) between high- and medium-responding animals, high-responding and uninfected control animals, and medium-responding and uninfected control animals, respectively (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05, and fold change |FC| > 2). When adaptive immune responses were assessed, 0, 53, and 57 genes were DE between antibody- and cell-biased animals, antibody-biased and uninfected control animals, and cell-biased and uninfected control animals, respectively (FDR < 0.05, |FC| > 2). Functional analyses identified enriched gene ontology (GO) terms and metabolic pathways related to the innate immune response and energy metabolism. Six functional candidate genes were identified for further functional and validation studies to better understand the underlying biological mechanisms of host responses to GINs. These, in turn, can potentially help improve decision making and management practices to increase the overall host immune response to GIN infection.
Topics: Animals; Sheep; Transcriptome; Liver; Nematode Infections; Sheep Diseases; Immunity, Innate; Nematoda; Adaptive Immunity; Gastrointestinal Diseases
PubMed: 38927648
DOI: 10.3390/genes15060713 -
Genes May 2024Malaria results in more than 550,000 deaths each year due to drug resistance in the most lethal () species . A full genome was published in 2002, yet 44.6% of its...
BACKGROUND
Malaria results in more than 550,000 deaths each year due to drug resistance in the most lethal () species . A full genome was published in 2002, yet 44.6% of its genes have unknown functions. Improving the functional annotation of genes is important for identifying drug targets and understanding the evolution of drug resistance.
RESULTS
Genes function by interacting with one another. So, analyzing gene co-expression networks can enhance functional annotations and prioritize genes for wet lab validation. Earlier efforts to build gene co-expression networks in have been limited to a single network inference method or gaining biological understanding for only a single gene and its interacting partners. Here, we explore multiple inference methods and aim to systematically predict functional annotations for all genes. We evaluate each inferred network based on how well it predicts existing gene-Gene Ontology (GO) term annotations using network clustering and leave-one-out crossvalidation. We assess overlaps of the different networks' edges (gene co-expression relationships), as well as predicted functional knowledge. The networks' edges are overall complementary: 47-85% of all edges are unique to each network. In terms of the accuracy of predicting gene functional annotations, all networks yielded relatively high precision (as high as 87% for the network inferred using mutual information), but the highest recall reached was below 15%. All networks having low recall means that none of them capture a large amount of all existing gene-GO term annotations. In fact, their annotation predictions are highly complementary, with the largest pairwise overlap of only 27%. We provide ranked lists of inferred gene-gene interactions and predicted gene-GO term annotations for future use and wet lab validation by the malaria community.
CONCLUSIONS
The different networks seem to capture different aspects of the biology in terms of both inferred interactions and predicted gene functional annotations. Thus, relying on a single network inference method should be avoided when possible.
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Attached.
Topics: Plasmodium falciparum; Gene Regulatory Networks; Malaria, Falciparum; Humans; Gene Ontology; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Protozoan Proteins
PubMed: 38927622
DOI: 10.3390/genes15060685 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The appropriate antibiotic treatment of patients with bacterial sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains a challenge. Considering that current international...
The appropriate antibiotic treatment of patients with bacterial sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains a challenge. Considering that current international guidelines recommend 7 days of antibiotic therapy as sufficient for most severe infections, our primary outcome was a comparison of clinical response to initial empirical therapy on day 7 and mortality between two groups of septic patients-with appropriate (AEAT) and inappropriate (IEAT) empirical antibiotic therapy according to the in vitro sensitivity of bacteria detected in a blood culture (BC). Adult patients admitted to the ICU between 2020 and 2023, who were diagnosed with sepsis according to the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score ≥ 2 in association with a suspected or documented infection, were selected for the study. Of the 418 patients, 149 (35.6%) died within 7 days. Although the AEAT group had a lower mortality rate (30.3% vs. 34.2%) and better clinical improvement (52.8% vs. 47.4%) on day 7 after starting empirical antibiotic therapy, there was no significant difference. A causative organism was isolated from BCs in 30% of septic patients, with gram-negative bacteria (GNB) predominating in 60% of cases, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria predominantly detected in the BCs of the IEAT group. Although the AEAT group had slightly worse clinical characteristics at the onset of sepsis than the IEAT group, the AEAT group showed faster improvement on days 7 and 14 of sepsis. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the AEAT group was associated with better clinical response at day 7 after sepsis onset and lower mortality, but without a significant difference. Comorbidities and the type of bacterial pathogen should also be taken into account as they can also contribute to the prediction of the final outcome. These results demonstrate the importance of daily assessment of clinical factors to more accurately predict the clinical outcome of a septic patient.
PubMed: 38927235
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060569 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health threat linked to increased morbidity and mortality. It has the potential to return us to the pre-antibiotic era....
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health threat linked to increased morbidity and mortality. It has the potential to return us to the pre-antibiotic era. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are recognized as a key intervention to improve antimicrobial use and combat AMR. However, implementation of AMS remains limited in Africa, particularly in Rwanda. This study aimed to assess prescription practices, identify areas for improvement, and promote adherence to AMS principles. Conducted at King Faisal Hospital in Rwanda, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with eight participants until saturation was reached. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed, revealing four emerging themes. The first theme was on AMS activities that were working well based on availability of microbiology laboratory results and prescription guidelines as factors influencing antibiotic prescription adjustments. The second theme was related to challenges during the implementation of the AMS program, including the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics, limited local data on AMR patterns, and stock-outs of essential antibiotics. The third theme was on the importance of adhering to AMR management guidelines at KFH. The last emerged on recommendations from participants centered on regular training for healthcare workers, widespread dissemination of AMR findings across departments, and the enforcement of antibiotic restriction policies. These actions can improve prescription behaviors, upholding the highest standards of patient care, and strengthening the nascent AMS program.
PubMed: 38927214
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060548 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants in isolates collected from broilers, laying hens and...
The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants in isolates collected from broilers, laying hens and poultry farm environments. One hundred and thirty-nine isolates were isolated from broilers (n = 41), laying hens (n = 53), eggs (n = 4) and the environment (n = 41) of 23 poultry farms located in northeastern of Tunisia. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on all isolates according to the recommendation of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing guidelines. The detection of PMQR genes: , , , , , , and (6) gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specific primers. (6')-Ib amplicons were further analyzed by digestion with to identify the (6')- variant. Mutations in GyrA and the occurrence of RE-CmeABC efflux pump were determined by mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA) PCR and PCR, respectively. In addition, eleven isolates were selected to determine their clonal lineage by MLST. The 139 isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 86 (61.8%) were resistant to nalidixic acid. High rates of resistance were also observed toward erythromycin (100%), azithromycin (96.4%), tetracycline (100%), chloramphenicol (98.56%), ampicillin (66.1%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (55.39%), and kanamycin (57.55%). However, moderate resistance rates were observed for gentamicin (9.35%) and streptomycin (22.3%). All quinolone-resistant isolates harbored the Thr-86-Ile amino acid substitution in GyrA, and the RE-CmeABC efflux pump was detected in 40.28% of isolates. Interestingly, the , , , and (6')-- were detected in 57.7%, 61.15%, 21.58%, and 10% of isolates, respectively. The eleven isolates studied by MLST belonged to a new sequence type ST13450. This study described for the first time the occurrence of PMQR genes in isolates in Tunisia and globally.
PubMed: 38927193
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060527 -
Biomolecules Jun 2024Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contain at least one oxygen atom and one or more unpaired electrons and include singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radical, hydroxyl radical,... (Review)
Review
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contain at least one oxygen atom and one or more unpaired electrons and include singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radical, hydroxyl radical, hydroperoxyl radical, and free nitrogen radicals. Intracellular ROS can be formed as a consequence of several factors, including ultra-violet (UV) radiation, electron leakage during aerobic respiration, inflammatory responses mediated by macrophages, and other external stimuli or stress. The enhanced production of ROS is termed oxidative stress and this leads to cellular damage, such as protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and base modifications. This damage may manifest in various pathological states, including ageing, cancer, neurological diseases, and metabolic disorders like diabetes. On the other hand, the optimum levels of ROS have been implicated in the regulation of many important physiological processes. For example, the ROS generated in the mitochondria (mitochondrial ROS or mt-ROS), as a byproduct of the electron transport chain (ETC), participate in a plethora of physiological functions, which include ageing, cell growth, cell proliferation, and immune response and regulation. In this current review, we will focus on the mechanisms by which mt-ROS regulate different pathways of host immune responses in the context of infection by bacteria, protozoan parasites, viruses, and fungi. We will also discuss how these pathogens, in turn, modulate mt-ROS to evade host immunity. We will conclude by briefly giving an overview of the potential therapeutic approaches involving mt-ROS in infectious diseases.
Topics: Reactive Oxygen Species; Humans; Mitochondria; Animals; Oxidative Stress; Infections; Immunity
PubMed: 38927073
DOI: 10.3390/biom14060670 -
BMC Zoology Jun 2024The Middle Eastern endemic genus Asaccus comprises Southwest Asian leaf-toed geckos. To date, this genus includes 19 species of leaf-toed geckos (seven in Arabia and 12...
The Middle Eastern endemic genus Asaccus comprises Southwest Asian leaf-toed geckos. To date, this genus includes 19 species of leaf-toed geckos (seven in Arabia and 12 in the Zagros Mountains). Despite a recent study on the taxonomy and phylogeny of Asaccus species in Iran, controversies still remain surrounding the phylogeny and phylogeography of the genus. Here, we used an integrative approach to determine the phylogeny and phylogeography of Asaccus species using two mitochondrial genes (12 S and Cyt b), and one nuclear gene (c-mos). Our results uncovered 22 distinct lineages, demonstrating a significant cryptic diversity that challenges the current morphological classifications of these species. Phylogenetic analyses reinforce the monophyly of the Asaccus group, positioning A. montanus as a basal lineage, which supports a deep evolutionary divergence dating back to the Late Oligocene, approximately 27.94 million years ago. This genetic diversity also highlights the impact of historical climatic and geographical changes on species diversification. The findings advocate for an integrative approach combining both molecular and morphological data to resolve species identities accurately, thereby enhancing conservation strategies to protect these genetically distinct lineages.
PubMed: 38926885
DOI: 10.1186/s40850-024-00203-1 -
BMC Plant Biology Jun 2024Grapevine (Vitis) is one of the world's most valuable fruit crops, but insect herbivory can decrease yields. Understanding insect herbivory resistance is critical to...
BACKGROUND
Grapevine (Vitis) is one of the world's most valuable fruit crops, but insect herbivory can decrease yields. Understanding insect herbivory resistance is critical to mitigating these losses. Vitis labrusca, a wild North American grapevine species, has been leveraged in breeding programs to generate hybrid grapevines with enhanced abiotic and biotic stress resistance, rendering it a valuable genetic resource for sustainable viticulture. This study assessed the resistance of V. labrusca acc. 'GREM4' and Vitis vinifera cv. 'PN40024' grapevines to Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle) herbivory and identified morphological and genetic adaptations underlying this putative resistance.
RESULTS
'GREM4' displayed greater resistance to beetle herbivory compared to 'PN40024' in both choice and no-choice herbivory assays spanning periods of 30 min to 19 h. 'GREM4' had significantly higher average leaf trichome densities than 'PN40024' and beetles preferred to feed on the side of leaves with fewer trichomes. When leaves from each species that specifically did not differ in trichome densities were fed on by beetles, significantly less leaf area was damaged in 'GREM4' (3.29mm) compared to 'PN40024' (9.80mm), suggesting additional factors beyond trichomes contributed to insect herbivory resistance in 'GREM4'. Comparative transcriptomic analyses revealed 'GREM4' exhibited greater constitutive (0 h) expression of defense response and secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes compared to 'PN40024', indicative of heightened constitutive defenses. Upon herbivory, 'GREM4' displayed a greater number of differentially expressed genes (690) compared to 'PN40024' (502), suggesting a broader response. Genes up-regulated in 'GREM4' were enriched in terpene biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, phytohormone signaling, and disease defense-related functions, likely contributing to heighted insect herbivory defense, while genes differentially expressed in 'PN40024' under herbivory were enriched in xyloglucan, cell wall formation, and calcium ion binding. The majority of genes implicated in insect herbivory defense were orthologs with specific expression patterns in 'GREM4' and 'PN40024', but some paralogous and genome-specific genes also likely contributed to conferring resistance.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that 'GREM4' insect herbivory resistance was attributed to a combination of factors, including trichomes and unique constitutive and inducible expression of genes implicated in terpene, flavonoid, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, as well as pathogen defense.
Topics: Animals; Vitis; Herbivory; Trichomes; Coleoptera; Plant Leaves; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Defense Against Herbivory
PubMed: 38926877
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05260-9