Lassa fever virus is a zoonotic pathogen that plagues the endemic areas of West Africa. Rhesus macaques infected with a related arenavirus, LCMV-WE, serve as a model for Lassa-infection of human beings. Using a dose similar to that expected from a needle-stick, monkeys experience an early pre-viremic phase (day 1-3), a viremic phase with febrile onset (day 4-7), and, like human beings who succumb, they die within two weeks. Our goal was to monitor changes in gene expression that parallel disease progression in an effort to 1) identify genes with altered expression after infection, 2) identify genes that could discriminate between a virulent and non-virulent infection, and 3) identify genes encoding products that could serve as treatment targets for FDA-approved pharmaceuticals. Genes related to all three of these categories have been identified and some have been given preliminary validation by quantitative PCR and proteomic studies. These genes will be valuable candidates for future validation as prognostic biomarkers
Early blood profiles of virus infection in a monkey model for Lassa fever.
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View SamplesLassa fever (LF) is a rodent-borne viral disease that can be fatal for human beings. In this study, an attenuated Lassa vaccine candidate, ML29, was tested in SIV-infected rhesus macaques for its ability to elicit immune responses without instigating signs of virulent disease. ML29 is a reassortant between Lassa and Mopeia viruses that causes a transient infection in non-human primates and confers sterilizing protection from lethal Lassa viral challenge. However, since the LF endemic area of West Africa also has high HIV seroprevalence, it is important to determine whether vaccination could be safe in the context of AIDS. SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques were vaccinated with the ML29 virus and monitored for classical and non-classical signs of arenavirus disease. Classical disease signs included viremia, rash, weight loss, high liver enzyme levels, and virus invasion of the central nervous system. Non-classical signs derived from profiling the blood transcriptome of virulent and non-virulent arenavirus infections included increased expression of interferon response genes and decreased expression of COX2, IL-1?, coagulation intermediates and nuclear receptors needed for stress signaling. Here it is demonstrated that SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques responded similarly to ML29 vaccination, and that none developed signs of arenavirus disease or persistence. Furthermore, 5 of 5 animals given a heterologous challenge with a lethal dose of LCMV-WE survived without developing disease signs.
An attenuated Lassa vaccine in SIV-infected rhesus macaques does not persist or cause arenavirus disease but does elicit Lassa virus-specific immunity.
Specimen part
View SamplesMale fertility and testis function changes with age and so it was sought to determine if these changes are accompanied by changes in gene expression.
Aging results in differential regulation of DNA repair pathways in pachytene spermatocytes in the Brown Norway rat.
Specimen part
View SamplesThe root apex is an important section of the plant root, involved in environmental sensing and cellular development. Analyzing the gene profile of root apex in diverse environments is important and challenging, especially when the samples are limiting and precious, such as in spaceflight. The feasibility of using tiny root sections for transcriptome analysis was examined in this study.To understand the gene expression profiles of the root apex, Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 roots were sectioned into Zone-I (0.5 mm, root cap and meristematic zone) and Zone-II (1.5 mm, transition, elongation and growth terminating zone). Gene expression was analyzed using microarray and RNA seq.Both the techniques, arrays and RNA-Seq identified 4180 common genes as differentially expressed (with > two-fold changes) between the zones. In addition, 771 unique genes and 19 novel TARs were identified by RNA-Seq as differentially expressed which were not detected in the arrays. Single root tip zones can be used for full transcriptome analysis; further, the root apex zones are functionally very distinct from each other. RNA-Seq provided novel information about the transcripts compared to the arrays. These data will help optimize transcriptome techniques for dealing with small, rare samples. Overall design: Arabidopsis thaliana var. Columbia (COL-0) seedlings were grown on sterile solid media plates containing 0.5 % phytagel. The plates were vertically placed in growth chambers with continuous light (80-100 µmol m -2) at a constant temperature of 19° C. Eight day old seedlings were harvested into RNA-later solution in a 50 mL centrifuge tubes and stored at -20 °C freezer. The root tips were dissected into zone-I: 0.5mm from the tip including the root cap and root division zones, and zone-II: 1.5mm sections including root elongation and root hair zone. Microarray and sequencing experiments were performed.
Comparing RNA-Seq and microarray gene expression data in two zones of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> root apex relevant to spaceflight.
Age, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesStressors may have negative or positive effects in dependence of the dose (hormesis). We studied this phenomenon in Caenorhabditis elegans by applying weak or severe abiotic (cadmium, CdCl2) and/or biotic stress (different bacterial diets) during cultivation/breeding of the worms, and determining developmental speed or survival rates and performing transcriptome profiling and RT-qPCR analyses to explore the genetic basis of the detected phenotypic differences. This study showed that a bacterial diet resulting in higher levels of energy resources in the worms (E. coli OP50 feeding) or weak abiotic and biotic stress especially promote the resistance against severe abiotic or biotic stress and the age-specific survival rate of WT. Overall design: Five experimental conditions; mostly three replicates per experimental condition; four contrasts between test and control conditions functionally analyzed.
Bacterial diet and weak cadmium stress affect the survivability of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> and its resistance to severe stress.
Cell line, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Comparing RNA-Seq and microarray gene expression data in two zones of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> root apex relevant to spaceflight.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesThe root apex is an important section of the plant root, involved in environmental sensing and cellular development. Analyzing the gene profile of root apex in diverse environments is important and challenging, especially when the samples are limiting and precious, such as in spaceflight. The feasibility of using tiny root sections for transcriptome analysis was examined in this study.To understand the gene expression profiles of the root apex, Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 roots were sectioned into Zone-I (0.5 mm, root cap and meristematic zone) and Zone-II (1.5 mm, transition, elongation and growth terminating zone). Gene expression was analyzed using microarray and RNA seq.Both the techniques, arrays and RNA-Seq identified 4180 common genes as differentially expressed (with > two-fold changes) between the zones. In addition, 771 unique genes and 19 novel TARs were identified by RNA-Seq as differentially expressed which were not detected in the arrays.
Comparing RNA-Seq and microarray gene expression data in two zones of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> root apex relevant to spaceflight.
Age, Specimen part
View SamplesSpc1/ Spc1K49R was overexpressed in wt S. pombe cells for 24 hours and gene expression changes were analysed
Genome wide transcription profiling of the effects of overexpression of Spc1 and its kinase dead mutant in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
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View SamplesThe assembly of neural circuits involves multiple sequential steps such as the specification of cell types, their migration to proper brain locations, morphological and physiological differentiation, and the formation and maturation of synaptic connections. This intricate and often prolonged process is guided by elaborate genetic mechanisms that regulate each developmental event. Evidence from numerous systems suggests that each cell type, once specified, is endowed with a genetic program that directs its subsequent development. This cell intrinsic program unfolds in respond to, and is regulated by, extrinsic signals, including cell-cell and synaptic interactions. To a large extent, the execution of this genetic program is achieved by the expression of specific sets of genes that support distinct developmental processes. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the developmental progression of gene expression in synaptic partners of neurons may provide a basis for exploring the genetic mechanisms regulating circuit assembly.
Developmental Coordination of Gene Expression between Synaptic Partners During GABAergic Circuit Assembly in Cerebellar Cortex.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesArabidopsis thaliana was evaluated for its response to the spaceflight environment in three replicated experiments on the International Space Station. Two approaches were used; GFP reporter genes were used to collect gene expression data in real time within unique GFP imaging hardware, and plants were harvested on orbit to RNAlater for subsequent analyses of gene expression with using Affymetrix and SAGE transcriptome analyses. Three tissue types were examined (leaves, hypocotyls and roots) and compared to analyses conducted with whole plants. Transcriptome analyses with whole plants suggested that the spaceflight environment had little impact on the transcriptome of arabidopsis, however, closer examination of selected tissues revealed that there are a number of tissue-specific responses that arabidopsis employs to respond to this novel environment
Organ-specific remodeling of the Arabidopsis transcriptome in response to spaceflight.
Age, Specimen part
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