Search results for " RNA"

Bioconjugation of Small Molecules to RNA Impedes Its Recognition by Toll-Like Receptor 7

2017

A fundamental mechanism of the innate immune system is the recognition, via extra- and intracellular pattern recognition receptors, of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. A prominent example is represented by foreign nucleic acids, triggering the activation of several signaling pathways. Among these, the endosomal toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is known to be activated by single stranded RNA (ssRNA), which can be specifically influenced through elements of sequence structure and posttranscriptional modifications. Furthermore, small molecules TLR7 agonists (smTLRa) are applied as boosting adjuvants in vaccination processes. In this context, covalent conjugations between adjuvant and vaccine…

A first-in-human phase I/II clinical trial assessing novel mRNA-lipoplex nanoparticles encoding shared tumor antigens for potent melanoma immunothera…

2017

Identification of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-associated DNA methylation patterns.

2018

BackgroundMyalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex condition involving multiple organ systems and characterized by persistent/relapsing debilitating fatigue, immune dysfunction, neurological problems, and other symptoms not curable for at least 6 months. Disruption of DNA methylation patterns has been tied to various immune and neurological diseases; however, its status in ME/CFS remains uncertain. Our study aimed at identifying changes in the DNA methylation patterns that associate with ME/CFS.MethodsWe extracted genomic DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 13 ME/CFS study subjects and 12 healthy controls and measured global DNA methylation by EL…

miR-1207-5p Can Contribute to Dysregulation of Inflammatory Response in COVID-19 via Targeting SARS-CoV-2 RNA

2020

The present study focuses on the role of human miRNAs in SARS-CoV-2 infection. An extensive analysis of human miRNA binding sites on the viral genome led to the identification of miR-1207-5p as potential regulator of the viral Spike protein. It is known that exogenous RNA can compete for miRNA targets of endogenous mRNAs leading to their overexpression. Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 virus can act as an exogenous competing RNA, facilitating the over-expression of its endogenous targets. Transcriptomic analysis of human alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells confirmed that the CSF1 gene, a known target of miR-1207-5p, is over-expressed following SARS-CoV-2 infection. CSF1 enhances macr…

Sample Preservation, DNA or RNA Extraction and Data Analysis for High-Throughput Phytoplankton Community Sequencing

2017

Phytoplankton is the basis for aquatic food webs and mirrors the water quality. Conventionally, phytoplankton analysis has been done using time consuming and partly subjective microscopic observations, but next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provide promising potential for rapid automated examination of environmental samples. Because many phytoplankton species have tough cell walls, methods for cell lysis and DNA or RNA isolation need to be efficient to allow unbiased nucleic acid retrieval. Here, we analyzed how two phytoplankton preservation methods, three commercial DNA extraction kits and their improvements, three RNA extraction methods, and two data analysis procedures affect…

How can the gut microbiota affect immune recovery in HIV-infected individuals?

2017

Epidemiological Surveillance of Norovirus and Rotavirus in Sewage (2016–2017) in Valencia (Spain)

2020

© 2020 by the authors.

Invasive Species as Hosts of Zoonotic Infections: The Case of American Mink (Neovison vison) and Leishmania infantum

2021

Leishmania infantum produces an endemic disease in the Mediterranean Basin that affects humans and domestic and wild mammals, which can act as reservoir or minor host. In this study, we analyzed the presence of the parasite in wild American minks, an invasive species in Spain. We screened for L. infantum DNA by PCR using five primer pairs: Two targeting kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), and the rest targeting the ITS1 region, the small subunit of ribosomal RNA (SSU) and a repetitive sequence (Repeat region). The detection limit was determined for each method using a strain of L. infantum and a bone marrow sample from an infected dog. PCR approaches employing the Repeat region and kDNA (RV1/RV2 primer…

Analysis of GII.P7 and GII.6 noroviruses circulating in Italy during 2011-2016 reveals a replacement of lineages and complex recombination history.

2019

Noroviruses are important human enteric pathogens and monitoring their genetic diversity is important for epidemiological surveillance, vaccine development, and understanding of RNA viruses evolution. Epidemiological investigations have revealed that genogroup II, genotype 6 noroviruses (GII.6) are common agents of gastroenteritis. Upon sequencing of the ORF2 (encoding the viral capsid), GII.6 viruses have been distinguished into three variants. Sentinel hospital-based surveillance in Italy revealed that GII.6 noroviruses were the second most common capsid genotype in 2015, mostly in association with a GII.P7 ORF1 (encoding the viral polymerase). Upon molecular characterization of the ORF1 …

Comparative Genomics of Thalassobius Including the Description of Thalassobius activus sp. nov., and Thalassobius autumnalis sp. nov.

2018

A taxogenomic study was conducted to describe two new Thalassobius species and to analyze the internal consistency of the genus Thalassobius along with Shimia and Thalassococcus. Strains CECT 5113T, CECT 5114, CECT 5118T, and CECT 5120 were isolated from coastal Mediterranean seawater, Spain. Cells were Gram-negative, non- motile coccobacilli, aerobic chemoorganotrophs, with an optimum temperature of 26°C and salinity of 3.5–5%. Major cellular fatty acids of strains CECT 5113T and CECT 5114 were C18 : 1 ω7c/ω6c and C10 : 0 3OH, G+C content was 54.4–54.5 mol% and were able to utilize propionate, L-threonine, L- arginine, and L-aspartate as carbon sources. They exhibited 98.3% 16S rRNA gene s…