Control and prevention of infectious diseases from a One Health perspective
Abstract The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of the global community and rekindled the debate about our ability to prevent and manage outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Many alternatives are suggested to address these urgent issues. Some of them are quite interesting, but with little practical application in the short or medium term. To realistically control infectious diseases, human, animal, and environmental factors need to be considered together, based on the One Health perspective. In this article, we highlight the most effective initiatives for the control and prevention of infectious diseases: v...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - January 30, 2021 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Science based public policies: Lessons from Covid19 on the use of randomized trials
Abstract The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic gave rise to a spirit of methodological anarchy in some fronts of biomedical research, embraced by some under the excuses of urgency and time restraints. This movement, however, comes at the same time when social sciences begin to recognize the value and soundness of the clinical research rationale - the need for randomization, of fair comparisons between intervention groups, the humility of acknowledging ignorance and accepting uncertainty, these last two imperatives usually subsumed under the principle of “ equipoise ” . (Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology)
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - January 20, 2021 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Molecular mechanisms and pharmacological interventions in the replication cycle of human coronaviruses
Abstract SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), as well as SARS-CoV from 2003 along with MERS-CoV from 2012, is a member of the Betacoronavirus genus of the Nidovirales order and is currently the cause of the pandemic called COVID-19 (or Coronavirus disease 2019). COVID-19, which is characterized by cough, fever, fatigue, and severe cases of pneumonia, has affected more than 23 million people worldwide until August 25th, 2020. Here, we present a review of the cellular mechanisms associated with human coronavirus replication, including the unique molecular events related to the replication transcripti...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 23, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Host-shift as the cause of emerging infectious diseases: Experimental approaches using Drosophila-virus interactions
Abstract Host shifts, when a cross-species transmission of a pathogen can lead to successful infections, are the main cause of emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. A complex challenge faced by the scientific community is to address the factors that determine whether the cross-species transmissions will result in spillover or sustained onwards infections. Here we review recent literature and present a perspective on current approaches we are using to understand the mechanisms underlying host shifts. We highlight the usefulness of the interactions between Drosophila species and viruses as an ideal study model. Add...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 23, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Human induced pluripotent stem cells as a tool for disease modeling and drug screening for COVID-19
Abstract The emergence of the new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic requires fast development of novel prevention and therapeutic strategies. These rely on understanding the biology of the virus and its interaction with the host, and on agnostic phenotypic screening for compounds that prevent viral infection. In vitro screenings of compounds are usually performed in human or animal-derived tumor or immortalized cell lines due to their ease of culturing. However, these platforms may not represent the tissues affected by the disease in vivo, and therefore better models are needed to validate and e...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 16, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
The impact of post-alignment processing procedures on whole-exome sequencing data
Abstract The use of post-alignment procedures has been suggested to prevent the identification of false-positives in massive DNA sequencing data. Insertions and deletions are most likely to be misinterpreted by variant calling algorithms. Using known genetic variants as references for post-processing pipelines can minimize mismatches. They allow reads to be correctly realigned and recalibrated, resulting in more parsimonious variant calling. In this work, we aim to investigate the impact of using different sets of common variants as references to facilitate variant calling from whole-exome sequencing data. We selected refe...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Differential expression of antioxidant system genes in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) caste development mitigates ROS-mediated oxidative damage in queen larvae
Abstract The expression of morphological differences between the castes of social bees is triggered by dietary regimes that differentially activate nutrient-sensing pathways and the endocrine system, resulting in differential gene expression during larval development. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, mitochondrial activity in the larval fat body has been postulated as a link that integrates nutrient-sensing via hypoxia signaling. To understand regulatory mechanisms in this link, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, oxidative damage to proteins, the cellular redox environment, and the expression of genes encod...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Extensive genomic reshuffling involved in the karyotype evolution of genus Cerradomys (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae: Oryzomyini)
Abstract Rodents of the genus Cerradomys belong to the tribe Oryzomyini and present high chromosome variability with diploid numbers ranging from 2n=46 to 60. Classical cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with telomeric and whole chromosome-specific probes of another Oryzomyini, Oligoryzomys moojeni (OMO), were used to assess the karyotype evolution of the genus. Results were integrated into a molecular phylogeny to infer the hypothetical direction of chromosome changes. The telomeric FISH showed signals in telomeres in species that diverged early in the phylogeny, plus interstitial telomeric signals...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Differential admixture in Latin American populations and its impact on the study of colorectal cancer
This study strongly suggests the necessity of developing statistical methods to deal with di- or tri-hybrid populations, as well as to carefully analyze the different historic and demographic scenarios, and the different characteristics of particular chromosomal regions and evolutionary forces. (Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology)
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
A novel TBX5 mutation predisposes to familial cardiac septal defects and atrial fibrillation as well as bicuspid aortic valve
Abstract TBX5 has been linked to Holt-Oram syndrome, with congenital heart defect (CHD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) being two major cardiac phenotypes. However, the prevalence of a TBX5 variation in patients with CHD and AF remains obscure. In this research, by sequencing analysis of TBX5 in 178 index patients with both CHD and AF, a novel heterozygous variation, NM_000192.3: c.577G>T; p.(Gly193*), was identified in one index patient with CHD and AF as well as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), with an allele frequency of approximately 0.28%. Genetic analysis of the proband ’ s pedigree showed that the variation co-segrega...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Copy number variation (CNV) identification, interpretation, and database from Brazilian patients
This study shows the relevance of introducing CNV data from diverse cohorts to improve on the interpretation of clinical impact of genomic variations. (Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology)
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 13, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Genome size and identification of repetitive DNA sequences using low coverage sequencing in Hancornia speciosa Gomes (Apocynaceae: Gentianales)
Abstract Repetitive DNA is an important component of eukaryotic genomes, accounting for more than 90% of the genome size of some species, including mobile elements and satellite DNA sequences. The aim of study was to characterize the genome of Hancornia speciosa Gomes using C-value genome size estimate and repetitive DNA sequences analysis. The genome size estimate was obtained by flow cytometry and the repetitive DNA sequences were accessed using graph-based clustering. Evolutionary relationships among species of Apocynaceae was obtained using reads of Catharanthus roseus L., Rhayza stricta Decne, and Asclepias syriaca L....
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 10, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Genomic sequencing of two isolates of Ralstonia solanacearum causing Sergipe facies and comparative analysis with Bugtok disease isolates
This study was conducted to sequence, assemble, and annotate the genomes of the Sergipe facies-causing isolates SFC and IBSBF2570 (sequevar IIA-53) and compare their genomes with two representative isolates causing Bugtok disease. The genomes were sequenced and assembled, resulting in lengths of 5.58 Mb (SFC) and 5.46 Mb (IBSBF2570) in 185 and 174 contigs, respectively. The isolates of Sergipe facies and Bugtok disease showed similarities in their gene contents. We identified 5,668 information clusters, 3,752 of which were shared by all genomes (core genes). Moreover, 3,585 single-copy genes were identified. Isolates causi...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 6, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Brazilian Kayabi Indian accessions of peanut, Arachis hypogaea (Fabales, Fabaceae): origin, diversity and evolution
Abstract Peanut is a crop of the Kayabi tribe, inhabiting the Xingu Indigenous Park, Brazil. Morphological analysis of Xingu accessions showed variation exceeding that described for cultivated peanuts. This raised questions as to the origin of the Xingu accessions: are they derived from different species, or is their diversity a result of different evolutionary and selection processes? To answer these questions, cytogenetic and genotyping analyses were conducted. The karyotypes of Xingu accessions analyzed are very similar to each other, to an A. hypogaea subsp. fastigiata accession and to the wild allotetraploid A. montic...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 6, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
Transcriptional profile of genes involved in the production of terpenes and glyceollins in response to biotic stresses in soybean
Abstract Terpenes produced by plants comprise a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Terpene VOC production may be altered after damage or by biological stimuli such as bacterial, fungal and insects, and subsequent triggering of plant defense responses. These VOCs originate in plants from two independent pathways: the mevalonate and the methylerythritol phosphate pathways, which utilize dimethylallyl and isopentenyl diphosphates to form the terpenoidal precursors. Phakopsora pachyrhizi fungi causes Asian soybean rust, limiting soybean production and resulting in losses of up ...
Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology - November 6, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research
