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| 2. |
- Eriksson, Lorraine, 1990-
(författare)
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Exploring genomic and phenotypic differences in Neisseria meningitidis : understanding carriage and invasive disease
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Neisseria meningitidis can colonise the nasopharynx in humans and is also the cause of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), which often presents as septicaemia and meningitis with high mortality rates. Invasive disease is often associated with specific capsular serogroups and clonal complexes (CC). In Sweden, serogroups Y and W have had a high incidence in recent years, but were previously considered rare causes of IMD, suggesting a change in the virulence potential of these serogroups. Currently, no specific genes exist that can reliably predict whether an N. meningitidis isolate will result in invasive disease or remain in the carriage state. Genetically similar isolates can be found during carriage and IMD, and it is more common for the carriage isolates to lack a capsule. The aim of this thesis was to investigate how genetic and phenotypic differences in N. meningitidis, can affect the virulence and the transition from a carriage state to invasive disease.The results indicate that the increase of serogroup W in Sweden is due to a specific lineage of CC11. This CC is rarely found among carriers and is considered highly virulent. Infections in transgenic mice with serogroup W CC11 isolates showed a greater virulence compared to serogroup Y isolates from other CCs. Although both serogroups are common causes of IMD in Sweden, they differ in virulence in transgenic mice. A genome-wide association study comparing carriage and invasive isolates, revealed that there were genetic variants in genes associated with virulence between these isolates. Among these variants were pilE/pilS, which are involved in the type IV pili. Comparison of pilE gene expression between carriage and invasive isolates showed no significant difference between these isolates. However, a difference in the class of the PilE protein was found between invasive and carriage isolates. Further research is needed to understand the impact of these genetic variations on the transition from carriage to invasive disease, also considering how factors in the human host and the environment that may contribute to the development of invasive disease.
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| 3. |
- Flannick, Jason, et al.
(författare)
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Data Descriptor : Sequence data and association statistics from 12,940 type 2 diabetes cases and controls
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Data. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2052-4463. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) to high resolution, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia catalogued variation from whole-genome sequencing of 2,657 European individuals and exome sequencing of 12,940 individuals of multiple ancestries. Over 27M SNPs, indels, and structural variants were identified, including 99% of low-frequency (minor allele frequency [MAF] 0.1-5%) non-coding variants in the whole-genome sequenced individuals and 99.7% of low-frequency coding variants in the whole-exome sequenced individuals. Each variant was tested for association with T2D in the sequenced individuals, and, to increase power, most were tested in larger numbers of individuals (> 80% of low-frequency coding variants in similar to ~82 K Europeans via the exome chip, and similar to ~90% of low-frequency non-coding variants in similar to ~44 K Europeans via genotype imputation). The variants, genotypes, and association statistics from these analyses provide the largest reference to date of human genetic information relevant to T2D, for use in activities such as T2D-focused genotype imputation, functional characterization of variants or genes, and other novel analyses to detect associations between sequence variation and T2D.
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| 4. |
- Fuchsberger, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 536:7614, s. 41-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of the heritability of this disease. Here, to test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole-genome sequencing in 2,657 European individuals with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in 12,940 individuals from five ancestry groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded the sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support the idea that lower-frequency variants have a major role in predisposition to type 2 diabetes.
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| 5. |
- Gaudenzi, Giulia, et al.
(författare)
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Point-of-Care Approaches for Meningitis Diagnosis in a Low-Resource Setting (Southwestern Uganda) : Observational Cohort Study Protocol of the "PI-POC" Trial
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 1438-8871. ; 22:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A timely differential diagnostic is essential to identify the etiology of central nervous system (CNS) infections in children, in order to facilitate targeted treatment, manage patients, and improve clinical outcome. Objective: The Pediatric Infection-Point-of-Care (PI-POC) trial is investigating novel methods to improve and strengthen the differential diagnostics of suspected childhood CNS infections in low-income health systems such as those in Southwestern Uganda. This will be achieved by evaluating (1) a novel DNA-based diagnostic assay for CNS infections, (2) a commercially available multiplex PCR-based meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panel for clinical use in a facility-limited laboratory setting, (3) proteomics profiling of blood from children with severe CNS infection as compared to outpatient controls with fever yet not severely ill, and (4) Myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) as a biomarker in blood for viral CNS infection. Further changes in the etiology of childhood CNS infections after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae will be investigated. In addition, the carriage and invasive rate of Neisseria meningitidis will be recorded and serotyped, and the expression of its major virulence factor (polysaccharide capsule) will be investigated. Methods: The PI-POC trial is a prospective observational study of children including newborns up to 12 years of age with clinical features of CNS infection, and age-/sex-matched outpatient controls with fever yet not severely ill. Participants are recruited at 2 Pediatric clinics in Mbarara, Uganda. Cerebrospinal fluid (for cases only), blood, and nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs (for both cases and controls) sampled at both clinics are analyzed at the Epicentre Research Laboratory through gold-standard methods for CNS infection diagnosis (microscopy, biochemistry, and culture) and a commercially available ME panel for multiplex PCR analyses of the cerebrospinal fluid. An additional blood sample from cases is collected on day 3 after admission. After initial clinical analyses in Mbarara, samples will be transported to Stockholm, Sweden for (1) validation analyses of a novel nucleic acid-based POC test, (2) biomarker research, and (3) serotyping and molecular characterization of S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis. Results: A pilot study was performed from January to April 2019. The PI-POC trial enrollment of patients begun in April 2019 and will continue until September 2020, to include up to 300 cases and controls. Preliminary results from the PI-POC study are expected by the end of 2020. Conclusions: The findings from the PI-POC study can potentially facilitate rapid etiological diagnosis of CNS infections in low-resource settings and allow for novel methods for determination of the severity of CNS infection in such environment.
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| 6. |
- Gripenland, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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RNAs : regulators of bacterial virulence
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature Reviews Microbiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1740-1526 .- 1740-1534. ; 8:12, s. 857-866
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RNA-based pathways that regulate protein expression are much more widespread than previously thought. Regulatory RNAs, including 5' and 3' untranslated regions next to the coding sequence, cis-acting antisense RNAs and trans-acting small non-coding RNAs, are effective regulatory molecules that can influence protein expression and function in response to external cues such as temperature, pH and levels of metabolites. This Review discusses the mechanisms by which these regulatory RNAs, together with accessory proteins such as RNases, control the fate of mRNAs and proteins and how this regulation influences virulence in pathogenic bacteria.
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| 7. |
- Jöchl, Christoph, et al.
(författare)
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Development-dependent scavenging of nucleic acids in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
- 2009
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Ingår i: RNA biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1555-8584 .- 1547-6286. ; 6:2, s. 179-186
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aspergillus fumigatus is an ubiquitous, filamentous and opportunistic pathogenic fungus which causes fatal invasive aspergillosis among immuno-compromised patients. Since therapeutic strategies are currently limited, the mortality rate of invasive aspergillosis is high and thus, alternative antifungal strategies are required. In this study, we demonstrate that during vegetative growth Aspergillus fumigatus is able to scavenge nucleic acids within its cell wall with accumulation rates of several thousand-fold, compared to the surrounding medium. To investigate, whether nucleic acids, attached to the fungal cell wall, are able to move further into the cytoplasm of fungal cells, we directly applied siRNAs, in the absence of lipo-transfection reagents, to growing A. fumigatus cells. In fact, addition of two 21-nt siRNA duplexes resulted in knock-down of their corresponding target mRNAs, odcA and pyrG, respectively. These findings indicate that RNA interference, mediated by siRNAs, can be used as a fast and efficient tool to investigate the functions of genes within filamentous fungi. In addition, siRNA-based therapies may provide novel approaches for antifungal treatment.
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| 8. |
- Karlsson, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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Novel hypercapsulation RNA thermosensor variants in Neisseria meningitidis and their association with invasive meningococcal disease : a genetic and phenotypic investigation and molecular epidemiological study
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Lancet Microbe. - : Elsevier. - 2666-5247. ; 1:8, s. E319-E327
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of invasive meningococcal disease and the polysaccharide capsule is one of its major virulence factors. Biosynthesis of the meningococcal capsule is controlled by an RNA thermosensor (RNAT) in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the cssA gene. The function of the RNAT depends on an 8-bp tandem repeat configuration. We aimed to identify and characterise novel RNATs in meningococcal isolates responsible for regulating capsule production.Methods: We investigated the allele igr_up_NEIS0055, containing the 5'-UTR of the cssA gene, in clinical meningococcal isolates for which whole-genome sequences are available on the Neisseria PubMLST database and that were isolated in Europe between Jan 1, 2010, and Dec 31, 2018. Eight isolates with different RNAT tandem repeat configurations were selected for genetic and phenotypic studies. The thermosensing capability of the RNAT and capsule production was tested with immunoblots. Bacterial survival by capsule protection was assessed with a human serum stress assay and capsule interference with bacterial cell adhesion was evaluated with a bacterial adhesion assay. The dataset of RNAT configurations was analysed for an association with invasive meningococcal disease, and was stratified to visualise the distribution of RNAT configurations within the meningococcal population.Findings: Our search of PubMLST identified 112 alleles for the igr_up_NEIS0055 locus and 7013 N meningitidis isolates. Five novel RNAT tandem repeat configurations were identified and eight RNAT tandem repeat configurations, ranging from 1 x 8-bp up to 8 x 8-bp, were characterised. The disrupted RNATs (1 x 8-bp and 3 x 8-bp to 8 x 8-bp) confer upregulated CssA expression and increased capsule production compared with the native 2 x 8-bp configuration, resulting in a hypercapsulation phenotype. Increased capsule production was associated with higher survival rates in up to 25% human serum. The prevalence of a disrupted RNAT resulting in hypercapsulation was almost twice as high in invasive meningococcal disease isolates compared with carrier isolates. Disrupted RNATs were especially attributed to isolates of capsule group B and C, and clonal complexes 23, 32, 213, and 269. Hypercapsulation in one isolate led to lower adhesion onto pharyngeal cells compared with a similar isolate with low capsule production.Interpretation: Six non-canonical RNAT tandem repeat variants (3 x 8-bp to 8 x 8-bp) were identified in the igr_up_NEIS0055 locus of N meningitidis that induce a hypercapsulation phenotype, thus providing the meningococci with better protection against host complement-mediated killing than does the native RNAT (2 x 8-bp). Further research is warranted to strengthen the association between hypercapsulation and the progression of invasive meningococcal disease, and to investigate the role of regulatory RNAs in meningococcal virulence and as potential markers for disease progression.
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| 9. |
- Loh, Edmund, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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A trans-acting riboswitch controls expression of the virulence regulator PrfA in Listeria monocytogenes
- 2009
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Ingår i: Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 0092-8674 .- 1097-4172. ; 139:4, s. 770-779
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Riboswitches are RNA elements acting in cis, controlling expression of their downstream genes through a metabolite-induced alteration of their secondary structure. Here, we demonstrate that two S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) riboswitches, SreA and SreB, can also function in trans and act as noncoding RNAs in Listeria monocytogenes. SreA and SreB control expression of the virulence regulator PrfA by binding to the 5´-untranslated region of its mRNA. Absence of the SAM riboswitches SreA and SreB increases the level of PrfA and virulence gene expression in L. monocytogenes. Thus, the impact of the SAM riboswitches on PrfA expression highlights a link between bacterial virulence and nutrient availability. Together, our results uncover an unexpected role for riboswitches and a distinct class of regulatory noncoding RNAs in bacteria.
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| 10. |
- Loh, Edmund, et al.
(författare)
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An unstructured 5'-coding region of the prfA mRNA is required for efficient translation
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nucleic Acids Research. - Oxford, England : Oxford University Press. - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 40:4, s. 1818-1827
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Expression of virulence factors in the human bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is almost exclusively regulated by the transcriptional activator PrfA. The translation of prfA is controlled by a thermosensor located in the 5'-untranslated RNA (UTR), and is high at 37 degrees C and low at temperatures < 30 degrees C. In order to develop a thermoregulated translational expression system, the 5'-UTR and different lengths of the prfA-coding sequences were placed in front of lacZ. When expressed in Escherichia coli, the beta-galactosidase expression was directly correlated to the length of the prfA-coding mRNA lying in front of lacZ. A similar effect was detected with gfp as a reporter gene in both L. monocytogenes and E. coli, emphasizing the requirement of the prfA-coding RNA for maximal expression. In vitro transcription/translation and mutational analysis suggests a role for the first 20 codons of the native prfA-mRNA for maximal expression. By toe-print and RNA-probing analysis, a flexible hairpin-loop located immediately downstream of the start-codon was shown to be important for ribosomal binding. The present work determines the importance of an unstructured part of the 5'-coding region of the prfA-mRNA for efficient translation.
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