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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Clinical and genomic characterization of Influenza A co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza B: a respiratory surveillance study in Assam, India.

Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are the primary contributors to seasonal respiratory infections and frequently co-circulate, creating significant health challenges. The present respiratory surveillance study was conducted in Dibrugarh, Assam, India from January 2025 to August 2025 to investigate the genomic characteristics of circulating viruses and identify potential co-infections. Overall, 4,948 respiratory samples were screened using multiplex real-time PCR, followed by subtyping of Influenza A and Influenza B. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed in selected positives of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A. Genomic analysis included mutational profiling, phylogenetic analysis and N-glycosylation site prediction using bioinformatics tools. Two co-infection cases were detected: one involving Influenza A (H3N2) with SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron XFG lineage) and another involving Influenza A (H3N2) with Influenza B (Victoria lineage). Both patients experienced mild illness without hospitalisation. NGS revealed that the Influenza A (H3N2) viruses belonged to clade 3C.2a1b.2a.2a.3a.1 while SARS-CoV-2 sequence was classified under the Omicron XFG lineage. Mutational analysis of the HA gene showed several amino acid differences compared to the reference vaccine strain A/Darwin/6/2021. N-glycosylation analysis predicted conserved sites at positions 79, 181, 262, and 301 in all strains along with an additional predicted site at position 110 in both co-infection cases. Although the co-infection cases presented with mild clinical manifestations, the observed genomic variations indicate a potential role of co-infecting viruses in shaping viral evolution. Given the limited genomic data available from Northeast India, the study underscores the need for sustained large scale follow up and genomic surveillance to monitor emerging mutations and target future vaccine strategies.

Humans↗

From ORFeome to biology: a functional genomics pipeline.

As several model genomes have been sequenced, the elucidation of protein function is the next challenge toward the understanding of biological processes in health and disease. We have generated a human ORFeome resource and established a functional genomics and proteomics analysis pipeline to address the major topics in the post-genome-sequencing era: the identification of human genes and splice forms, and the determination of protein localization, activity, and interaction. Combined with the understanding of when and where gene products are expressed in normal and diseased conditions, we create information that is essential for understanding the interplay of genes and proteins in the complex biological network. We have implemented bioinformatics tools and databases that are suitable to store, analyze, and integrate the different types of data from high-throughput experiments and to include further annotation that is based on external information. All information is presented in a Web database (http://www.dkfz.de/LIFEdb). It is exploited for the identification of disease-relevant genes and proteins for diagnosis and therapy.

Animals↗

Biomedical informatics methods in pharmacogenomics.

Pharmacogenomics is the study of the genetic basis of individual variation in response to therapeutic agents. Pharmacogenomics may potentially affect on every step of health care and every drug treatment protocol. The optimal approach to pharmacogenomics in hypertension requires the integration of different disciplines, in which biomedical informatics plays an essential role. This chapter describes biomedical informatics methods used in dealing with key issues in pharmacogenomics. These key issues include the association between structure and function, the interaction between gene and drug, and the correlation between genotype and phenotype. Heterogeneous resources, including web sites, databases, and software analysis tools, are selected, organized, and integrated in practical methods to support these studies. Bioinformatics methods described in this chapter include genetic sequence searching, comparison, structural modeling, functional analysis, and systems biology studies, with emphasis on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Medical informatics methods such as disease and drug information and clinical terminology are also embraced in this chapter. This combination of both biological and medical informatics provides comprehensive methodologies to resolve complex problems in pharmacogenomics.

Computational Biology↗

Identification of an essential glycoprotease in Staphylococcus aureus.

The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens is generating enormous public health concern, and highlights an urgent need for new, alternative agents for treating multi-drug-resistant pathogens. The gene products essential for bacterial growth in vitro and survival during infection constitute an initial set of protein targets for the development of antibacterial agents. In this study, we employed regulated gene expression approaches and demonstrated that a putative glycoprotease (Gcp) is required for staphylococcal growth in the culture. We found that Staphylococcus aureus becomes more sensitive to the Zn(2+) ion under the downregulation of Gcp expression in vitro. Bioinformatic analyses demonstrated that Gcp is conserved in many Gram-positive pathogens and exists in a variety of Gram-negative pathogens. Our results indicate that Gcp is a potential novel target for the development of antimicrobials against S. aureus infection.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Candidate genes for nicotine dependence via linkage, epistasis, and bioinformatics.

Many smoking-related phenotypes are substantially heritable. One genome scan of nicotine dependence (ND) has been published and several others are in progress and should be completed in the next 5 years. The goal of this hypothesis-generating study was two-fold. First, we present further analyses of our genome scan data for ND published by Straub et al. [1999: Mol Psychiatry 4:129-144] (PMID: 10208445). Second, we used the method described by Cox et al. [1999: Nat Genet 21:213-215] (PMID: 9988276) to search for epistatic loci across the markers used in the genome scan. The overall results of the genome scan nearly reached the rigorous Lander and Kruglyak [1995: Nat Genet 11:241-247] criteria for "significant" linkage with the best findings on chromosomes 10 and 2. We then looked for correspondence between genes located in the 10 regions implicated in affected sibling pair (ASP) and epistatic linkage analyses with a list of genes suggested by microarray studies of experimental nicotine exposure and candidate genes from the literature. We found correspondence between linkage and microarray/candidate gene studies for genes involved with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling system, nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB) complex, neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurotransmission, a nicotinic receptor subunit (CHRNA2), the vesicular monoamine transporter (SLC18A2), genes in pathways implicated in human anxiety (HTR7, TDO2, and the endozepine-related protein precursor, DKFZP434A2417), and the micro 1-opioid receptor (OPRM1). Although the hypotheses resulting from these linkage and bioinformatic analyses are plausible and intriguing, their ultimate worth depends on replication in additional linkage samples and in future experimental studies.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Mechanism-based screening: discovery of the next generation of anthelmintics depends upon more basic research.

The therapeutic arsenal for the control of helminth infections contains only a few chemical classes. The development and spread of resistance has eroded the utility of most currently available anthelmintics, at least for some indications, and is a constant threat to further reduce the options for treatment. Discovery and development of novel anthelmintic templates is strategically necessary to preserve the economic and health advantages now gained through chemotherapy. As the costs of development escalate, the question of how best to discover new drugs becomes paramount. Although random screening in infected animals led to the discovery of all currently available anthelmintics, cost constraints and a perception of diminishing returns require new approaches. Taking a cue from drug discovery programmes for human illnesses, we suggest that mechanism-based screening will provide the next generation of anthelmintic molecules. Critical to success in this venture will be the exploitation of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome through bioinformatics and genetic technologies. The greatest obstacle to success in this endeavour is the paucity of information available about the molecular physiology of helminths, making the choice of a discovery target a risky proposition.

Animals↗

VisPan: real-time visualisation of multiplex amplicon-based sequencing panels for rapid syndromic surveillance and pathogen detection.

MOTIVATION: Infectious diseases persist as a major global public health challenge. Diverse factors, including climate change, globalization, deforestation, human-animal interactions, lifestyle choices, and various biological factors, can contribute to their emergence and reemergence. Rapid detection and characterization of (re)emerging pathogens are therefore critical for effective outbreak management and for enhancing our understanding of epidemics by monitoring the transmission, spread, evolution, and genomics of pathogens. In this context, next-generation sequencing technologies (NGS), particularly long-read platforms such as Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), have opened new avenues for real-time pathogen monitoring. However, the bioinformatics bottleneck remains a challenge, emphasizing the need for efficient, accessible, and user-friendly analysis tools. RESULTS: Here, we present a tool adapted from the RAMPART software that enables real-time data visualisation of multiplex PCR syndromic panels combined with Oxford Nanopore sequencing. This real-time analysis enables rapid pathogen detection, from raw data acquisition to taxonomic assignment, within minutes. The interface offers dynamic visual tracking of the sequencing run and amplicon coverage, facilitating immediate insights during diagnostic workflows. Validation experiments confirmed the system's reliability, accurately identifying all pathogens present in complex clinical or environmental samples. This tool provides an integrated, user-friendly solution for genomic pathogen surveillance in field or clinical settings.

Software↗

Sequence analysis and bioinformatics analysis of chromosome 17q25 in familial moyamoya disease.

OBJECTS: The pathogenesis of moyamoya disease is still unknown. The present study aimed to find out the responsible genes that are located in the 17q25 locus. METHODS: Considering the function, we selected nine genes as candidates from a total of 65 genes identified in the 9-cM region of D17S785-D17S836 in chromosome 17q25, and performed sequence analysis on the DNA samples obtained from a pedigree of familial moyamoya disease, which showed a complete linkage to the region by a haplotype analysis. Also, we attempted to identify candidate genes that have not been known but might be functionally relevant to the disease among a total of 2,100 expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences using bioinformatics techniques. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The sequence analysis could detect no mutation in the nine genes. Nor could we identify a novel candidate gene by the EST analysis. Further studies using alternative approaches are warranted to clarify the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17↗

Complete Genome Sequencing of Occult Hepatitis B Virus in Hemodialysis Patients Reveals Subgenotype D2 and Immune Escape Mutations in Bangladesh.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major global health concern, and occult HBV infection (OBI) presents significant diagnostic and clinical challenges, particularly among hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study is aimed at characterizing complete HBV genomes from maintenance HD patients with OBI in Bangladesh to elucidate genetic features, mutational patterns, and clinical implications. Serum samples from two HBsAg-negative HD patients were screened by ELISA and quantitative PCR. Viral DNA was amplified by PCR across four overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) and sequenced on the Illumina platform. Genome assembly, phylogenetic analysis, and mutational profiling were performed using reference datasets and bioinformatics tools. Antigenicity and hydrophilicity of HBsAg were predicted in silico. Both patients were anti-HBc and anti-HBs positive with high HBV DNA loads (2.29 × 1010 and 2.53 × 1010 copies/mL). Full-length genomes (3182 bp) were successfully sequenced and phylogenetic analysis showed both HBV genomes clustered within Genotype D, Subgenotype D2, and subtype ayw3, consistent with previously reported Bangladeshi HBV genomes. Comparative mutational analysis identified substitutions such as T1753C in the basal core promoter, C1845T in preC, and D144E within the "a" determinant of HBsAg, suggesting potential roles in vaccine escape, immune escape, and diagnostic failure. Several nonsynonymous mutations were also detected in polymerase, though none were potentially associated with antiviral resistance. Antigenicity and hydrophilicity profiles of HBsAg and its major hydrophilic region remained largely conserved. These findings demonstrate the persistence of OBI in HD patients and provide an initial indication of the need for genomic surveillance to monitor immune-escape mutations and improve HBV diagnostic strategies in endemic regions.

HBV genome sequencing↗

Cross-Kingdom Genomic Conservation of Putative Human Sleep-Related Genes: Phylogenomic Evidence From Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Sleep is a widespread and evolutionarily conserved process observed in diverse organisms, from jellyfish to mammals, hinting at its origin as a life-supporting mechanism over 500 million years ago. Although its fundamental purpose and mechanisms remain unclear, sleep's evolution and adaptive significance continue to be debated. This study explores the evolutionary origins of sleep using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism, identifying 112 putative sleep-related genes across species and highlighting the evolutionary conservation of sleep-regulatory pathways. Additionally, discovering uncharacterized proteins with high sequence similarity and significant e-values suggests unexplored roles in sleep regulation, underscoring the potential of C. reinhardtii to reveal new insights into the molecular basis of sleep. This study provides a foundation for identifying previously unknown sleep-associated proteins, particularly within single-celled organisms, which may offer novel perspectives on the biological role of sleep. The study demonstrates that phylogenomic analysis of diverse model organisms can expand our understanding of the evolutionary trajectory of sleep and its fundamental function, paving the way for further research in sleep biology and its health implications. Overall, the fundamental functions of sleep observed in higher animal phyla originated from its primordial activities, demonstrating an evolutionary continuum wherein more specialized tasks were integrated with sleep's essential restorative properties.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii↗

Standardization of microarray and pharmacogenomics data.

This chapter provides a bottom-up perspective on bioinformatics data standards, beginning with a historical perspective on biochemical nomenclature standards. Various file format standards were soon developed to convey increasingly complex and voluminous data that nomenclature alone could not effectively organize without additional structure and annotation. As areas of biochemistry and molecular biology have become more integral to the practice of modern medicine, broader data representation models have been created, from corepresentation of genomic and clinical data as a framework for drug research and discovery to the modeling of genotyping and pharmacogenomic therapy within the broader process of the delivery of health care.

Computational Biology↗

Functional genomics and gene expression profiling in sepsis: beyond class prediction.

Functional genomics involving genome-wide expression analyses is rapidly finding applications in clinical medicine. New technologies now permit the simultaneous analysis of mRNA levels for the entire human transcriptome from as few as 1000 cells. This approach is dramatically changing the way we define health and disease, allowing, for the first time, an unbiased view of the global changes in gene expression that are occurring. For the study of trauma biology and sepsis, this technology offers a powerful tool to develop molecular signatures for inflamed tissues and specific cell populations. At present, functional genomics is being used to classify the progress of disease and survival in response to traumatic and burn injury, sepsis and visceral ischemia, and reperfusion injury, as well as to describe patterns of gene expression in response to varying microbial pathogens. As the number of bioinformatics tools increases, functional genomics is beginning to reveal the underlying complexity of the biological response to a variety of inflammatory diseases and is providing new approaches for their exploration. Functional genomics is becoming a standard tool in inflammation research as a means to unravel the basic biological processes.

Animals↗

Development of human protein reference database as an initial platform for approaching systems biology in humans.

Human Protein Reference Database (HPRD) is an object database that integrates a wealth of information relevant to the function of human proteins in health and disease. Data pertaining to thousands of protein-protein interactions, posttranslational modifications, enzyme/substrate relationships, disease associations, tissue expression, and subcellular localization were extracted from the literature for a nonredundant set of 2750 human proteins. Almost all the information was obtained manually by biologists who read and interpreted >300,000 published articles during the annotation process. This database, which has an intuitive query interface allowing easy access to all the features of proteins, was built by using open source technologies and will be freely available at http://www.hprd.org to the academic community. This unified bioinformatics platform will be useful in cataloging and mining the large number of proteomic interactions and alterations that will be discovered in the postgenomic era.

BRCA1 Protein↗

Information requirements of genomics researchers from the patient clinical record.

The integration of bioinformatics and clinical informatics requires the assimilation of genomic information into the clinical record, as well as an understanding of the information needs of genomics researchers. This paper focuses on a methodology to make this information requirements determination and capture an initial set of requirements for future information systems development.

Computational Biology↗

Orthopoxvirus Genome Sequencing, Assembly, and Analysis.

Poxviruses have exceptionally large genomes compared to most other viruses, which represent unique challenges to sequencing and assembly due to complex features such as repeat elements and low complexity sequences. The 2022 global mpox outbreak led to an unprecedented level of poxvirus sequencing as public health and research institutions faced with large sample numbers and demand for fast turnaround, merged NGS protocols designed for small RNA viruses with poxvirus expertise. Traditional manual assembly, checking, and editing of genomes was not feasible. Here, we present a protocol for metagenomic sequencing and orthopoxvirus genome assembly directly from DNA extracted from a patient lesion swab with no viral enrichment or host depletion. This sequencing approach is cost effective when using high throughput sequencing instruments and allows for detection of genomic insertions, deletions, and large rearrangement with confidence. We describe usage of two publicly available bioinformatic pipelines for genome assembly, quality control, annotation, and submission to sequence repositories.

Orthopoxvirus↗

Where are we in genomics?

Genomic studies provide scientists with methods to quickly analyse genes and their products en masse. The first high-throughput techniques to be developed were sequencing methods. A great number of genomes from different organisms have thus been sequenced. Genomics is now shifting to the study of gene expression and function. In the past 5-10 years genomics, proteomics and high-throughput microarray technologies have fundamentally changed our ability to study the molecular basis of cells and tissues in health and diseases, giving a new comprehensive view. For example, in cancer research we have seen new diagnostic opportunities for tumour classification, and prognostication. A new exciting development is metabolomics and lab-on-a-chip techniques (which combine miniaturization and automation) for metabolic studies. However, to interpret the large amount of data, extensive computational development is required. In the coming years, we will see the study of biological networks dominating the scene in Physiology. The great accumulation of genomics information will be used in computer programs to simulate biologic processes. Originally developed for genome analysis, bioinformatics now encompasses a wide range of fields in biology from gene studies to integrated biology (i.e. combination of different data sets from genes to metabolites). This is systems biology which aims to study biological organisms as a whole. In medicine, scientific results and applied biotechnologies arising from genomics will be used for effective prediction of diseases and risk associated with drugs. Preventive medicine and medical therapy will be personalized. Widespread applications of genomics for personalized medicine will require associations of gene expression pattern with diagnoses, treatment and clinical data. This will help in the discovery and development of drugs. In agriculture and animal science, the outcomes of genomics will include improvement in food safety, in crop yield, in traceability and in quality of animal products (dairy products and meat) through increased efficiency in breeding and better knowledge of animal physiology. Genomics and integrated biology are huge tasks and no single lab can pursue this alone. We are probably at the end of the beginning rather than at the beginning of the end because Genomics will probably change Biology to a greater extent than previously forecasted. In addition, there is a great need for more information and better understanding of genomics before complete public acceptance.

Animals↗

[Bioinformatics and GenEnv database in biological risk management].

Identification and molecular typing of environmental isolates by molecular techniques requires knowledge of the genetic characteristics of the microbe species being examined. The introduction of automated sequences has greatly speeded up the entire sequencing process as well as improved the accuracy of the collected information. Bioinformatics tools have become indispensable not only for setting up research studies, but also for storing, organizing and managing enormous quantities of sequencing data. Despite its great advantages, the use of bioinformatics is hindered by difficulties in learning how to use its software tools. The GenEnv database was developed to provide operators involved in biological risk management with a user-friendly tool for sequence analysis. Presently, there are over 20.000 sequence records, and over 9000 bacterial species represented in the database. The initial gene set comprises rDNA16S, rpoB, gyrB. The system allows sequence-driven microbe identification as well as the development of study protocols for research on specific microbe species. Nucleotide sequences are represented graphically. The GenEnv database was designed as a tool for public health operators but also offers wide prospects for scientific research.

Computational Biology↗

Expression profiles of miRNAs in ruminant intermediate hosts with cystic echinococcosis.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), is a parasitic zoonotic disease recognized by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease of significant public health concern. Despite ongoing control programs, CE remains endemic, underlining the need for integrated control strategies that involve new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Recent investigations have spotlighted microRNAs (miRNAs) as key regulators in parasite development, immunomodulation, and as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. In the present research, a molecular study was conducted to investigate hydatid cyst samples (protoscoleces and germinal membranes) collected in southern Italy from different ruminant species (sheep, cattle, and water buffaloes), naturally infected with CE, with the ultimate goal of establishing a more comprehensive picture of miRNA expression patterns in these intermediate hosts. The bioinformatic analysis of hydatid cyst samples revealed 168 mature miRNAs. Among these, egr-miR-10-5p, egr-let-7-5p, and egr-miR-71-5p were the most abundant, with egr-miR-10-5p showing particularly high expression levels. No significant differences in miRNA abundance between host species were found. In contrast, when focusing on the comparison between protoscoleces and sterile germinal membranes, 24 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed. Targeted qPCR of four selected miRNAs (egr-miR-71-5p, egr-let-7-5p, egr-miR-125-5p, and egr-miR-10-5p) showed clear overexpression in protoscoleces and in fertile germinal membranes compared with sterile ones. The differential miRNA expression patterns provide insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling the parasite's lifecycle and may guide the development of novel intervention methods to enhance CE control in endemic areas.

Animals↗