scholarly journals Complex coding and regulatory polymorphisms in a restriction factor determine the susceptibility of Drosophila to viral infection

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan Cao ◽  
Rodrigo Cogni ◽  
Vincent Barbier ◽  
Francis M. Jiggins
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Restriction Factor ◽  
Candidate Snps ◽  
Amino Acid Polymorphism ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Complex Structural Variation ◽  
Factor Determine ◽  
Complex Structural

AbstractIt is common to find that major-effect genes are an important cause of variation in susceptibility to infection. Here we have characterised natural variation in a gene called pastrel that explains over half of the genetic variance in susceptibility to the virus DCV in populations of Drosophila melanogaster. We found extensive allelic heterogeneity, with a sample of seven alleles of pastrel from around the world conferring four phenotypically distinct levels of resistance. By modifying candidate SNPs in transgenic flies, we show that the largest effect is caused by an amino acid polymorphism that arose when an ancestral threonine was mutated to alanine, greatly increasing resistance to DCV. Overexpression of the ancestral susceptible allele provides strong protection against DCV, indicating that this mutation acted to improve an existing restriction factor. The pastrel locus also contains complex structural variation and cis-regulatory polymorphisms altering gene expression. We find that higher expression of pastrel is associated with increased survival after DCV infection. To understand why this variation is maintained in populations, we investigated genetic variation surrounding the amino acid variant that is causing flies to be resistant. We found no evidence of natural selection causing either recent changes in allele frequency or geographical variation in frequency, suggesting that this is an old polymorphism that has been maintained at a stable frequency. Overall, our data demonstrate how complex genetic variation at a single locus can control susceptibility to a virulent natural pathogen.

scholarly journals Host-pathogen coevolution increases genetic variation in susceptibility to infection

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth ML Duxbury ◽  
Jonathan P Day ◽  
Davide Maria Vespasiani ◽  
Yannik Thüringer ◽  
Ignacio Tolosana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Cross Infection ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractIt is common to find considerable genetic variation in susceptibility to infection in natural populations. We have investigated whether natural selection increases this variation by testing whether host populations show more genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens that they naturally encounter than novel pathogens. In a large cross-infection experiment involving four species of Drosophila and four host-specific viruses, we always found greater genetic variation in susceptibility to viruses that had coevolved with their host. We went on to examine the genetic architecture of resistance in one host species, finding that there are more major-effect genetic variants in coevolved host-parasite interactions. We conclude that selection by pathogens increases genetic variation in host susceptibility, and much of this effect is caused by the occurrence of major-effect resistance polymorphisms within populations.

scholarly journals Host-pathogen coevolution increases genetic variation in susceptibility to infection

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth ML Duxbury ◽  
Jonathan P Day ◽  
Davide Maria Vespasiani ◽  
Yannik Thüringer ◽  
Ignacio Tolosana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Cross Infection ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Infection Experiment ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Host Pathogen

It is common to find considerable genetic variation in susceptibility to infection in natural populations. We have investigated whether natural selection increases this variation by testing whether host populations show more genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens that they naturally encounter than novel pathogens. In a large cross-infection experiment involving four species of Drosophila and four host-specific viruses, we always found greater genetic variation in susceptibility to viruses that had coevolved with their host. We went on to examine the genetic architecture of resistance in one host species, finding that there are more major-effect genetic variants in coevolved host-pathogen interactions. We conclude that selection by pathogens has increased genetic variation in host susceptibility, and much of this effect is caused by the occurrence of major-effect resistance polymorphisms within populations.

Advancing RNA Virus Discovery and Biology with Whole Genome Sequencing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mariah Taylor ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Functional Domains ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Coding Region

Two RNA virus families that pose a threat to human and animal health are Hantaviridae and Coronaviridae. These RNA viruses which originate in wildlife continue and will continue to cause disease, and hence, it is critical that scientific research define the mechanisms as to how these viruses spillover and adapt to new hosts to become endemic. One gap in our ability to define these mechanisms is the lack of whole genome sequences for many of these viruses. To address this specific gap, I developed a versatile amplicon-based whole-genome sequencing (WGS) approach to identify viral genomes of hantaviruses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within reservoir and spillover hosts. In my research studies, I used the amplicon-based WGS approach to define the genetic plasticity of viral RNA within pathogenic and nonpathogenic hantavirus species. The standing genetic variation of Andes orthohantavirus and Prospect Hill orthohantavirus was mapped out and amino acid changes occurring outside of functional domains were identified within the nucleocapsid and glycoprotein. I observed several amino acid changes in functional domains of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, as well as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the 3’ non-coding region (NCR) of the S-segment. To identify whether virus adaptation would occur within the S- and L-segments we attempted to adapt hantaviruses in vitro in a spillover host model through passaging experiments. In early passages we identified few mutations in the M-segment with the majority being identified in the S-segment 3’ NCR and the L-segment. This work suggests that hantavirus adaptation occurs in the S- and L-segments although the effect of these mutants on pathology is yet to be determined. While sequencing laboratory isolates is easily accomplished, sequencing low concentrations of virus within the reservoir is a formidable task. I further translated our amplicon-based WGS approach into a pan-oligonucleotide amplicon-based WGS approach to sequence hantavirus vRNA and mRNA from reservoir and spillover hosts in Ukraine. This approach successfully identified a novel Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) strain in Ukraine and using Bayesian phylogenetics we found this strain to be associated with the PUUV Latvian lineage. Early during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, I applied the knowledge gained in the hantavirus WGS efforts to sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs collected in April 2020. The genetic diversity of 45 SARS-CoV-2 isolates was evaluated with the methods I developed. We identified D614G, a notable mutation known for increasing transmission, in over 90% of our isolates. Two major lineages distinguish SARS-CoV-2 variants worldwide, lineages A and B. While most of our isolates were found within B lineage, we also identified one isolate within lineage A. We performed in vitro work which confirmed A lineage isolates as having poor replication in the trachea as compared to the nasal cavity. Five of these isolates presented a unique array of mutations which were assessed in the keratin 18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (K18-hACE2) mouse model for its response immunologically and pathogenically. We identified a distinction of pathogenesis between the A and B lineages with emphysema being common amongst A lineage isolates. Additionally, we discovered a small cohort of likely SNPs that defined the late induction of eosinophils during infection. In summary, this work will further define the dynamics of genetic variation and plasticity within virus populations that cause disease outbreaks and will allow a deeper understanding of the virus-host relationship.

scholarly journals Increasing plant group productivity through latent genetic variation for cooperation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E. Wuest ◽  
Nuno D. Pires ◽  
Shan Luo ◽  
Francois Vasseur ◽  
Julie Messier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Group Testing ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Root Competition ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Pleiotropic Gene ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Future Demands ◽  
The Individual

AbstractTechnologies for crop breeding have become increasingly sophisticated, yet it remains unclear whether these advances are sufficient to meet future demands. A major challenge with current crop selection regimes is that they are often based on individual performance. This tends to select for plants with “selfish” traits, which leads to a yield loss when they compete in high-density stands. In traditional breeding, this well-known “tragedy of the commons” has been addressed by anticipating ideotypes with presumably preferential characteristics. However, this approach is limited to obvious architectural and physiological traits, and it depends on a mechanistic understanding of how these modulate growth and competition. Here, we developed a general and simple method for the discovery of alleles promoting cooperation of plants in stands; it is based on the game-theoretical premise that alleles increasing cooperation incur a cost to the individual but benefit the monoculture group. Testing the approach using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we found a single major effect locus where the rarer allele was associated with increased levels of cooperation and superior monoculture productivity. We show that the allele likely affects a pleiotropic regulator of growth and defense, since it is also associated with reduced root competition but higher race-specific resistance against a specialized parasite. Even though cooperation is considered evolutionarily unstable, conflicting selective forces acting on a pleiotropic gene might thus maintain latent genetic variation for it in nature. Such variation, once identified in a crop, could be rapidly leveraged in modern breeding programs and provide efficient routes to increase yields.

scholarly journals A 13-mer peptide straddling the leucine33/proline33 polymorphism in glycoprotein IIIa does not define the PLA1 epitope

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 1964-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Flug ◽  
R Espinola ◽  
LX Liu ◽  
C SinQuee ◽  
R DaRosso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Adenosine Diphosphate ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Amino Acid Polymorphism ◽  
Glycoprotein Iiia ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Induced Aggregation

Abstract We confirm the recent report (J Clin Invest 83:1778, 1989) of a polymorphism at amino acid 33 of platelet GPIIIa associated with the PLA1/PLA2 phenotype by using the polymerase chain reaction on cDNA derived from platelet RNA, using the base-pair primers 105–129 and 452- 428. Platelet cDNA from three PLA2-homozygous individuals, when digested with Nci I, gave two bands of 256 bp and 91 bp, whereas eight PLA1 cDNAs gave a single band of 347 bp. Two 13-mer amino acid peptides straddling the amino acid polymorphism: SDEALP (L/P) GSPRCD were synthesized for epitope studies. Two mouse polyclonal antibodies were raised: one against the PLA1-associated peptide, the other against the PLA2 peptide. Both antibodies react with either peptide, as well as with both PLA1 and PLA2 platelets. The PLA1 peptide did not block the binding of two different human anti-PLA1 antibodies to the 100-Kd GPIIIa band on immunoblot of platelet extracts; neither did it block the binding of the same antibodies to PLA1-platelet extracts in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further studies were performed on the PLA1 epitope following subtilisin digestion of purified GPIIIa. A 55-Kd fragment was obtained that retained the PLA1 epitope as well as the first 13 N-terminal amino acids of GPIIIa. Reduction of the 55-Kd fragment resulted in loss of the PLA1 epitope with production of a 67- Kd, 21-Kd, and 10-Kd band on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 55-Kd band does not react with LK-2, a monoclonal antibody versus GPIIIa that inhibits adenosine diphosphate, collagen, epinephrine, and thrombin-induced aggregation. Thus, the PLA1 epitope is conformation-induced, resides on an N-terminal 55-Kd fragment composed of two or more peptides held together by -SH bonds, and is not required for platelet aggregation.

scholarly journals Effect of single amino acid substitutions on the formation of the PlA and Bak alloantigenic epitopes

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Goldberger ◽  
M Kolodziej ◽  
M Poncz ◽  
JS Bennett ◽  
PJ Newman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Membrane Glycoproteins ◽  
Amino Acid Polymorphism ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Mammalian Expression ◽  
Single Amino Acid Polymorphisms ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

Abstract The subunits that comprise the platelet-specific integrin alpha IIb beta 3 are polymorphic in nature, with several allelic forms present in the human gene pool. Minor changes in the secondary and tertiary structures of platelet membrane glycoproteins (GP) IIb and IIIa encoded by these alleles can result in an alloimmune reaction after transfusion or during pregnancy. To better understand the molecular structure of the PlA alloantigen system, located on GPIIIa, and the Bak alloantigen on GPIIb, we used a heterologous mammalian expression system to express these integrin subunits in their known polymorphic forms. An expression vector containing the PlA1 form of a GPIIIa cDNA, which encodes a leucine at amino acid 33 (Leu33), was modified to express the PlA2- associated form encoding a proline at amino acid 33 (Pro33). Similarly, a Baka GPIIb cDNA expressing an isoleucine at amino acid 843 (IIe843) was modified to express the Bakb form containing a serine at the same position (Ser843). Transfection of these vectors into COS cells resulted in the synthesis of GPIIb and GPIIIa molecules that were identical in size to those present in platelet lysates. Immunoprecipitation of the GPIIIa-transfected COS lysates with PlA)- specific alloantisera indicated that the Leu33 form was recognized only by anti-PIA1 sera while the Pro33 form was bound only by anti-PlA2 sera, showing that single amino acid polymorphisms are necessary and sufficient to direct the formation of the PlA1 and PlA2 alloepitopes. Similar experiments with Bak allele-specific expression vectors indicated that while the amino acid polymorphism (IIe843 in equilibrium Ser843) was necessary, posttranslational processing of pro-IIb was required for efficient exposure of both the Baka and Bakb alloepitopes.

scholarly journals An amino acid polymorphism in the couch potato gene forms the basis for climatic adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster

2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (42) ◽  
pp. 16207-16211 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Schmidt ◽  
C.-T. Zhu ◽  
J. Das ◽  
M. Batavia ◽  
L. Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Polymorphism ◽  
Climatic Adaptation
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document