Small non-coding RNA transcriptomic profiling in adult and fetal human brain.

Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) make up ~1% of the transcriptome; nevertheless, they play significant roles in regulating cellular processes. Given the complexity of the central nervous system, sncRNAs likely hold particular importance in the human brain. In this study, we provide sncRNA transcriptomic profiles in a range of adult and prenatal brain regions, with a focus on piRNAs, due to their underexplored expression in somatic cells and tissue-specific nature. Using the WIND workflow, which combines two detection methods, we found 1333 (731 miRNAs, 249 piRNAs, 285 snoRNAs, and 68 other sncRNAs) and 1445 unique sncRNAs (770 miRNAs, 307 piRNAs, 289 snoRNAs, and 79 other sncRNAs) in developing and adult brains, respectively. Significant variations were found upon comparison of fetal and adult brain groups, with 82 miRNAs, 17 piRNAs, and 70 snoRNAs enriched in fetal brains and 22 miRNAs, 11 piRNAs in adult brains. This dataset represents a valuable resource for exploring the sncRNA roles in brain function, their involvement in neurological diseases, and the molecular mechanisms behind brain region interactions.

Transcriptome analysis of macrophages during Brucella abortus infection clarifies the survival mechanisms of the bacteria.

Brucellosis is a critical zoonotic disease impacting humans and animals globally, causing symptoms like fever and arthritis in humans and reproductive issues in animals. The disease stems from the Brucella genus, adept at evading the immune system and proliferating within host cells. This study explores how Brucella abortus manipulates host cellular mechanisms to sustain infection, focusing on the interaction with murine macrophages over 24 h. Initial host defenses involve innate immune responses, while Brucella's survival strategies include evading lysosomal degradation and modulating host cell functions through various pathways. The research identified significant transcriptional changes in macrophages post-infection, highlighting pathways such as cytokine storm, pyroptosis signaling, Toll-like receptor pathways, and LXRs/RXRs signaling. The findings shed light on Brucella's complex mechanisms to undermine host defenses and underscore the need for further investigation into therapeutic targets to combat brucellosis.

Whole-Exome Sequencing Revealed New Candidate Genes for Human Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a complex disease affecting young adults. It is a pathological condition impairing myocardium activity that leads to heart failure and, in the most severe cases, transplantation, which is currently the only possible therapy for the disease. DCM can be attributed to many genetic determinants interacting with environmental factors, resulting in a highly variable phenotype. Due to this complexity, the early identification of causative gene mutations is an important goal to provide a genetic diagnosis, implement pre-symptomatic interventions, and predict prognosis. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has opened a new path for mutation screening, and exome sequencing provides a promising approach for identifying causal variants in known genes and novel disease-associated candidates. We analyzed the whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 15 patients affected by DCM without overloading (hypertension, valvular, or congenital heart disease) or chronic ischemic conditions. We identified 70 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants and 1240 variants of uncertain clinical significance. Gene ontology enrichment analysis was performed to assess the potential connections between affected genes and biological or molecular function, identifying genes directly related to extracellular matrix organization, transcellular movement through the solute carrier and ATP-binding cassette transporter, and vitamin B12 metabolism. We found variants in genes implicated to a different extent in cardiac function that may represent new players in the complex genetic scenario of DCM.

Dynamics of nasopharyngeal tract phageome and association with disease severity and age of patients during three waves of COVID-19.

In December 2019, several patients were hospitalized and diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which subsequently led to a global pandemic. To date, there are no studies evaluating the relationship between the respiratory phageome and the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The current study investigated the phageome profiles in the nasopharyngeal swabs collected from 55 patients during the three different waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Campania Region (Southern Italy). Data obtained from the taxonomic profiling show that phage families belonging to the order Caudovirales have a high abundance in the patient samples. Moreover, the severity of the COVID-19 infection seems to be correlated with the phage abundance.

A Fully Integrated Arduino-Based System for the Application of Stretching Stimuli to Living Cells and Their Time-Lapse Observation: A Do-It-Yourself Biology Approach.

Mechanobiology has nowadays acquired the status of a topic of fundamental importance in a degree in Biological Sciences. It is inherently a multidisciplinary topic where biology, physics and engineering competences are required. A course in mechanobiology should include lab experiences where students can appreciate how mechanical stimuli from outside affect living cell behaviour. Here we describe all the steps to build a cell stretcher inside an on-stage cell incubator. This device allows exposing living cells to a periodic mechanical stimulus similar to what happens in physiological conditions such as, for example, in the vascular system or in the lungs. The reaction of the cells to the periodic mechanical stretching represents a prototype of a mechanobiological signal integrated by living cells. We also provide the theoretical and experimental aspects related to the calibration of the stretcher apparatus at a level accessible to researchers not used to dealing with topics like continuum mechanics and analysis of deformations. We tested our device by stretching cells of two different lines, U87-MG and Balb-3T3 cells, and we analysed and discussed the effect of the periodic stimulus on both cell reorientation and migration. We also discuss the basic aspects related to the quantitative analysis of the reorientation process and of cell migration. We think that the device we propose can be easily reproduced at low-cost within a project-oriented course in the fields of biology, biotechnology and medical engineering.