1. Crayfish pet trade as a pathway for the introduction of known and novel virusesKatarina Bačnik, Luka Kranjc, Leticia Botella, Ivana Maguire, Dora Pavić, Jiří Patoka, Paula Dragičević, Martin Blaha, Ana Bielen, Antonín Kouba, Denis Kutnjak, Sandra Hudina, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Expanding international pet trade has emerged as one of the main introduction pathways of aquatic invasive species, with ornamental crayfish species commonly available on the EU and global markets. Besides most frequently studied crayfish pathogens, such as Aphanomyces astaci and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), ornamental crayfish carry associated microbial communities, which may potentially lead to the emergence of known or even novel diseases following intentional or unintentional release of animals into the wild. This is especially problematic in the case of viruses, which represent an important, yet considerably understudied, group of crayfish pathogens. Here we analyzed viromes of hepatopancreas tissue of four crayfish species acquired in the international pet trade in Europe (Procambarus clarkii, Procambarus alleni, Cherax holthuisi, and Cherax quadricarinatus) using a high throughput sequencing based metagenomic approach. Seven different known viruses were identified, which were previously either directly associated with crayfish (WSSV, Cherax quadricarinatus reovirus, chequa iflavirus, athtab bunya-like virus) or with hosts from subphylum Crustacea or invertebrates associated with freshwater environment (Shahe ispoda virus 5, Dicistroviridae sp.). Additional sequences represented 8 potential novel and divergent RNA viruses, most similar to sequences belonging to members of Picornavirales, Elliovirales, Reovirales, Hepelivirales, Tolivirales and Ghabrivirales orders. We discuss our findings in relation to their phylogenetic relationships, geographical origins, and putative pathogenicity implications. The results highlight the need for further research into the risks related to disease emergence associated with the pet trade. Ključne besede: virome, RNA viruses, ornamental crayfish, pet-trade, high throughput sequencing, ecology, molecular biology, pathology, virology, environmental risk assessment Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.05.2025; Ogledov: 1351; Prenosov: 1070
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2. Characterization of GM events by insert knowledge adapted re-sequencing approachesLitao Yang, Congmao Wang, Arne Holst-Jensen, Dany Morisset, Yongjun Lin, Dabing Zhang, 2013, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Detection methods and data from molecular characterization of genetically modified (GM) events are needed by stakeholders of public risk assessors and regulators. Generally, the molecular characteristics of GM events are incomprehensively revealed by current approaches and biased towards detecting transformation vector derived sequences. GM events are classified based on available knowledge of the sequences of vectors and inserts (insert knowledge). Herein we present three insert knowledge-adapted approaches for characterization GM events (TT51-1 and T1c-19 rice as examples) based on paired-end re-sequencing with the advantages of comprehensiveness, accuracy and automation. The comprehensive molecular characteristics of two rice events were revealed with additional unintended insertions comparing with the results from PCR and Southern blotting. Comprehensive transgene characterization of TT51-1 and T1c-19 is shown to be independent of a priori knowledge of the insert and vector sequences employing the developed approaches. This provides an opportunity to identify and characterize also unknown GM events.
Ključne besede: molecular engineering in plants, DNA recombination, plant molecular biology, next-generation sequencing Objavljeno v DiRROS: 04.03.2025; Ogledov: 1094; Prenosov: 882
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3. A new quantitative PCR assay for detection of potentially anatoxin-producing cyanobacteriaMaša Jablonska, Tina Eleršek, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Anatoxins (ATX) are globally occurring toxins produced by some species of cyanobacteria in aquatic habitats. They can cause acute poisoning in animals, leading to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure, and might also pose a long-term health risk to humans. Thanks to advances in molecular methods and genomic knowledge, it is now possible to rapidly detect and quantify the genes associated with cyanotoxin production for most major groups of cyanotoxins except ATX. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for general detection of all potential ATX producers in the environment. After specificity testing in silico and in vitro with 16 cyanobacterial strains (endpoint PCR, amplicon sequencing and qPCR), two assays targeting the anaC gene were thoroughly validated for linearity, amplification efficiency, sensitivity, dynamic range, inter-assay and intra-assay variability, and the influence of background DNA. The assays were then applied to 144 environmental samples of plankton and biofilm from lakes and rivers whose ATX content had previously been measured by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Amplification efficiency of the two designed assays was between 94% and 103%, and the limits of quantification and detection were up to, but mostly below, 322 and 32 cells/mL, respectively. Both assays showed better or equal specificity in cyanobacterial cultures than currently available PCR assays and were able to predict the presence of ATX detected by LC-MS/MS in most environmental samples (83 % in plankton and 52–62% in biofilm). A higher number of discrepancies between qPCR and LC-MS/MS results in biofilm than in plankton samples indicates limited knowledge and sparse genomic data on benthic cyanobacteria. These assays are the first published general qPCR assays targeting all ATX producers and could provide water managers with a rapid and cost-effective risk assessment to better protect human and animal health. Ključne besede: anatoxins (ATX), cyanobacteria, qPCR assay, anaC gene, LC-MS/MS, environmental microbiology, environmental science, toxicology, molecular biology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 17.12.2024; Ogledov: 1361; Prenosov: 745
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4. Amino acid sequence encodes protein abundance shaped by protein stability at reduced synthesis costFilip Buric, Sandra Viknander, Xiaozhi Fu, Oliver Lemke, Oriol Gracia Carmona, Jan Zrimec, Lukasz Szyrwiel, Michael Mülleder, Markus Ralser, Aleksej Zelezniak, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Understanding what drives protein abundance is essential to biology, medicine, and biotechnology. Driven by evolutionary selection, an amino acid sequence is tailored to meet the required abundance of a proteome, underscoring the intricate relationship between sequence and functional demand. Yet, the specific role of amino acid sequences in determining proteome abundance remains elusive. Here we show that the amino acid sequence alone encodes over half of protein abundance variation across all domains of life, ranging from bacteria to mouse and human. With an attempt to go beyond predictions, we trained a manageable-size Transformer model to interpret latent factors predictive of protein abundances. Intuitively, the model's attention focused on the protein's structural features linked to stability and metabolic costs related to protein synthesis. To probe these relationships, we introduce MGEM (Mutation Guided by an Embedded Manifold), a methodology for guiding protein abundance through sequence modifications. We find that mutations which increase predicted abundance have significantly altered protein polarity and hydrophobicity, underscoring a connection between protein structural features and abundance. Through molecular dynamics simulations we revealed that abundance-enhancing mutations possibly contribute to protein thermostability by increasing rigidity, which occurs at a lower synthesis cost. Ključne besede: molecular biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, deep learning, gene expression, synthetic biology, protein abundance, amino acid sequence, evolutionary selection, transformer model, MGEM (Mutation guided by an embedded manifold) Objavljeno v DiRROS: 17.12.2024; Ogledov: 1735; Prenosov: 1008
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5. Involvement of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) MKK6 in response to Potato virus YAna Lazar, Anna Coll Rius, David Dobnik, Špela Baebler, Apolonija Bedina Zavec, Jana Žel, Kristina Gruden, 2014, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades have crucial roles in the regulation of plant development and in plant responses to stress. Plant recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or pathogen-derived effector proteins has been shown to trigger activation of several MAPKs. This then controls defence responses, including synthesis and/or signalling of defence hormones and activation of defence related genes. The MAPK cascade genes are highly complex and interconnected, and thus the precise signalling mechanisms in specific plant%pathogen interactions are still not known. Here we investigated the MAPK signalling network involved in immune responses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to Potato virus Y, an important potato pathogen worldwide. Sequence analysis was performed to identify the complete MAPK kinase (MKK) family in potato, and to identify those regulated in the hypersensitive resistance response to Potato virus Y infection. Arabidopsis has 10 MKK family members, of which we identified five in potato and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and eight in Nicotiana benthamiana. Among these, StMKK6 is the most strongly regulated gene in response to Potato virus Y. The salicylic acid treatment revealed that StMKK6 is regulated by the hormone that is in agreement with the salicylic acid-regulated domains found in the StMKK6 promoter. The involvement of StMKK6 in potato defence response was confirmed by localisation studies, where StMKK6 accumulated strongly only in Potato-virus-Y-infected plants, and predominantly in the cell nucleus. Using a yeast two-hybrid method, we identified three StMKK6 targets downstream in the MAPK cascade: StMAPK4_2, StMAPK6 and StMAPK13. These data together provide further insight into the StMKK6 signalling module and its involvement in plant defence. Ključne besede: plant diseases, potato, molecular biology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.08.2024; Ogledov: 1629; Prenosov: 1006
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6. Network modelling unravels mechanisms of crosstalk between ethylene and salicylate signalling in potatoŽiva Ramšak, Anna Coll Rius, Tjaša Stare, Oren Tzfadia, Špela Baebler, Yves Van de Peer, Kristina Gruden, 2018, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: To develop novel crop breeding strategies, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms underlying the interaction between plants and their pathogens. Network modeling represents a powerful tool that can unravel properties of complex biological systems. In this study, we aimed to use network modeling to better understand immune signaling in potato (Solanum tuberosum). For this, we first built on a reliable Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) immune signaling model, extending it with the information from diverse publicly available resources. Next, we translated the resulting prior knowledge network (20,012 nodes and 70,091 connections) to potato and superimposed it with an ensemble network inferred from time-resolved transcriptomics data for potato. We used different network modeling approaches to generate specific hypotheses of potato immune signaling mechanisms. An interesting finding was the identification of a string of molecular events illuminating the ethylene pathway modulation of the salicylic acid pathway through Nonexpressor of PR Genes1 gene expression. Functional validations confirmed this modulation, thus supporting the potential of our integrative network modeling approach for unraveling molecular mechanisms in complex systems. In addition, this approach can ultimately result in improved breeding strategies for potato and other sensitive crops. Ključne besede: network modelling, potato, molecular biology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 01.08.2024; Ogledov: 1360; Prenosov: 1430
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7. ALF : a strategy for identification of unauthorized GMOs in complex mixtures by a GW-NGS method and dedicated bioinformatics analysisAlexandra Bogožalec Košir, Alfred J. Arulandhu, Marleen Voorhuijzen, Hongmei Xiao, Rico Hagelaar, Martijn Staats, Adalberto Costessi, Jana Žel, Esther Kok, Jeroen P. van Dijk, 2017, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The majority of feed products in industrialised countries contains materials derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In parallel, the number of reports of unauthorised GMOs (UGMOs) is gradually increasing. There is a lack of specific detection methods for UGMOs, due to the absence of detailed sequence information and reference materials. In this research, an adapted genome walking approach was developed, called ALF: Amplification of Linearly-enriched Fragments. Coupling of ALF to NGS aims for simultaneous detection and identification of all GMOs, including UGMOs, in one sample, in a single analysis. The ALF approach was assessed on a mixture made of DNA extracts from four reference materials, in an uneven distribution, mimicking a real life situation. The complete insert and genomic flanking regions were known for three of the included GMO events, while for MON15985 only partial sequence information was available. Combined with a known organisation of elements, this GMO served as a model for a UGMO. We successfully identified sequences matching with this organisation of elements serving as proof of principle for ALF as new UGMO detection strategy. Additionally, this study provides a first outline of an automated, web-based analysis pipeline for identification of UGMOs containing known GM elements. Ključne besede: biotechnology, molecular biology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Ogledov: 1366; Prenosov: 916
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8. quantGenius : implementation of a decision support system for qPCR-based gene quantificationŠpela Baebler, Miha Svalina, Marko Petek, Katja Stare, Ana Rotter, Maruša Pompe Novak, Kristina Gruden, 2017, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background
Quantitative molecular biology remains a challenge for researchers due to inconsistent approaches for control of errors in the final results. Due to several factors that can influence the final result, quantitative analysis and interpretation of qPCR data are still not trivial. Together with the development of high-throughput qPCR platforms, there is a need for a tool allowing for robust, reliable and fast nucleic acid quantification.
Results
We have developed “quantGenius” (http://quantgenius.nib.si), an open-access web application for a reliable qPCR-based quantification of nucleic acids. The quantGenius workflow interactively guides the user through data import, quality control (QC) and calculation steps. The input is machine- and chemistry–independent. Quantification is performed using the standard curve approach, with normalization to one or several reference genes. The special feature of the application is the implementation of user-guided QC-based decision support system, based on qPCR standards, that takes into account pipetting errors, assay amplification efficiencies, limits of detection and quantification of the assays as well as the control of PCR inhibition in individual samples. The intermediate calculations and final results are exportable in a data matrix suitable for further statistical analysis or visualization. We additionally compare the most important features of quantGenius with similar advanced software tools and illustrate the importance of proper QC system in the analysis of qPCR data in two use cases.
Conclusions
To our knowledge, quantGenius is the only qPCR data analysis tool that integrates QC-based decision support and will help scientists to obtain reliable results which are the basis for biologically meaningful data interpretation. Ključne besede: quantitative molecular biology, quantitative PCR, nucleic acid quantification, web application, decision support system Objavljeno v DiRROS: 24.07.2024; Ogledov: 2067; Prenosov: 942
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9. PaintOmics 4 : new tools for the integrative analysis of multi-omics datasets supported by multiple pathway databasesTianyuan Liu, Pedro Salguero, Marko Petek, Carlos Martinez-Mira, Leandro Balzano-Nogueira, Živa Ramšak, Lauren McIntyre, Kristina Gruden, Sonia Tarazona, Ana Conesa, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: PaintOmics is a web server for the integrative analysis and visualisation of multi-omics datasets using biological pathway maps. PaintOmics 4 has several notable updates that improve and extend analyses. Three pathway databases are now supported: KEGG, Reactome and MapMan, providing more comprehensive pathway knowledge for animals and plants. New metabolite analysis methods fill gaps in traditional pathway-based enrichment methods. The metabolite hub analysis selects compounds with a high number of significant genes in their neighbouring network, suggesting regulation by gene expression changes. The metabolite class activity analysis tests the hypothesis that a metabolic class has a higher-than-expected proportion of significant elements, indicating that these compounds are regulated in the experiment. Finally, PaintOmics 4 includes a regulatory omics module to analyse the contribution of trans-regulatory layers (microRNA and transcription factors, RNA-binding proteins) to regulate pathways. We show the performance of PaintOmics 4 on both mouse and plant data to highlight how these new analysis features provide novel insights into regulatory biology. Ključne besede: PaintOmics 4, web tools, datasets, analysis methods, molecular biology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 17.07.2024; Ogledov: 1658; Prenosov: 1326
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