Impact of SARS-CoV-2 203K/204R Mutations on COVID-19
KR patients showed elevated proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, ISGs, and neutrophil levels, indicating a hyper-inflammatory response compared to RG patients.
Evolutionary Analysis Identifies Golgi Pathway in Apicomplexans
The organelle paralogy hypothesis (OPH) suggests that new organelles evolve when membrane-trafficking components duplicate and change together. In Apicomplexa, we found 18 such duplicated components, some linked to new organelles. We also discovered a new pathway in these parasites that helps deliver proteins crucial for invasion, supporting the OPH theory.
PfAP2-P regulates parasite pathogenesis during IDC
PfAP2-P is a crucial transcription factor in Plasmodium falciparum, regulating trophozoite development, var genes, and parasite egress.
Hypervirulent & Resistant K. pneumoniae CC14 clone found in hospitals
Dominant CC14 strains, especially ST2096, expanded in hospitals, acquiring antibiotic resistance and high virulence, linked to sepsis and mortality.
Overview
The primary focus of the Microbial Genomics Laboratory is to use high-throughput sequencing and other functional genomic technologies to understand the biology and genomic diversity of parasitic protists, viruses, and bacteria with significant impact on human and animal health. Genome and transcriptome sequencing of these organisms is a critical first step toward our understanding of how these organisms grow and thrive in a susceptible host and in other environments. A better understanding of their biology could eventually lead to the development of new intervention strategies.
Within this program, a combination of high-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing-based methods, coupled with functional genomics and bioinformatics tools are being used to answer one or more of the following questions: