Biology subjects

Hamid, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Hamid, F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infections among pregnant women in Makassar, Indonesia

The protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii is estimated to infect one-third of the worlds population. Infection in pregnant women can cause severe conditions for their babies. Until now, there is no data regarding Toxoplasma infection from Makassar pregnant mothers. This study aims to obtain information on Toxoplasma specific antibodies and to measure the risk factor associate with parasite infection. This cross-sectional study conducted in 9 of 47 primary health centres (Puskesmas) in Makassar. Blood samples and questionnaires were collected from 184 pregnant women aged 15-42 years old from September to October 2020. ELISA technique was used to examine the IgG and IgM antibodies. Univariable and multivariable analyses were carried out to measure factors that independently associate with Toxoplasma antibody positivity. Our result showed the range of Toxoplasma IgM and IgG are 0.06-1.01 and 0.09-3.01, respectively. While no one of our participants has an acute Toxoplasma gondii infection (IgM positive), we found 32,6% pregnant mothers are exposed to parasite (positive IgG). Contact with cats [OR(95CI): 8.04 (3.09-20.87)], consume chicken satay [OR(95CI): 7.46(3.06-18.21)] and consume un-boiled water [OR(95CI): 5.23(1.57-17.38)] are independently associate with positive Toxoplasma IgG antibody. Based on the result, we conclude that pregnant women in Makassar are exposed to T. gondii and the cyst of parasite contaminates food and water in Makassar.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Cytoplasmic pool of spliceosome protein SNRNP70 regulates the axonal transcriptome and development of motor connectivity

Regulation of pre-mRNA splicing and polyadenylation plays a profound role in neurons by diversifying the proteome and modulating gene expression during development and in response to physiological cues. Although most pre-mRNA processing reactions are thought to occur in the nucleus, numerous splicing regulators are also found in neurites. Here, we show that U1-70K/SNRNP70, a major spliceosomal component, localizes in RNA-associated granules in axons. We identify the cytoplasmic pool of SNRNP70 as an important local regulator of motor axonal growth, nerve-dependent acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering and neuromuscular synaptogenesis. This cytoplasmic pool has a protective role for a limited number of axonal transcripts preventing them from degradation. Moreover, non-nuclear SNRNP70 is able to locally regulates splice variants of transcripts such as agrin, thereby locally controlling formation of synapses. Our results point to an unexpected, yet essential, function of local SNRNP70 in axonal development and indicate a role of splicing factors in local RNA metabolism during establishment and maintenance of neuronal connectivity.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

A conserved role for SFPQ in repression of pathogenic cryptic last exons

The RNA-binding protein SFPQ plays an important role in neuronal development and has been associated with several neurodegenerative disorders, including ALS, FTLD, and Alzheimers Disease. Here, we report that loss of sfpq leads to premature termination of multiple transcripts due to widespread activation of previously unannotated cryptic last exons (CLEs). These CLEs appear preferentially in long introns of genes with neuronal functions and dampen gene expression outputs and/or give rise to short peptides interfering with the normal gene functions. We show that one such peptide encoded by the CLE-containing epha4b mRNA isoform is responsible for neurodevelopmental defects in the sfpq mutant. The uncovered CLE-repressive activity of SFPQ is conserved in mouse and human, and SFPQ-inhibited CLEs are found across ALS iPSC-derived neurons. These results greatly expand our understanding of SFPQ function and uncover a new gene regulation mechanism with wide relevance to human pathologies.

neuroscience↗