Biology subjects

Liu, S. Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Liu, S. Y..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Dual-species proteomics and targeted intervention of animal-pathogen interactions

Complexity in host-pathogen interactions drives the need to develop sensitive and accurate biochemical techniques to elucidate host and pathogen protein expressions. Current proteomics techniques reveal information from the point of view of either the host or pathogen, but do not provide data on the corresponding partner. While dual-species transcriptomics is increasingly used to study RNA expression in host and pathogen, it remains challenging to simultaneously study host-pathogen proteomes that reflect the direct competition between host and pathogen. Using Caenorhabditis elegans-Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection model as proof-of-concept, we established a forward+reverse SILAC proteomics approach to simultaneously label and quantify newly-expressed proteins of host and pathogen without physical isolation. We observed iron competition between pathogen iron scavenger and host iron uptake protein, where P. aeruginosa upregulated pyoverdine synthesis protein (PvdA) and secreted pyoverdine, and C. elegans expressed ferritin (FTN-2) respectively. Using Galangin as a novel PvdA inhibitor identified by structure-based virtual-screening, targeted intervention of iron competition eliminated P. aeruginosa infection, and enabled animal survival. Our work provides insights into the mechanisms dictating host-pathogen interactions and offers novel strategies for anti-infective therapy.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2022

Identification and characterization of a dlx2b cis-regulatory element both sufficient and necessary for correct transcription during zebrafish tooth development

Despite growing recognition of the importance of cis-regulatory elements in vertebrate development, the mechanisms by which enhancers control gene expression during organogenesis remain incompletely understood. To address this gap, we investigated the regulation of the transcription factor dlx2b during zebrafish larval tooth formation. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, we generated a GFP knock-in line that recapitulates dlx2b expression in developing tooth germs. Through targeted manipulation of enhancer sequences, we identified a minimal tooth enhancer (MTE), which is sufficient to drive most of the endogenous dlx2b tooth germ expression pattern in vivo. Functional dissection of the MTE revealed that four evolutionarily conserved transcription factor binding sites are essential for enhancer activity. Mutating these sites within a transgenic reporter abolishes enhancer-driven expression, while deletion of the same sequences at the endogenous dlx2b locus causes a dramatic shift in the genes expression pattern. These findings suggest that loss of MTE function permits alternative cis-regulatory elements to gain control of the promoter, highlighting the dynamic nature of enhancer-promoter interactions during development. Together, these results uncover fundamental principles of enhancer function during vertebrate organogenesis and demonstrate the power of empirical dissection in decoding cis-regulatory architecture. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=110 SRC="FIGDIR/small/477116v3_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (16K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5a5909org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18b79bforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1e61eaeorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e845f8_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Effectively control of viral disease outbreak in shrimp culture system by selective predation

Due to the limited understanding of the characteristics of predator-pathogen-prey interactions, few attempts to use selective predation for controlling diseases in prey populations have been successful. The global pandemic of white spot syndrome (WSS), caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), causes devastating economic losses in farmed shrimp production. Currently, there is no effective control for WSS. Here, we determined the transmission dynamics of WSSV and the feeding ability and selectivity of fish on healthy, infected and dead shrimp by experiments and mathematical modeling. Accordingly, we developed a novel and convenient shrimp cultural ecosystem, which that effectively prevented WSS outbreaks, by introducing aquaculture fish species. This provides a scheme for developing control strategies for viral diseases with high transmission rate.

ecology↗