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Biology subjects

Rathore, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Rathore, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

High resolution cryo-EM structures of two potently SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies of same donor origin that vary in neutralizing Omicron variants

While vaccines have by large been found to effective against the evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants, the profound and rapid effectivity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in significantly reducing hospitalization to severe disease outcomes have also been demonstrated. In the present study, by high resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we examined the structural insights of two trimeric spike (S) protein bound mAbs isolated from an Indian convalescent individual infected with ancestral SARS-CoV-2 which we recently reported to potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 from its ancestral form through highly virulent Delta form however different in their ability to neutralize Omicron variants. Our findings showed binding and conformational heterogeneities of both the mAbs (THSC20.HVTR04 and THSC20.HVTR26) bound to S trimer in its apo and hACE-2 bound forms. Additionally, cryo-EM resolved structure assisted modeling highlighted key residues associated with the ability of these two mAbs to neutralize Omicron variants. Our findings highlighted key interacting features modulating antigen-antibody interacting that can further aid in structure guided antibody engineering to enhance their breadth and potency. HighlightsO_LITwo potent human mAbs obtained from a single donor differ binding to Omicron spikes C_LIO_LIPattern of binding and conformation of these mAbs bound to full length spike differs C_LIO_LIAntibody binding alters the conformational states of S trimer in its apo and hACE-2 bound forms. C_LIO_LICryo-EM structure guided modeling highlighted correlates of interacting residues associated with resistance and sensitivity of BA.1, BA.2, BA.4/BA.5 resistance and sensitivity against these mAbs. C_LI

biophysics↗

Differential representation of natural and manmade images in the human ventral visual stream

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWThe human visual cortex processes visual stimuli hierarchically. Early visual areas (V1, V2) of the ventral visual stream feed crude visual features (like orientation and edges) into later visual areas (V4, lateral occipital (Lat Occ), inferior temporal (IT)) that then encode complex visual features (like object form). Previous studies have reported a difference in fMRI responses between natural and urban landscapes in certain parts of the brain. Here we asked if this distinction in the representation of complex natural and man-made visual stimuli extends to the ventral visual stream and if state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks (CNN) provide a map to this categorical distinction. To assess this, we used an open source fMRI data set of V1-4 and LatOcc BOLD responses to 1750 passively viewed natural and man-made grayscale images. The same images were fed into the pre-trained CORnet-S, a CNN designed to model hierarchical human visual processing layer-wise. To identify differences in representations within and between the human visual cortex and the CNN, we computed representational dissimilarity matrices. The BOLD response to the manmade and natural images shows correlation differences for the two categories, which increase across V4 and LatOcc. Such differences were also observed in the model CORnet-S for the layers V4 and IT. Our results suggest that the human visual cortex processes natural and manmade images differently starting from V4 and that this representational difference is modeled in CORnet-S. In both, categorical representation is progressively established in the later processing stages. This might indicate that the brain has perhaps developed two-distinct systems for their representations which can be directed through evolution. Further analysis may elucidate the contributory role of evolution towards this paradigm.

neuroscience↗

Full bandwidth electrophysiology of seizures and epileptiform activity enabled by flexible graphene micro-transistor depth neural probes

Mapping the entire frequency bandwidth of neuronal oscillations in the brain is of paramount importance for understanding physiological and pathological states. The ability to record simultaneously infraslow activity (<0.1 Hz) and higher frequencies (0.1-600 Hz) using the same recording electrode would particularly benefit epilepsy research. However, commonly used metal microelectrode technology is not well suited for recording infraslow activity. Here we use flexible graphene depth neural probes (gDNP), consisting of a linear array of graphene microtransistors, to concurrently record infraslow and high frequency neuronal activity in awake rodents. We show that gDNPs can reliably record and map with high spatial resolution seizures, post-ictal spreading depolarisation, and high frequency epileptic activity through cortical laminae to the CA1 layer of the hippocampus in a mouse model of chemically-induced seizures. We demonstrate functionality of chronically implanted devices over 10 weeks by recording with high fidelity spontaneous spike-wave discharges and associated infraslow activity in a rat model of absence epilepsy. Altogether, our work highlights the suitability of this technology for in vivo electrophysiology research, in particular, to examine the contributions of infraslow activity to seizure initiation and termination.

neuroscience↗