Upadhyay, S. K. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Antibody Responses to Salmonella Typhi Antigens among Typhoid Recovered Individuals in an Endemic Region

BackgroundTyphoid fever remains a major public health concern in endemic regions, yet the nature of antibody responses to individual Salmonella Typhi antigens and their potential role in modulating cellular immune functions are not well understood. This gap also applies to the long-term immune response after the vaccination against the disease. ObjectivesTo evaluate the humoral and cellular immune response against the Salmonella Typhi antigens among the Typhoid recovered individuals. MethodsELISA was used to measure antibody responses against five S. Typhi antigens in plasma samples from typhoid-recovered individuals and healthy participants. Vi polysaccharide-specific plasma antibodies were tested for their ability to activate NK cells isolated from healthy donors. Flow cytometry-based assays were performed to analyze T cell and B cell profiles in the peripheral circulation of these individuals. ResultsPolysaccharide antigens mounted better IgA responses among typhoid-recovered individuals compared with healthy participants. Anti-S. Typhi IgM was significantly elevated in the typhoid group for all five antigens (p<0.05), while no significant differences were observed in IgG responses. NK cell activation assays showed comparable levels of activation markers of the NK cells isolated from healthy individuals and treated with the plasma of Typhoid recovered individuals. Analysis of B cell subsets revealed largely comparable distributions between the two groups; however, transitional B cells were elevated among the Typhoid recovered individuals. HlyE-specific memory B cells were detectable in both the groups. CD4 T cell subsets were similar between typhoid-recovered and healthy individuals, whereas differences were observed in CD8 T cell populations, with higher TEMRA cells among recovered individuals and relatively higher central memory CD8 T cells in healthy participants. ConclusionPolysaccharide antigens elicited significantly better IgA response in recovered typhoid participants, possibly reflecting mucosal immune priming from the gut. Persistent IgM antibodies after recovery suggest durable IgM responses following typhoid infection. Similar IgG levels between groups and the presence of antigen-specific memory cells in healthy individuals highlight the influence of repeated exposure in endemic settings. Elevated transitional B cells suggest the reinforcement of the B cells to the peripheral circulation during the disease which remained in the circulation of these individuals. However, elevated TEMRA population of the CD8 T cells has been observed in several other infectious diseases including this study. These findings demonstrate the complexity of humoral and cellular immune responses to S. Typhi in endemic regions.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Thaumatin-like proteins: Molecular characterization, evolutionary analysis and expression profiling in major cereal crops

Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) are related to the pathogenesis-related-5 (PR-5) family and involved in stress response. Herein, a total of 93 TLP genes were identified in the genome of Triticum aestivum. Further, we identified 26, 27, 39 and 37 TLP genes in the Brachypodium distachyon, Oryza sativa, Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays genomes for comparative characterization, respectively. They could be grouped into small and long TLPs with conserved thaumatin signature motif. Tightly clustered genes exhibited conserved gene and protein structure. The physicochemical analyses suggested significant differences between small and long TLPs. Evolutionary analyses suggested the role of duplication events and purifying selection in the expansion of the TLP gene family. Expression analyses revealed the possible roles of TLPs in plant development and abiotic and fungal stress response. Recombinant expression of TaTLP2-B in Saccharomyces cerevisiae provided significant tolerance against cold, heat, drought and salt stresses. The results depicted the importance of TLPs in cereal crops that would be highly useful in future crop improvement programs.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Structural basis of UCUU RNA motif recognition by splicing factor RBM20

The vertebrate splicing factor RBM20 (RNA Binding Motif protein 20) regulates protein isoforms important for heart development and function, with mutations in the gene linked to cardiomyopathy. Previous studies have identified the four base RNA motif UCUU as a common element in pre-mRNA targeted by RBM20. Here, we have determined the structure of the RNA Recognition Motif (RRM) domain from mouse RBM20 bound to RNA containing a UCUU sequence. The atomic details show that the RRM domain spans a larger region than initially proposed in order to interact with the complete UCUU motif, with a well-folded C-terminal helix encoded by exon 8 critical for high affinity binding. This helix only forms upon binding RNA with the final uracil, and removing the helix reduces affinity as well as specificity. We therefore find that RBM20 uses a coupled folding-binding mechanism by the C-terminal helix to specifically recognize the UCUU RNA motif.

molecular biology↗