Biology subjects

Batool, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Batool, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Characterization of Immunoglobulin Loci in Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus: Insights from Multi-Genome Annotation and IMGT-Based Curation

Antibodies, or immunoglobulins (IG), are central to the vertebrate adaptive immune system, yet the genomic architecture of IG loci remains poorly characterized in many nonhuman primates. In this study we present the first comprehensive genomic analysis of the immunoglobulin (IG) loci (IGH, IGL, and IGK) in two critically endangered orangutan species; Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan) and Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan) across multiple genome assemblies. Using IMGT-standardized biocuration framework combined with read-level structural validation, we identified previously undocumented haplotype-specific variation, including multigene duplications, asymmetric gene absence, and species-specific expansions of variable gene families. Recombination signal sequence (RSS) and switch region analyses revealed conserved regulatory motifs with potential implications for V(D)J recombination and class-switch recombination. These findings underscore the complexity and evolutionary adaptability of IG loci in great apes and highlight the value of orangutans as key references for understanding immune system evolution in the Hominidae lineage.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

IMGT(R) at scale: FAIR, Dynamic and Automated Tools for Immune Locus Analysis

IMGT(R), the international ImMunoGeneTics information system(R), has advanced its comprehensive platform for the analysis of immunoglobulin (IG) and T cell receptor (TR) genes through the development of new automated and scalable tools. This article presents major updates aligned with IMGTs three axes of research. Axis I introduces dynamic resources such as IMGT/GeneTables, IMGT/AssemblyComparison, and IMGT/StatAssembly, enabling real-time access to annotated genomic data and quality assessment of assemblies. Axis II enhances repertoire analysis with a redesigned IMGT/GeneFrequency tool and new customization features in IMGT/V-QUEST, supporting flexible exploration of IG and TR gene expression. Axis III improves the accurate prediction of peptide-MHC thanks to IMGT/RobustpMHC. Additionally, the IMGT Knowledge Graph (IMGT-KG) and its therapeutic extension, IMGT/mAb-KG, provide semantically structured access to more than 100 million immunogenetic triplets, integrating IMGT databases and linking IMGT content to external biomedical resources. These developments promote standardization, interoperability, and integrative analysis across immunogenetics and clinical applications, reinforcing IMGTs role as a core reference in the era of FAIR data and personalized medicine.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

A novel synthetic peptide provides neuroprotection and rescues rat cortical neurons from anesthetic-induced cell death and modulation of growth and synaptic assembly

Anesthetics, although necessary for many modern procedures, exert neurotoxic effects in various experimental models; the underlying mechanisms, however, remain unknown. In the absence of this information, any in vivo mitigation strategy would be challenging. To help address these gaps, we sought to determine whether preserving mitochondrial network integrity with a non-toxic, short-life synthetic peptide, P110, could protect cortical neurons against both inhalational and intravenous anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity. This study provides the first direct comparative account of three key general anesthetics (desflurane, propofol, and ketamine) under identical conditions and demonstrates their impact on cellular viability, neurite outgrowth, and synaptic network assembly on neonatal rat cortical neurons. Further, we discovered that the inhibition of Fis1 receptor-mediated fission reverses anesthetic-induced aberrations in an agent-specific manner. Our data thus underscore the importance of a reductionist approach, offering unique opportunities to explore non-toxic, mitochondria-based therapeutic tools for mitigating anesthetic-induced harm to the developing brain.

neuroscience↗