Biology subjects

Lee, Z. Q.

Publications and source records attributed to Lee, Z. Q..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Evidence that the cell glycocalyx envelops respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) particles that form on the surface of RSV-infected human airway cells.

We examined how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) particles circumvent the overlying glycocalyx on virus-infected A549 cells. The glycocalyx was detected using the lectin WGA-AL488 probe, and the antibodies anti-HS and anti-syndecan-4 that detect heparin sulphate (HS) and the syndecan-4 protein (SYND4) respectively. Imaging of RSV-infected cells provided evidence that the glycocalyx envelopes the virus filaments as they form, and that components of the glycocalyx such as HS moieties and SYND4 are displayed on the surface of the mature virus filaments. Using recombinant expression of the G protein we also demonstrated that the G protein was trafficked into pre-existing filamentous cellular structures with a well-defined glycocalyx, suggesting that the glycocalyx is maintained at the site of virus particle assembly. These data provide evidence that during RSV particle assembly the virus filaments become enveloped by the glycocalyx, and that the glycocalyx should be considered as a structural component of RSV particles.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Protist.guru: a comparative transcriptomics database for the protist kingdom

SummaryDuring the last few decades, the study of microbial ecology has been enabled by molecular and genomic data. DNA sequencing has revealed the surprising extent of microbial diversity and how microbial processes run global ecosystems. However, significant gaps in our understanding of the microbial world remain, and one example is that microbial eukaryotes, or protists, are still neglected. To address this gap, we used gene expression data from 15 distinct protist species to create protist.guru: an online database equipped with tools for identifying functional co-expression networks, gene families, and enriched gene clusters. Here, we show how our database can be used to reveal genes involved in essential pathways, such as the synthesis of secondary carotenoids in Haematococcus lacustris. We expect protist.guru to serve as a valuable resource for protistologists, as well as a catalyst for discoveries and new insights into the biological processes of microbial eukaryotes. AvailabilityThe database and co-expression networks are freely available from http://protist.guru/. The expression matrices and sample annotations are found in the supplementary data.

evolutionary biology↗