Biology subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Sabaawy, A..
The authors have withdrawn this manuscript because this preprint was merged with the preprint BIORXIV/2025/658355. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author. The correct preprint can be found at https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.06.658355
As weather systems quickly change, vector communities and their pathogens evolve faster than assay panels can be redesigned. Additionally, PCRs narrow target range makes it structurally unable to catch divergent or reassorted agents. We developed a hybrid capture next-generation sequencing enrichment platform that provides comprehensive detection and characterization of tick-borne agents alongside ecological vertebrate host identification with low-pass sequencing. Analytical validation demonstrated performance comparable to qPCR with superior variant tolerance and multiplexing capacity. Field deployment in subtropical, metropolitan New York detected Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains (n=3) linked to human granulocytic anaplasmosis and a Babesia microti-like species in urban raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations. Tick vector screening revealed a putatively novel chimeric Flavi-like virus in invasive Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks combining segmented and unsegmented genomic features, with codon adaptation analysis indicating strong human compatibility. Serology revealed high Flavivirus seropositivity in NYC raccoons, suggesting an unrecognized urban reservoir role. Blood meal analysis simultaneously revealed complex ecological pathogen transmission networks spanning multiple vertebrate hosts. This integrated surveillance system enables comprehensive pathogen discovery, real-time evolutionary monitoring, and ecological risk assessment, transforming our capacity to detect emerging tick-borne threats in rapidly changing environments and prevent spillovers.
The remarkable cell diversity of multicellular organisms relies on the ability of multipotent progenitor cells to generate distinct cell types at the right times and locations during embryogenesis. A key question is how progenitors establish competence to respond to the different environmental signals required to produce specific cell types at critical developmental timepoints. We addressed this in the mouse developing forebrain, where neural progenitor cells must switch from producing neurons to making oligodendrocytes in response to increased Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling during late embryogenesis. We show that progenitor responses to SHH are regulated by Notch signaling, thus permitting proper timing of the neuron-oligodendrocyte switch. Notch activity epigenetically primes genes associated with the oligodendrocyte lineage and SHH pathway, enabling amplified transcriptional responses to endogenous SHH and robust oligodendrogenesis. These results reveal a critical role for Notch in facilitating progenitor competence states and influencing cell fate transitions at the epigenetic level.