Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops

Implementing high-throughput sequencing (HTS) in virus detection has recently become widespread. Bioinformatic expertise, programming skills, and access to high-capacity computers are essential for HTS data analysis. The E-Probe Diagnostic Nucleic Acid Analysis, a bioinformatic detection system that...

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Main Authors: Ali Pasha, Andres S. Espindola, Heiko Ziebell, Francisco M. Ochoa‐Corona
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The American Phytopathological Society 2025-06-01
Series:PhytoFrontiers
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Online Access:https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0106-FI
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author Ali Pasha
Andres S. Espindola
Heiko Ziebell
Francisco M. Ochoa‐Corona
author_facet Ali Pasha
Andres S. Espindola
Heiko Ziebell
Francisco M. Ochoa‐Corona
author_sort Ali Pasha
collection DOAJ
description Implementing high-throughput sequencing (HTS) in virus detection has recently become widespread. Bioinformatic expertise, programming skills, and access to high-capacity computers are essential for HTS data analysis. The E-Probe Diagnostic Nucleic Acid Analysis, a bioinformatic detection system that addresses these HTS constraints and performs searches on non-normalized HTS data, was adopted. The E-Probe Diagnostic Nucleic Acid Analysis theoretical framework was later updated for cross-platform accessibility via a web browser and renamed Microbe Finder (MiFi). In this study, the MiFi platform was used to design electronic probes (e-probes) for two viroids and three viruses that infect the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.). These e-probes underwent a rigorous curation process followed by in silico validation to determine their theoretical limit of detection. Interestingly, curated 40-nt e-probes of all targeted pathogens in this study proved to have a better combination of sensitivity and specificity for their target genomes than other e-probe lengths. Additionally, an in vitro limit of detection analysis was performed by constructing an artificial positive control plasmid that contained all curated e-probes. The stock plasmid was serially diluted before sequencing to validate the detection limit. The curated and validated e-probes successfully detected the targeted pathogens when applied to HTS datasets previously analyzed using other bioinformatics tools. The e-probes developed in this study allow the direct detection of targeted hop viruses and viroids in unassembled HTS datasets. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
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spelling doaj-art-9aedc1f4402d4bdabe75693fa18821202025-08-20T02:38:01ZengThe American Phytopathological SocietyPhytoFrontiers2690-54422025-06-015216517310.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0106-FIHighly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from HopsAli Pasha0Andres S. Espindola1Heiko Ziebell2Francisco M. Ochoa‐Corona3Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)-Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Braunschweig, GermanyInstitute for Biosecurity and Microbial Forensics (IBMF), Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, U.S.A.Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)-Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Braunschweig, GermanyInstitute for Biosecurity and Microbial Forensics (IBMF), Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, U.S.A.Implementing high-throughput sequencing (HTS) in virus detection has recently become widespread. Bioinformatic expertise, programming skills, and access to high-capacity computers are essential for HTS data analysis. The E-Probe Diagnostic Nucleic Acid Analysis, a bioinformatic detection system that addresses these HTS constraints and performs searches on non-normalized HTS data, was adopted. The E-Probe Diagnostic Nucleic Acid Analysis theoretical framework was later updated for cross-platform accessibility via a web browser and renamed Microbe Finder (MiFi). In this study, the MiFi platform was used to design electronic probes (e-probes) for two viroids and three viruses that infect the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.). These e-probes underwent a rigorous curation process followed by in silico validation to determine their theoretical limit of detection. Interestingly, curated 40-nt e-probes of all targeted pathogens in this study proved to have a better combination of sensitivity and specificity for their target genomes than other e-probe lengths. Additionally, an in vitro limit of detection analysis was performed by constructing an artificial positive control plasmid that contained all curated e-probes. The stock plasmid was serially diluted before sequencing to validate the detection limit. The curated and validated e-probes successfully detected the targeted pathogens when applied to HTS datasets previously analyzed using other bioinformatics tools. The e-probes developed in this study allow the direct detection of targeted hop viruses and viroids in unassembled HTS datasets. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0106-FIbioinformaticsdetectionEDNA-MiFie-probehopHTS
spellingShingle Ali Pasha
Andres S. Espindola
Heiko Ziebell
Francisco M. Ochoa‐Corona
Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
PhytoFrontiers
bioinformatics
detection
EDNA-MiFi
e-probe
hop
HTS
title Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
title_full Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
title_fullStr Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
title_full_unstemmed Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
title_short Highly Curated and Reliable E-Probes for Detection of Viral Pathogens in Unassembled High-Throughput Sequencing Datasets from Hops
title_sort highly curated and reliable e probes for detection of viral pathogens in unassembled high throughput sequencing datasets from hops
topic bioinformatics
detection
EDNA-MiFi
e-probe
hop
HTS
url https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHYTOFR-09-24-0106-FI
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