A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis

Abstract Background Koala retrovirus (KoRV), a major pathogen of koalas, exists in both endogenous (KoRV-A) and exogenous forms (KoRV-A to I and K to M) and causes multiple disease phenotypes, including carcinomas and immunosuppression. However, the direct association between the different KoRV subt...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lipi Akter, Md Abul Hashem, Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh, Md Arju Hossain, Fumie Maetani, Rupaly Akhter, Kazi Anowar Hossain, Md Haroon Or Rashid, Hiroko Sakurai, Takayuki Asai, M. Nazmul Hoque, Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-10-01
Series:BMC Veterinary Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04357-5
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850179084075663360
author Lipi Akter
Md Abul Hashem
Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh
Md Arju Hossain
Fumie Maetani
Rupaly Akhter
Kazi Anowar Hossain
Md Haroon Or Rashid
Hiroko Sakurai
Takayuki Asai
M. Nazmul Hoque
Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara
author_facet Lipi Akter
Md Abul Hashem
Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh
Md Arju Hossain
Fumie Maetani
Rupaly Akhter
Kazi Anowar Hossain
Md Haroon Or Rashid
Hiroko Sakurai
Takayuki Asai
M. Nazmul Hoque
Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara
author_sort Lipi Akter
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Koala retrovirus (KoRV), a major pathogen of koalas, exists in both endogenous (KoRV-A) and exogenous forms (KoRV-A to I and K to M) and causes multiple disease phenotypes, including carcinomas and immunosuppression. However, the direct association between the different KoRV subtypes and carcinogenesis remains unknown. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of koalas carrying both endogenous (KoRV-A) and exogenous (KoRV-A, B, and C) subtypes was performed using a high-throughput RNA-seq approach. PBMCs were obtained from three healthy koalas: one infected with endogenous (KoRV-A; Group I) and two infected with exogenous (KoRV-B and/or KoRV-C; Group II) subtypes. Additionally, spleen samples (n = 6) from six KoRV-infected deceased koalas (K1- K6) and blood samples (n = 1) from a live koala (K7) were collected and examined to validate the findings. Results All koalas were positive for the endogenous KoRV-A subtype, and eight koalas were positive for KoRV-B and/or KoRV-C. Transcription of KoRV gag, pol, and env genes was detected in all koalas. Upregulation of cytokine and immunosuppressive genes was observed in koalas infected with KoRV-B or KoRV-B and -C subtypes, compared to koalas infected with only KoRV-A. We found 550 DEG signatures with significant (absolute p < 0.05, and absolute log2 Fold Change (FC) > 1.5) dysregulation, out of which 77.6% and 22.4% DEGs were upregulated (log2FC > 1.5) and downregulated (log2FC <  − 1.5), and downregulated (log2 FC <  − 1), respectively. We identified 17 unique hub genes (82.3% upregulated and 17.7% down-regulated), with KIF23, CCNB2, POLR3F, and RSL24D1 detected as the potential hub genes modified with KoRV infection. Real-time RT-qPCR was performed on seven koalas to ascertain the expression levels of four potential hub genes, which were subsequently normalized to actin copies. Notably, all seven koalas exhibited distinct expression signatures for the hub genes, especially, KIF23 and CCNB2 show the highest expression in healthy koala PBMC, and POLR3F shows the highest expression in koala with lymphoma (K1). Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that multiple KoRV subtypes affect disease progression in koalas and that the predicted hub genes could be promising prognostic biomarkers for pathogenesis.
format Article
id doaj-art-a4686f76796a464fa89804cf2793ffc8
institution OA Journals
issn 1746-6148
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Veterinary Research
spelling doaj-art-a4686f76796a464fa89804cf2793ffc82025-08-20T02:18:35ZengBMCBMC Veterinary Research1746-61482024-10-0120111610.1186/s12917-024-04357-5A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesisLipi Akter0Md Abul Hashem1Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh2Md Arju Hossain3Fumie Maetani4Rupaly Akhter5Kazi Anowar Hossain6Md Haroon Or Rashid7Hiroko Sakurai8Takayuki Asai9M. Nazmul Hoque10Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara11Transboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityDepartment of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityHirakawa Zoological ParkTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityHirakawa Zoological ParkHirakawa Zoological ParkMolecular Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Health, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural UniversityTransboundary Animal Diseases Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima UniversityAbstract Background Koala retrovirus (KoRV), a major pathogen of koalas, exists in both endogenous (KoRV-A) and exogenous forms (KoRV-A to I and K to M) and causes multiple disease phenotypes, including carcinomas and immunosuppression. However, the direct association between the different KoRV subtypes and carcinogenesis remains unknown. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of koalas carrying both endogenous (KoRV-A) and exogenous (KoRV-A, B, and C) subtypes was performed using a high-throughput RNA-seq approach. PBMCs were obtained from three healthy koalas: one infected with endogenous (KoRV-A; Group I) and two infected with exogenous (KoRV-B and/or KoRV-C; Group II) subtypes. Additionally, spleen samples (n = 6) from six KoRV-infected deceased koalas (K1- K6) and blood samples (n = 1) from a live koala (K7) were collected and examined to validate the findings. Results All koalas were positive for the endogenous KoRV-A subtype, and eight koalas were positive for KoRV-B and/or KoRV-C. Transcription of KoRV gag, pol, and env genes was detected in all koalas. Upregulation of cytokine and immunosuppressive genes was observed in koalas infected with KoRV-B or KoRV-B and -C subtypes, compared to koalas infected with only KoRV-A. We found 550 DEG signatures with significant (absolute p < 0.05, and absolute log2 Fold Change (FC) > 1.5) dysregulation, out of which 77.6% and 22.4% DEGs were upregulated (log2FC > 1.5) and downregulated (log2FC <  − 1.5), and downregulated (log2 FC <  − 1), respectively. We identified 17 unique hub genes (82.3% upregulated and 17.7% down-regulated), with KIF23, CCNB2, POLR3F, and RSL24D1 detected as the potential hub genes modified with KoRV infection. Real-time RT-qPCR was performed on seven koalas to ascertain the expression levels of four potential hub genes, which were subsequently normalized to actin copies. Notably, all seven koalas exhibited distinct expression signatures for the hub genes, especially, KIF23 and CCNB2 show the highest expression in healthy koala PBMC, and POLR3F shows the highest expression in koala with lymphoma (K1). Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that multiple KoRV subtypes affect disease progression in koalas and that the predicted hub genes could be promising prognostic biomarkers for pathogenesis.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04357-5Koala retrovirusRNA-seqPBMCsDifferentially expressed geneBiomarkers
spellingShingle Lipi Akter
Md Abul Hashem
Mohammad Enamul Hoque Kayesh
Md Arju Hossain
Fumie Maetani
Rupaly Akhter
Kazi Anowar Hossain
Md Haroon Or Rashid
Hiroko Sakurai
Takayuki Asai
M. Nazmul Hoque
Kyoko Tsukiyama-Kohara
A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
BMC Veterinary Research
Koala retrovirus
RNA-seq
PBMCs
Differentially expressed gene
Biomarkers
title A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
title_full A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
title_fullStr A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
title_full_unstemmed A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
title_short A preliminary study of gene expression changes in Koalas Infected with Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) and identification of potential biomarkers for KoRV pathogenesis
title_sort preliminary study of gene expression changes in koalas infected with koala retrovirus korv and identification of potential biomarkers for korv pathogenesis
topic Koala retrovirus
RNA-seq
PBMCs
Differentially expressed gene
Biomarkers
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04357-5
work_keys_str_mv AT lipiakter apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdabulhashem apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mohammadenamulhoquekayesh apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdarjuhossain apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT fumiemaetani apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT rupalyakhter apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT kazianowarhossain apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdharoonorrashid apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT hirokosakurai apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT takayukiasai apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mnazmulhoque apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT kyokotsukiyamakohara apreliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT lipiakter preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdabulhashem preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mohammadenamulhoquekayesh preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdarjuhossain preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT fumiemaetani preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT rupalyakhter preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT kazianowarhossain preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mdharoonorrashid preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT hirokosakurai preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT takayukiasai preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT mnazmulhoque preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis
AT kyokotsukiyamakohara preliminarystudyofgeneexpressionchangesinkoalasinfectedwithkoalaretroviruskorvandidentificationofpotentialbiomarkersforkorvpathogenesis