Browsing by Subject "Pathogen"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    Autophagy and the regulation of the immune response
    (2012-12) Macián, Fernando; Valdor Alonso, Rut; Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología
    Autophagy is a highly conserved mechanism of lysosomal-mediated protein degradation that plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis by recycling amino acids, reducing the amount of damaged proteins and regulating protein levels in response to extracellular signals. In the last few years specific functions for different forms of autophagy have been identified in many tissues and organs. In the Immune System, autophagy functions range from the elimination infectious agents and the modulation of the inflammatory response, to the selection of antigens for presentation and the regulation of T cell homeostasis and activation. Here, we review the recent advances that have allowed us to better understand why autophagy is a crucial process in the regulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    Editorial: Wnt Signaling in Immune Cell Regulation During Microbial Infection and Cancer
    (Frontiers, 2020-06-05) Blumenthal, Antje; Mc Bride, Jere W; Carson, Dennis A; Sen, Malini; Martín-Orozco Santiago, María Elena; Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    The aerobiome in a hospital environment: characterization, seasonal tendencies and the effect of window opening ventilation
    (Elsevier, 2023-01-16) Núñez, Andrés; García, Ana M.; Genética y Microbiología
    The urban atmosphere carries biological particles (bioaerosols) that may cause several diseases and allergies. These bioaerosols infiltrate and mix with those present inside the buildings, including hospitals. However, little is known about the behavior of these particles around health facilities. Here, we described the bioaerosols composition of an urban hospital indoor and outdoor at two different periods (winter and summer) using DNA sequencing. We observed that the seasonality and composition of the bioaerosols outdoor was also displayed indoor, and, in some cases, the taxa showed different trends depending on the season. Pathogenic species of bacteria and fungi were found indoors at low levels but also outdoors, being mostly environmental species, which would reject the idea that hospitals may be acting as a source of emission via aerosols. Skin-related bacteria were the most prevalent group related to human microbiome, being more abundant indoors. Air temperature was the principal factor affecting the bioaerosols composition in the samples but, in general, meteorological parameters outdoors were poor descriptors of the bioaerosols indoors. Similarly, the concentrations of the main indoor air pollutants did not correlate with microbial abundances. Globally, natural ventilation through a window opening did not significantly alter the composition of the bioaerosols indoor.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Open Access
    The differential vertical distribution of the airborne biological particles reveals an atmospheric reservoir of microbial pathogens and aeroallergens
    (Springer, 2020-03-27) Núñez, Andrés; Moreno, Diego A.; Genética y Microbiología
    The most abundant biological particles present in the air are bacteria, fungal propagules and pollen grains. Many of them are proved allergens or even responsible for airborne infectious diseases, which supports the increase of studies in recent years on their composition, diversity, and factors involved in their variability. However, most studies in urban areas are conducted close to ground level and a factor such as height is rarely taken into account. Thus, the information about how the composition of biological particles changes with this variable is scarce. Here, we examined the differential distribution of bacteria, fungi, and plants at four altitudes (up to ∼ 250 m) in a metropolitan area using high-throughput DNA sequencing. Most taxa were present at all levels (common taxa). However, a transitional layer between 80 and 150 m seemed to affect the scattering of these bioaerosols. Taxa not present at all altitudes (non-common) showed an upward tendency of diversity for bacteria and plants with height, while the opposite trend was observed for fungi. Certain patterns were observed for fungi and specific plant genera, while bacterial taxa showed a more arbitrary distribution and no patterns were found. We detected a wide variety of aeroallergens and potential pathogens at all heights, which summed a substantial portion of the total abundance for fungi and plants. We also identified potential connections between the biological particles based on their abundances across the vertical section.