Ravindra Naraine

• Doctor of Philosophy
• PhD Student at Charles University in Prague

Background Embryos are regeneration and wound healing masters. They rapidly close wounds and scarlessly remodel and regenerate injured tissue. Regeneration has been extensively studied in many animal models using new tools such as single-cell analysis. However, until now, they have been based primarily on experiments assessing from 1 day post injur...

The asymmetric localization of biomolecules is critical for body plan development. One of the most popular model organisms for early embryogenesis studies is Xenopus laevis but there is a lack of information in other animal species. Here, we compared the early development of two amphibian species—the frog X. laevis and the axolotl Ambystoma mexican...

Embryos are regeneration and wound healing masters. They not only rapidly close their wounds, remodel injured tissue without a scar, but also regenerate body parts. Many animal models with variable regenerative capabilities have already been studied. Additionally, with the introduction of high throughput techniques, novel regeneration mechanisms in...

The oocyte is a unique cell, from which develops a complex organism comprising of germ layers, tissues and organs. In some vertebrate species it is known that the asymmetrical localization of biomolecules within the oocyte is what drives the spatial differentiation of the daughter cells required for embryogenesis. This asymmetry is first establishe...

DNA damage during early life stages may have a negative effect on embryo development, inducing mortality and malformations that have long-lasting effects during adult life. Therefore, in the current study, we analyzed the effect of DNA damage induced by genotoxicants (camptothecin (CPT) and olaparib) at different stages of embryo development. The s...

Asymmetrical localization of biomolecules inside the egg, results in uneven cell division and establishment of many biological processes, cell types and the body plan. However, our knowledge about evolutionary conservation of localized transcripts is still limited to a few models. Our goal was to compare localization profiles along the animal-veget...

Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) generates ATP, but OXPHOS also supports biosynthesis during proliferation. In contrast, the role of OXPHOS during quiescence, beyond ATP production, is not well understood. Using mouse models of inducible OXPHOS deficiency in all cell types or specifically in the vascular endothelium that negligibly...

DNA damage during early life stages may have a negative effect on embryo development, inducing malformations that have long-lasting effects during adult life. Therefore, in the current study, we analyzed the effect of DNA damage induced by genotoxicants (camptothecin (CPT) and olaparib) at different stages of embryo development. We analyzed the sur...

Asymmetrical localization of biomolecules inside the egg, results in uneven cell division and establishment of many biological processes, cell types and the body plan. However, our knowledge about evolutionary conservation of localized mRNAs is still limited to a few candidates. Our goal was to compare localization profiles along the animal-vegetal...

The merit of RNASeq data relies heavily on correct normalization. However, most methods assume that the majority of transcripts show no differential expression between conditions. This assumption may not always be correct, especially when one condition results in overexpression. We present a new method (NormQ) to normalize the RNASeq library size,...

Background: The study of the mechanisms controlling wound healing is an attractive area within the field of biology, with it having a potentially significant impact on the health sector given the current medical burden associated with healing in the elderly population. Healing is a complex process and includes many steps that are regulated by codi...

Cell growth and survival depend on a delicate balance between energy production and synthesis of metabolites. Here, we provide evidence that an alternative mitochondrial complex II (CII) assembly, designated as CIIlow, serves as a checkpoint for metabolite biosynthesis under bioenergetic stress, with cells suppressing their energy utilization by mo...

Asymmetric cell division is a ubiquitous feature during the development of higher organisms. Asymmetry is achieved by differential localization or activities of biological molecules such as proteins, and coding and non-coding RNAs. Here, we present subcellular transcriptomic and proteomic analyses along the animal-vegetal axis of Xenopus laevis egg...

Objective: Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are segments of prokaryotic DNA containing short repetitions of base sequences. Each repetition is followed by short segments of ”spacer DNA” from previous exposures to a virus or a plasmid. Editing DNA utilizing the strategy derived from the CRISPR System has quickly bec...

Abstract Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among one of the most common infections in women, with uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) being involved in 80% of cases. In addition, E. coli exhibits an in- creasing resistance to broad spectrum antimicrobial agents as well as the subsequent generations of these drugs. The genetic diversity and antibiotic r...

Ferroplasma acidarmanus, fer1, is an iron-oxidizing Euarchaeon that was found to dominate degrading biofilms in streams that bioleach and biomine metals worldwide at pH between 0.5 and 2.5 [1]. It grew at expense of yeast extract alone at the presence of high levels of iron, arsenic, copper and sulfuric acid [2-5]. It gained energy via aerobic oxid...

Ferroplasma acidarmanus fer1 is an iron-oxidizing acidophilic Euryarchaeota found in acid mine leachate [1]. In these types of environments, very little is known about the diversity and interaction with Mobile Genetic Elements (MGE-plasmids, phages). CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) are DNA loci consisting of acqu...

Transposases and Insertion Sequences in Ferroplasma acidarmanus fer 1 shared homology with fifteen Bacteria and Archaea S. Nithisoontorn2, R.Naraine1A. Bukkuri1 H. Mayo-Malasky1, A. McEwen2,and S.Kotelnikova1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, SOM1, SAS2, St. George’s University, Grenada Contact information: rnaraine1, snithiso, amcewen, sb...

Objective: Produce comprehensive summary on transposable elements belonging to the extremophile, Ferroplasma acidarmanus Fer1, using comparative genomic analysis. Design & Methods: Genes from F. acidarmanus that were associated with transposase activity were derived from the IMG-ACT database. The functions of the genes were analyzed using sequence...

E. coli exhibits an increasing resistance to broad spectrum antimicrobial agents as well as the subsequent generations of these drugs. Previous genetic diversity studies indicated transmission of food-borne E.coli strains to human patients. Therefore it is important to study the genetic diversity and antibiotic-resistance patterns both in clinical...

FEMS 2015 Maastricht, submitted Jan 14, 2015 GENOMIC EVIDENCE FOR S-LAYER IN EXTREMELY ACIDOFILIC ARCHAEUM FERROPLASMA ACIDARMANUS FER1. Svetlana Kotelnikova2, Della John1, Ann Joseph1, Asha Mc Ewen1, Antonia Stanisclaus1, Wayne Smart1, Theodor Yasko2, Ravindra Naraine2 Department of Microbiology, School of Arts and Sciences1, School of Medicin...

Genetic diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), isolated from human urine were compared to E. coli strains isolated from freshwater, seawater and iguana gut in Grenada. (GTG)5 and BOX-PCR extragenic DNA fingerprinting demonstrated enormous diversity within the populations of the studied bacteria. In compliance...

Vibrio species are ranked in the United States of America as major food borne pathogens [1] that contribute to a substantial health burden [2]. The halophilic Gram-negative curved rod Vibrio genus (Fig. 1) is comprised of at least 98 known genotypically distinct species [3]. • Vibrio infections (vibriosis) can occur through exposure to the seawater...

New Archaeal AAA+ ATPase with Nuclease Function in Ferroplasma acidarmanus fer 1 by A. James, K. Arthur, C. Paulsingh, R. Naraine, and S. Kotelnikova describes functional genomic modelling of new multi-domain AAA+ ATPase with DNA nuclease with stress-induced signalling function in two-component regulating stress induced DNA recombination leading to...

We investigated the iron oxidation in a newly discovered Warm Soda Spring. This spring is located on the wall of the caldera of the volcano St. Catherine at 406 m elevation in the rain forest of the tropical Caribbean island of Grenada. The bright yellow-greenish colored biofilms were collected from the CO2 (g) saturated spring water. They were use...

Microbial evolution has allowed for microbial adaptation to many diverse and harsh environments. As a result, microbial diversity varies spatially, depending on the environmental pressures that are limiting. This research focused on uncovering the microbial diversity present in a Tropical Iron Spring in the Caribbean island, Grenada. Any microorgan...