Papers by Konstantinos Poulas
Journal of Life Sciences, 2013
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International Journal of Molecular Sciences
While SARS-CoV-2 uses angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the receptor for cell entry, it i... more While SARS-CoV-2 uses angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the receptor for cell entry, it is important to examine other potential interactions between the virus and other cell receptors. Based on the clinical observation of low prevalence of smoking among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, we examined and identified a “toxin-like” amino acid (aa) sequence in the Receptor Binding Domain of the Spike Glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (aa 375–390), which is homologous to a sequence of the Neurotoxin homolog NL1, one of the many snake venom toxins that are known to interact with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We present the 3D structural location of this “toxin-like” sequence on the Spike Glycoprotein and the superposition of the modelled structure of the Neurotoxin homolog NL1 and the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein. We also performed computational molecular modelling and docking experiments using 3D structures of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein and the extracellular domain of...
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Public Health, 2014
ABSTRACT Contrary to the optimistic forecasts, existing until 2008 and despite the incorporation ... more ABSTRACT Contrary to the optimistic forecasts, existing until 2008 and despite the incorporation of the vaccine into the Greek National Immunization Program, six years later, the percentage of HPV vaccination coverage in Greece remains disappointingly low. The aim of this extended study was to investigate the knowledge, behaviour and attitude of a representative sample of the initial target group; young female students of Greek higher education institutions to Pap cervical screening, biology of HPV infection and principles of HPV vaccination.
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Scientific Reports, 2015
Baculovirus-mediated protein expression is a robust experimental technique for producing recombin... more Baculovirus-mediated protein expression is a robust experimental technique for producing recombinant higher-eukaryotic proteins because it combines high yields with considerable post-translational modification capabilities. In this expression system, the determination of the titer of recombinant baculovirus stocks is important to achieve the correct multiplicity of infection for effective amplification of the virus and high expression of the target protein. To overcome the drawbacks of existing titration methods (e.g., plaque assay, real-time PCR), we present a simple and reliable assay that uses the ability of baculoviruses to block apoptosis in their host cells to accurately titrate virus samples. Briefly, after incubation with serial dilutions of baculovirus samples, Sf9 cells were UV irradiated and, after apoptosis induction, they were viewed via microscopy; the presence of cluster(s) of infected cells as islets indicated blocked apoptosis. Subsequently, baculovirus titers were calculated through the determination of the 50% endpoint dilution. The method is simple, inexpensive, and does not require unique laboratory equipment, consumables or expertise; moreover, it is versatile enough to be adapted for the titration of every virus species that can block apoptosis in any culturable host cells which undergo apoptosis under specific conditions.
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BioMed research international, 2013
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease mediated by the presence of autoantibodies that b... more Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease mediated by the presence of autoantibodies that bind to components of the neuromuscular junction, causing the symptoms of muscular weakness and fatigability. Like most autoimmune disorders, MG is a multifactorial, noninherited disease, though with an established genetic constituent. The heterogeneity observed in MG perplexes genetic analysis even more, as it occurs in various levels, including diverse autoantigens, thymus histopathology, and age at onset. In this context of distinct subgroups, a plethora of association studies, discussed in this review, have assessed the involvement of various HLA and non-HLA related loci in MG susceptibility, over the past five years. As expected, certain HLA alleles were strongly associated with MG. Many of the non-HLA genes, such as PTPN22 and CTLA-4, have been previously studied in MG and other autoimmune diseases and their association with MG has been reevaluated in more cohesive groups of patient...
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Neurology, 2000
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Hemoglobin, 2012
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Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 2000
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Nucleic Acids Research, 2011
Frequency of INherited Disorders database (FIND base; http://www.findbase.org) records frequencie... more Frequency of INherited Disorders database (FIND base; http://www.findbase.org) records frequencies of causative genetic variations worldwide. Database records include the population and ethnic group or geographical region, the disorder name and the related gene, accompanied by links to any related external resources and the genetic variation together with its frequency in that population. In addition to the regular data content updates, we report the following significant advances: (i) the systematic collection and thorough documentation of population/ethnic group-specific pharmacogenomic markers allele frequencies for 144 markers in 14 genes of pharmacogenomic interest from different classes of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, representing 150 populations and ethnic groups worldwide; (ii) the development of new data querying and visualization tools in the expanded FINDbase data collection, built around Microsoft's PivotViewer software (http://www.getpivot.com), based on Microsoft Silverlight technology (http://www.silverlight.net) that facilitates querying of large data sets and visualizing the results; and (iii) the establishment of the first database journal, by affiliating FINDbase with Human Genomics and Proteomics, a new open-access scientific journal, which would serve as a prime example of a non-profit model for sustainable database funding.
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Human genomics, 2010
National and ethnic mutation databases (NEMDBs) are emerging online repositories, recording exten... more National and ethnic mutation databases (NEMDBs) are emerging online repositories, recording extensive information about the described genetic heterogeneity of an ethnic group or population. These resources facilitate the provision of genetic services and provide a comprehensive list of genomic variations among different populations. As such, they enhance awareness of the various genetic disorders. Here, we describe the features of the ETHNOS software, a simple but versatile tool based on a flat-file database that is specifically designed for the development and curation of NEMDBs. ETHNOS is a freely available software which runs more than half of the NEMDBs currently available. Given the emerging need for NEMDB in genetic testing services and the fact that ETHNOS is the only off-the-shelf software available for NEMDB development and curation, its adoption in subsequent NEMDB development would contribute towards data content uniformity, unlike the diverse contents and quality of the ...
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Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 2014
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Journal of Neuroimmunology - J NEUROIMMUNOL, 2007
The muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is the major autoantigen in the autoimmune di... more The muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is the major autoantigen in the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG), in which autoantibodies bind to, and cause loss of, nAChRs. Antibody-mediated nAChR loss is caused by the action of complement and by the acceleration of nAChR internalization caused by antibody-induced cross-linking of nAChR molecules (antigenic modulation). To obtain an insight into the role of the various anti-nAChR antibody specificities in MG, we have studied nAChR antigenic modulation caused by isolated anti-subunit autoantibodies. Autoantibodies against the nAChR α or β subunits were isolated from four MG sera by affinity chromatography on columns carrying immobilized recombinant extracellular domains of human nAChR expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The isolated anti-α and anti-β autoantibodies, as well as untreated MG sera, induced nAChR antigenic modulation in TE671 cells. Partially antibody-depleted sera exhibited reduced modulating activity,...
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PLoS ONE
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Journal of neuroimmunology
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Addiction
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Bioinformatics (Oxford, England), Jan 15, 2015
An autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its own heal... more An autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys its own healthy body tissues. The initiation of a geoepidemiological database, for recording autoimmune incidents with a focus to clinical manifestations, demographic parameters and geographic background is crucial to detect correlations. The dAUTObase collects an ever increasing number of publications-currently counting 435-on autoimmune diseases' frequencies in various populations and ethnic groups. The respective data have been hosted by a web application developed for the task. It uses three data visualization tools: the PivotViewer, the Disease Treemap and the Disease World Map, to assist the effective data querying. The dAUTObase 2.0 version (www.biodata.gr/dautobase) needs no registration for querying, but data entry and modification is reserved for registered users (curators-administrators). kpoulas@upatras.gr or tzimas@cti.gr.
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Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2012
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction, usually ca... more Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction, usually caused by autoantibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or the muscle-specific kinase (MuSK). Our aim is the development of a therapy based on the selective extracorporeal elimination of anti-AChR or anti-MuSK antibodies. To this end, the extracellular domains of the AChR subunits and MuSK have been expressed in yeast to be used as adsorbents, after optimization, and to obtain large quantities of proteins with near-native structure. We have characterized these proteins with respect to their use as specific immunoadsorbents for MG autoantibodies, and have begun large-scale experiments in order to verify the feasibility of application of the method for therapy. Furthermore, we have initiated animal studies to test possible toxicity and safety issues of the adsorbents or the procedure itself. The successful completion of the scale-up and safety tests will allow the initiation of clinical trials.
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Papers by Konstantinos Poulas