Article
Microbiology
Samantha Forrest, Sarah Ton, Samantha L. Sholes, Sarah Harrison, Roger D. Plaut, Kathleen Verratti, Michael Wittekind, Elham Ettehadieh, Bryan Necciai, Shanmuga Sozhamannan, Sarah L. Grady
Summary: Bacteriophages, specifically gamma and AP50c, have been found to infect Bacillus anthracis strains with high specificity, making them valuable in bacterial detection assays. To understand the emergence of phage resistance and improve the reliability of these assays, it is crucial to identify the receptors used for attachment and entry. Genetic approaches have identified sap as the receptor for AP50c, and GamR for gamma, while a similar phage, Wip1, also uses sap as a receptor. Additionally, the receptor binding proteins (RBPs) encoded by these phages have been identified, but further investigation is needed to confirm their protein-protein interactions. This study provides genetic evidence supporting the interaction between sap and the RBPs of AP50c and Wip1, shedding light on the attachment and entry strategies employed by B. anthracis phages and facilitating the development of future detection methods.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Siobhan Ernan Brigg, Lizbe Koekemoer, Leisl A. A. Brand, Erick Strauss
Summary: The research proposes the use of Multifaceted Target Specificity Analysis (MTSA) to assess the activity of a new antimicrobial drug against closely related organisms. By studying the case of type III pantothenate kinase (PanK(III)) as a target, it aims to determine if targeting a specific organism's PanK(III) would result in a narrow- or broad-spectrum agent. MTSA is suggested as a valuable tool for guiding target-based antimicrobial drug development initiatives.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ankita Singla, Pradeep Sharma, Akshita Gupta, Naseer Iqbal Khan, Chitra Rani, T. P. Singh, Sujata Sharma
Summary: The study focused on the structure and binding affinities of Type-III Pantothenate kinase from multi drug resistant bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, providing crucial information for designing inhibitors to fight bacterial infections.
PROTEIN AND PEPTIDE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Soumita Dutta, Ileana D. Corsi, Naomi Bier, Theresa M. Koehler
Summary: Research has shown that branched-chain amino acid synthesis is not sufficient for the robust growth of Bacillus anthracis; access to branched-chain amino acids is necessary for the proliferation of the pathogen in culture and during infection in a murine model. B. anthracis produces a large repertoire of branched-chain amino acid-related transporters, with three isoleucine/valine transporters identified with partial functional redundancy. Deletion of one of these transporters, BrnQ3, led to attenuated virulence. A mutant deficient in branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis grew well in medium containing these amino acids, but was also attenuated in virulence. These findings suggest that branched-chain amino acids are limited in multiple niches during infection and contribute to understanding the nutritional requirements of this important pathogen.
Article
Microbiology
Soumita Dutta, Ileana D. Corsi, Naomi Bier, Theresa M. Koehler
Summary: The expression of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)-related genes is important for the virulence of Bacillus anthracis. BCAA transport is required for optimal growth of B. anthracis in vitro, and BCAAs enhance the activity of the virulence regulator AtxA. BCAAs also serve as a signal for virulence gene expression. This study provides insights into the metabolic and nutritional requirements of B. anthracis.
Article
Optics
Zafar Abbas, Ashis K. Patra
Summary: In this study, a sensitive and selective optical detection strategy for anthrax spore biomarker based on DPA-sensitized lanthanide luminescence was developed. The DPA-sensitized lanthanide luminescence allowed for simple, rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of anthrax spores.
JOURNAL OF LUMINESCENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richa Virmani, Prashant Pradhan, Jayadev Joshi, Avril Luyang Wang, Hem Chandra Joshi, Andaleeb Sajid, Anoop Singh, Vishal Sharma, Bishwajit Kundu, Daniel Blankenberg, Virginie Molle, Yogendra Singh, Gunjan Arora
Summary: PrkC protein kinase plays a vital role in the phenotypic memory and germination of Bacillus anthracis spores, and the loss of PrkC-dependent phosphorylation affects spore development. The key metabolic enzyme Phosphoglycerate mutase (Pgm) is involved in spore germination by catalyzing the isomerization of 2-PGA and 3-PGA. This study demonstrates that PrkC phosphorylates and regulates Pgm, negatively regulating its activity and maintaining its apo-like isoform before germination.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jilin Liu, Qian Li, Xiaojie Wang, Zhenzhen Liu, Qing Ye, Tao Liu, Saifu Pan, Nan Peng
Summary: In this study, a viral-encoded anti-CRISPR protein, AcrIIIB2, was identified to inhibit Type III-B CRISPR-Cas immunity. The interaction between AcrIIIB2 and Cmr4 alpha subunit and the mechanism by which AcrIIIB2 inhibits the activity of Cmr-alpha ribonucleoprotein complex were elucidated.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yan-Hui Bi, Bing Feng, Wei-Yi Xie, Long-Ling Ouyang, Rong-Xue Ye, Zhi-Gang Zhou
Summary: This study reveals the importance of SjCbbX-n in the activation of Rubisco in brown algae and provides insights into its functional relationship with SjCbbX-p.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Neha Dhasmana, Nishant Kumar, Aakriti Gangwal, Chetkar Chandra Keshavam, Lalit K. Singh, Nitika Sangwan, Payal Nashier, Sagarika Biswas, Andrei P. Pomerantsev, Stephen H. Leppla, Yogendra Singh, Meetu Gupta
Summary: The study identifies a serine/threonine protein kinase, PrkC, in Bacillus anthracis, which plays a role in regulating the chaining phenotype of the bacteria. PrkC disruption leads to shorter bacterial chains and upregulation of proteins associated with dechaining. This disruption also affects bacterial growth, cell wall thickness, and septum formation.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kathryn J. Mctavish, Renan N. D. Almeida, Jonathan Tersigni, Melina K. Raimundi, Yunchen Gong, Pauline W. Wang, Guilherme F. Gontijo, Ricardo M. de Souza, Mario L. V. de Resende, Darrell Desveaux, David S. Guttman
Summary: This study reveals new evolutionary mechanisms of coffee pathogens.
Article
Microbiology
Emma Kundracik, Josephine Trichka, Jose Diaz Aponte, Alicia Roistacher, Arne Rietsch
Summary: In this study, we identified the involvement of the needle tip protein in the assembly of the translocation pore in the type III secretion system. This finding expands our understanding of the important protein-protein interactions among translocator proteins.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kirsty McCready, Victoria Spencer, Francisco Jacome-Blasquez, Jamie Burnett, Itzel Margarita Viveros Sanchez, Zara Riches, Minsung Kim
Summary: The TOR protein kinase is crucial for plantlet formation in Kalanchoe spp., as it regulates nutrient utilization, energy supply, and development pathways. It interacts with auxin pathways to control plantlet root development.
Article
Cell Biology
Martina Tufano, Laura Marrone, Chiara D'Ambrosio, Valeria Di Giacomo, Simona Urzini, Yichuan Xiao, Monica Matuozzo, Andrea Scaloni, Maria Fiammetta Romano, Simona Romano
Summary: FKBP51 is crucial for the survival of cancer cells, especially melanoma. It involved in various signaling pathways and forms a complex with Akt and PHLPP, known for dephosphorylation of Akt. This study focuses on the regulation of Akt activation by canonical and spliced isoforms of FKBP51. The TPR domain of FKBP51 is found to mediate Akt ubiquitination at K63, an important step for Akt activation. Surprisingly, PHLPP does not promote Akt phosphorylation when silenced and even induces Akt phosphorylation when overexpressed. PHLPP stabilizes TRAF6, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and supports K63-ubiquitination of Akt. The interactome profile of FKBP51 in melanoma cells emphasizes the crucial role of PHLPP in enhancing oncogenic characteristics, particularly cell proliferation.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Qingbiao Xie, Bingzheng Wei, Zhaohong Zhan, Qiguang He, Kejian Wu, Yu Chen, Shiyao Liu, Chaozu He, Xiaolei Niu, Chunxia Li, Chaorong Tang, Jun Tao
Summary: The type III effectors (T3Es) of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) are crucial for efficient plant infection. While the functions of AvrE family T3Es have been reported, the role of XopAM in Xcc has not been studied. This research reveals that XopAM has different effects on host species, acts as a lipase targeting the cytomembrane, and interacts with the protein AMAR1 in Arabidopsis Col-0 to induce a hypersensitive response limiting Xcc proliferation.
