Article
Cell Biology
Patricia M. Legler, Stephen F. Little, Jeffrey Senft, Rowena Schokman, John H. Carra, Jaimee R. Compton, Donald Chabot, Steven Tobery, David P. Fetterer, Justin B. Siegel, David Baker, Arthur M. Friedlander
Summary: Pegylated capsule depolymerase (PEG-CapD-CPS334C) showed improved pharmacokinetic and therapeutic properties in treating mice infected with Bacillus anthracis. The treatment protected mice from infection and did not rely on antibiotics. These findings suggest that enzyme-catalyzed removal of the capsule may be a potential therapeutic strategy for multidrug-resistant anthrax and other bacterial infections.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Solene Fastenackels, Michele Mock, Jean-Nicolas Tournier, Pierre L. Goossens
Summary: Bacillus anthracis is a bacterium that produces two major virulence factors, including a tripartite toxin and a pseudo-proteic capsule. This study reveals the early expression of the capsule during germination of the spores, suggesting that the extracellular life of B. anthracis may occur earlier than previously thought. These findings highlight the potential of an anti-capsular vaccine in protecting against infection by opsonizing the nascent encapsulated bacilli.
RESEARCH IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meenu Saini, Rani Gupta
Summary: Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase from Bacillus atrophaeus was successfully immobilized onto chitosan-coated magnetite nanoparticles. The immobilized enzyme showed high storage stability and conversion rate, indicating its potential for sustainable synthesis of gamma-glutamyl compounds.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sojeong Heo, Jong-Hoon Kim, Mi-Sun Kwak, Moon-Hee Sung, Do-Won Jeong
Summary: Genomic analysis confirmed the probiotic traits of strain KMU01, which lacked enterotoxin genes but had acquired antibiotic resistance genes.
Article
Immunology
Assa Sittner, Elad Bar-David, Itai Glinert, Amir Ben-Shmuel, Josef Schlomovitz, Haim Levy, Shay Weiss
Summary: The poly-delta-D-glutamic acid capsule of Bacillus anthracis is crucial for its pathogenicity and is regulated by acpA and acpB. Deletion of acpA significantly affects pathogenicity, particularly the time to death. In vitro, the roles of acpA and acpB are redundant, but in vivo they are essential for capsule production and virulence.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antoni Planas
Summary: The bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan is a dynamic structure that is constantly synthesized, remodeled, and degraded during bacterial division and growth. Post-synthetic modifications play a regulatory role in peptidoglycan lysis, remodeling, and evasion of the host immune system.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Marina S. Robescu, Francesca Annunziata, Valeria Somma, Cinzia Calvio, Carlo F. Morelli, Giovanna Speranza, Lucia Tamborini, Daniela Ubiali, Andrea Pinto, Teodora Bavaro
Summary: In this study, a variety of gamma-glutamyl peptides were synthesized through an enzymatic transpeptidation reaction, showing potential biological activities. The use of immobilized BsGGT on glyoxylagarose resulted in high protein immobilization yield. The switch from batch to continuous flow synthesis led to increased productivity but not better impurity control.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Marina S. Robescu, Francesca Annunziata, Valeria Somma, Cinzia Calvio, Carlo F. Morelli, Giovanna Speranza, Lucia Tamborini, Daniela Ubiali, Andrea Pinto, Teodora Bavaro
Summary: In this study, various gamma-glutamyl peptides with biological activities were successfully synthesized using glutamine as the gamma-glutamyl donor and the gamma-glutamyl transferase from Bacillus subtilis (BsGGT) as the catalyst. The synthesis yields of neuroprotective gamma-glutamyl-taurine and antioxidant ophthalmic acid were relatively high, while the purity of the other two kokumi peptides was affected by the presence of byproducts.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Quan Liu, Yong-Rui Shen, Kui-De Yin
Summary: In this study, a Bacillus subtilis strain with good antimicrobial activity against Streptomyces scabiei was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of a potato field, and an antimicrobial protein was purified from it. The protein was identified as partial fragments of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and two antimicrobial peptides were confirmed based on its sequence and structure. This research not only enriched the antimicrobial substances of Bacillus subtilis, but also provided a new option for potato common scab biocontrol.
JOURNAL OF PLANT DISEASES AND PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meenu Saini, Shalini Kalra, Jai K. Kaushik, Rani Gupta
Summary: Bacterial gamma-glutamyl transpeptidases (GGTs) exhibit differences in catalytic properties, with an extra sequence from genus Bacillus potentially playing a key role in autoprocessing and catalysis.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Anastasia Tomatsidou, Maria Krunic, Dominique Missiakas
Summary: TagA1 and TagA2 are crucial glycosyltransferases in the synthesis of SCWP in Bacillus anthracis, and their depletion leads to loss of cell morphology and inability to synthesize SCWP.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Y. Zhu, X. He, R. Huang, W. Wang, Y. Yu, T. Zhou
Summary: This study investigated the GGT-producing activity of different Bacillus strains isolated from tea plant rhizosphere soil and identified strain BSFT-42 as the most efficient producer of L-theanine. The GGT from strain BSFT-42 could convert 87.45% of Gln to L-theanine under optimized conditions, indicating its potential for L-theanine production.
APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Heloise Coullon, Thomas Candela
Summary: The cortex and peptidoglycan of Clostridioides difficile have been relatively understudied, but have gained increased interest in recent years due to their highly modified structures. These modifications may play a role in antimicrobial resistance and are crucial for spore cortex synthesis and germination, which are essential in the pathogenesis of the bacterium. Enzymes responsible for these modifications could be potential new drug targets or anti-C. difficile agents.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Celine Posseme, Alba Llibre, Bruno Charbit, Vincent Bondet, Vincent Rouilly, Violaine Saint-Andre, Jeremy Boussier, Jacob Bergstedt, Nikaia Smith, Liam Townsend, Jamie A. Sugrue, Cliona Ni Cheallaigh, Niall Conlon, Maxime Rotival, Michael S. Kobor, Estelle Mottez, Stanislas Pol, Etienne Patin, Matthew L. Albert, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Darragh Duffy
Summary: We found that interferon beta is a major determinant of IL-12p70 production induced by lipopolysaccharide and is associated with circulating monocytes. Reduced IFN beta-IL-12p70 responses were observed in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection or chronic HCV infection, and these responses were resolved after viral clearance. This study provides important insights into the roles of IL-12p70 and IFN beta in healthy and infected individuals and how genetic and epigenetic variation may impact immune responses to bacterial infection.
Article
Immunology
Ignacio Santecchia, Delphine Bonhomme, Stylianos Papadopoulos, Pedro Escoll, Alexandre Giraud-Gatineau, Maryse Moya-Nilges, Frederique Vernel-Pauillac, Ivo Gomperts Boneca, Catherine Werts
Summary: This study reevaluated the intracellular fate of Leptospira interrogans and found that they actively enter macrophages but quickly exit without replicating inside the cells.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jacob Bergstedt, Sadoune Ait Kaci Azzou, Kristin Tsuo, Anthony Jaquaniello, Alejandra Urrutia, Maxime Rotival, David T. S. Lin, Julia L. MacIsaac, Michael S. Kobor, Matthew L. Albert, Darragh Duffy, Etienne Patin, Lluis Quintana-Murci
Summary: This study investigates the impact of DNA sequence variation, age, sex, as well as factors related to life habits and immunity on the DNA methylation of adult blood. It also explores whether these effects are mediated by changes in cellular composition. The results show significant differences in DNA methylation between naive and memory T cells, and reveal that latent cytomegalovirus infection drives DNA methylation variation. Epigenetic drift is identified as the cause of increased DNA methylation dispersion with aging. Cellular composition and DNA sequence variation are found to be the strongest predictors of DNA methylation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Daniel Alvarez-Simon, Saliha Ait Yahia, Patricia de Nadai, Camille Audousset, Mathias Chamaillard, Ivo Gomperts Boneca, Anne Tsicopoulos
Summary: This review article discusses the expression, activation, and function of NLRs in relation to asthma and explores the potential interventions in NLR signaling as immunomodulatory therapies for asthma.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Delphine Bonhomme, Veronica Hernandez-Trejo, Stylianos Papadopoulos, Remi Pigache, Martine Fanton d'Andon, Ahmed Outlioua, Ivo G. Boneca, Catherine Werts
Summary: Leptospira interrogans is capable of infecting all vertebrates and causing leptospirosis, but they do not trigger cell death in macrophages and escape pyroptosis and apoptosis. Instead, they induce mild IL-1b secretion through nonlytic caspase 8-dependent gasdermin D pore formation. Pathogenic L. interrogans prevent caspase 11 dimerization and gasdermin D cleavage, thus escaping massive cell death. This novel mechanism allows leptospires to evade inflammation and potentially contribute to their stealthiness.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Wheeler, Paulo Andre Dias Bastos, Olivier Disson, Aline Rifflet, Ilana Gabanyi, Julia Spielbauer, Marion Berard, Marc Lecuit, Ivo Gomperts Boneca
Summary: Peptidoglycan, the major component of bacterial cell walls, plays a crucial role in affecting physiological and behavioral changes in mammalian hosts. However, the mechanism and regulation of its translocation from the gut to host tissues have not been fully understood. This study investigated the absorption and dissemination of peptidoglycan across the intestine. The results showed that peptidoglycan has a preference for certain host organs, particularly the brain, when absorbed through the gut. The translocation of peptidoglycan is an active process regulated by the microbiota-induced parasympathetic pathway through muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Correction
Immunology
Marion Holzapfel, Delphine Bonhomme, Julie Cagliero, Frederique Vernel-Pauillac, Martine Fanton d'Andon, Sophia Bortolussi, Laurence Fiette, Cyrille Goarant, Elsio A. Wunder, Mathieu Picardeau, Albert I. Ko, Dirk Werling, Mariko Matsui, Ivo G. Boneca, Catherine Werts
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Guillaume Hamion, Willy Aucher, Charles Tardif, Julie Miranda, Caroline Rouger, Christine Imbert, Marion Girardot
Summary: Invasive plants produce bioactive metabolites that can efficiently colonize non-native territories. This study found that extracts from certain invasive plants can inhibit the formation of biofilms by Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Betulinic acid, identified as the most correlated compound, showed promising antibiofilm activity against both strains of bacteria. The combination of chemical and biological data through a bioactivity-based molecular networking approach can help identify potential antibiofilm compounds.
Article
Microbiology
Celine Plainvert, Isabelle Rosinski-Chupin, Antonin Weckel, Clara Lambert, Gerald Touak, Elisabeth Sauvage, Claire Poyart, Philippe Glaser, Agnes Fouet
Summary: This study identified a mutant strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, covST115C, which leads to altered gene expression, affecting the accumulation of two virulence factors and rendering the strain noninvasive. The mutant strain shows reduced responsiveness to environmental signals and is less virulent compared to the wild-type strain. This finding is significant for understanding the mechanisms of S. pyogenes infection.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clara Lambert, Thifaine Poullion, Qiufen Zhang, Alain Schmitt, Jean-Marc Masse, Karine Gloux, Claire Poyart, Agnes Fouet
Summary: Membranes containing lipids are necessary for bacterial growth and interaction with the environment. Bacteria synthesize fatty acids (FAs) through the FASII pathway and can also incorporate exogenous FAs into their lipid biosynthetic pathway. In certain bacteria, such as staphylococci and streptococci, the phosphorylation of exogenous FAs is carried out by the Fak complex, which consists of FakA and FakB subunits. We have identified a new member of the DegV family, named FakB4, which is involved in endogenous FA binding and regulates FA storage or catabolism. Deletion of fakB4 in a particular bacterial strain leads to increased lipid production and extracellular membrane vesicles, suggesting a role in restricting the release of FAs through membrane vesicles.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martin Schwarzer, Umesh Kumar Gautam, Kassem Makki, Anne Lambert, Tomas Brabec, Amelie Joly, Dagmar Srutkova, Pierre Poinsot, Tereza Novotna, Stephanie Geoffroy, Pascal Courtin, Petra Petr Hermanova, Renata C. Matos, Jonathan J. M. Landry, Celine Gerard, Anne-Laure Bulteau, Tomas Hudcovic, Hana Kozakova, Dominik Filipp, Marie -Pierre Chapot-Chartier, Marek Sinkora, Noel Peretti, Ivo Gomperts Boneca, Mathias Chamaillard, Hubert Vidal, Filipe De Vadder, Francois Leulier
Summary: The intestinal microbiota plays a role in postnatal growth, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain LpWJL has been found to support growth in undernourished animals. This strain stimulates insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin production and activity. Cell walls from LpWJL, as well as specific molecules, can promote growth despite undernutrition. NOD2 in intestinal epithelial cells is necessary for LpWJL-mediated IGF-1 production and growth promotion in malnourished animals.
Article
Microbiology
Jeanne Malet-Villemagne, Yucheng Liang, Laurent Evanno, Sandrine Denis-Quanquin, Jean-Emmanuel Hugonnet, Michel Arthur, Claire Janoir, Thomas Candela
Summary: Cell wall glycopolymers (CWGPs) in Gram-positive bacteria have been found to play important roles in various bacterial processes, including surface setup and virulence. The anchoring of CWGPs to peptidoglycan is crucial for bacterial growth and survival. Through studying a specific clinical strain, it was discovered that the competition between CWGPs and peptidoglycan synthesis is essential for bacterial survival.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Clara Lambert, Alice d'Orfani, Marine Gaillard, Qiufen Zhang, Karine Gloux, Claire Poyart, Agnes Fouet
Summary: It has been discovered in this study that AcpB is the main corepressor of FabT in Streptococcus pyogenes, and its deletion affects membrane fatty acid composition and bacterial adhesion to eukaryotic cells. This finding highlights the importance of FASII control.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Pierre-Alexandre Lacotte, Sandrine Denis-Quanquin, Eva Chatonnat, Julie Le Bris, David Leparfait, Thierry Lequeux, Isabelle Martin-Verstraete, Thomas Candela
Summary: The dlt operon encodes proteins responsible for modifying the structure of bacteria, altering the physicochemical properties of the cell surface and reducing sensitivity to antibiotics.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)