Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carly Merritt, Elizabeth M. Chun, Rasem J. Fattah, Lakmali M. Silva, Quinn Q. Ma, Mahtab Moayeri, Dennis Paliga, Sebastian Neumann, Rolf Heumann, Stephen H. Leppla, Thomas H. Bugge
Summary: This study presents a method to visualize anthrax toxin intoxication in animals and reveals the differential roles of CMG-2 and TEM-8 receptors in intoxication of different organs. It also demonstrates that CMG-2 is the dominant receptor on leukocytes.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Songhai Tian, Yang Liu, Evan Appleton, Huan Wang, George M. Church, Min Dong
Summary: In this study, protein-based delivery systems were developed using detoxified single-chain bacterial toxins as carriers. These systems can deliver large protein cargoes into specific cells in a receptor-dependent manner. Delivery of Cas13a, CasRx, Cas9, and Cre recombinase had different effects on gene expression in various cell lines.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shan Pu, Chaoting Shi, Caizhi Lv, Kailai Xu, Xiandeng Hou, Lan Wu
Summary: In this study, a novel strategy for the sensitive and rapid detection of pathogenic bacterial spores was developed using Tb3+ combined with glutathione (GSH)-modified copper nanoclusters (CuNCs). An aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probe based on Tb-GSH-CuNCs was fabricated for dipicolinic acid (DPA) sensing. The multicolor response to DPA exhibited a feature of rich color gradients and highly discriminative color change, allowing a dosage-sensitive visual quantification of DPA. Together with a smartphone app, a portable platform for sensitive DPA quantification in the field or on-site settings was established.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Weiming Ouyang, Tao Xie, Hui Fang, David M. Frucht
Summary: Anthrax toxin is a key virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis. Anti-PA antibodies have been developed for the treatment of anthrax infection, but current assays do not fully capture the pathological functions of anthrax toxin. This study reports the development of a cell-based gene reporter potency assay to measure the effectiveness of anti-PA antibodies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthias Przyklenk, Stefanie Elisabeth Heumueller, Carolin Freiburg, Steffen Luetke, Gerhard Sengle, Manuel Koch, Mats Paulsson, Alvise Schiavinato, Raimund Wagener
Summary: This study investigates the biochemical mechanisms and receptor interactions of the Kunitz domain-related adipokine endotrophin. The findings suggest that the cellular receptor for C5/endotrophin still remains unknown.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wenxing Liu, Ekaterina M. Nestorovich
Summary: The protective antigen channel plays a central role in the anthrax exotoxin, facilitating the delivery of toxin components into the host cell. This channel can be reengineered for targeted cancer therapeutic treatments, providing a sophisticated mechanism for protein transport.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tuvshinzaya Zorigt, Yoshikazu Furuta, Manyando Simbotwe, Akihiro Ochi, Mai Tsujinouchi, Misheck Shawa, Tomoko Shimizu, Norikazu Isoda, Jargalsaikhan Enkhtuya, Hideaki Higashi
Summary: Anthrax, a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, requires effective surveillance and control measures. A new non-cross-reactive ELISA method specific to CapA antigen antibodies was developed, providing potential for anthrax monitoring and vaccine development. The study identified immunoreactive proteins that could enhance current or future vaccine strategies.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
G. C. Bibek, Peng Zhou, Chenggang Wu
Summary: The study introduces a new counterselection marker, the hicA gene, for the genetic manipulation of Fusobacterium nucleatum. The truncated hicA gene was found to express a functional toxin in F. nucleatum, allowing for efficient in-frame deletions in the wild-type background. This novel hicA-based counterselection system provides a reliable tool for studying the virulence factors of Fusobacterium.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Nicole J. Yang, Joerg Isensee, Dylan Neel, Andreza U. Quadros, Han-Xiong Bear Zhang, Justas Lauzadis, Sai Man Liu, Stephanie Shiers, Andreea Belu, Shilpa Palan, Sandra Marlin, Jacquie Maignel, Angela Kennedy-Curran, Victoria S. Tong, Mahtab Moayeri, Pascal Roederer, Anja Nitzsche, Mike Lu, Bradley L. Pentelute, Oliver Bruestle, Vineeta Tripathi, Keith A. Foster, Theodore J. Price, R. John Collier, Stephen H. Leppla, Michelino Puopolo, Bruce P. Bean, Thiago M. Cunha, Tim Hucho, Isaac M. Chiu
Summary: The study reveals that anthrax toxin can induce potent analgesia in mice by targeting nociceptive neurons. Interaction between bacterial toxin and nociceptors alters signaling and function of neurons. This finding may lead to the development of new pain therapeutics.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Indhra Priyadharshini, Sirisha Varala, Tallapaka Karthik Bharadwaj, Ananthula Venkata Krishna
Summary: Infantile Systemic Hyalinosis is a rare disorder characterized by various dermatological and systemic manifestations. It is caused by mutations in the ANTXR2 gene.
INDIAN JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Madhulata Kumari, Naidu Subbarao
Summary: The aim of this study was to develop a one-dimensional convolutional neural network-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (1D-CNN-QSAR) model for identifying novel anthrax inhibitors and analyzing chemical space. The 1D-CNN-QSAR model showed a mean square error of 0.045 and a predicted correlation coefficient of 0.79 for the test set. Chemical space analysis revealed high fragment pair similarity and identified specific fragments associated with activity cliffs. These findings provide a basis for developing potent novel drug candidates for anthrax using the proposed model and fingerprint analysis.
FUTURE MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)