Article
Cell Biology
Kai Ma, Man Luo, Guanglei Xie, Xi Wang, Qilin Li, Lei Gao, Hongtao Yu, Xiaochun Yu
Summary: This study reveals that noncoding RNAs, specifically rRNA species, associate with and play an important role in mitotic chromosomes. The proteins Ki-67 and its FHA domain and repeat region are responsible for recognizing and anchoring rRNAs to the chromosomes. Inhibition of chromosome-bound rRNAs impairs mitotic chromosome dispersion.
Article
Microbiology
Sang-Hun Son, Junghwan Lee, Soo-Na Cho, Ji-Ae Choi, Jaewhan Kim, Tam Doan Nguyen, Seong-Ahn Lee, Doyi Son, Chang-Hwa Song
Summary: Novel treatment strategies for tuberculosis (TB), such as host-directed therapeutics, may offer therapeutic options for patients with drug-resistant TB. This study revealed the role of Herp in mediating crosstalk between ER stress and ROS-mediated autophagy during H37Ra infection, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Lucia Vangone, Lorena Cardillo, Marita Georgia Riccardi, Giorgia Borriello, Anna Cerrone, Paolo Coppa, Roberto Scialla, Emanuela Sannino, Gianluca Miletti, Giorgio Galiero, Giovanna Fusco
Summary: A case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was found in a deceased adult male dog in Southern Italy, showing signs of mistreatment. This is the first report of Mycobacterium tuberculosis SIT42 infection in a dog in Italy.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Suresh Kumar, Mehak Zahoor Khan, Neha Khandelwal, Chen Chongtham, Biplab Singha, Ankita Dabla, Debashree Behera, Archana Singh, Balasubramanian Gopal, G. Aneeshkumar Arimbasseri, Siddhesh S. Kamat, Vinay Kumar Nandicoori
Summary: EmbR, a transcription factor, plays crucial roles in modulating cellular morphology, antibiotic resistance, and survival in the host. The study highlights EmbR as a key regulator of the hypoxic response in mycobacterial survival.
Review
Immunology
Alyssa Schami, M. Nurul Islam, John T. Belisle, Jordi B. Torrelles
Summary: Drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pose a threat to global public health and are difficult to treat. Limited research has been conducted on the changes in the cell envelope composition of drug-resistant strains and their impact on infection outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elise Pierson, Florian De Pol, Marianne Fillet, Johan Wouters
Summary: This study provides a structural, biophysical, and enzymological characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis phosphoserine phosphatase MtSerB2. The enzyme exists in dimeric, trimeric, and tetrameric forms with different activity levels and interconverts through a conformationally flexible monomeric state. This research lays the foundation for future allosteric drug discovery and understanding of the enzyme's multifunctional properties.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Cheldon Ann Alcantara, Ira Glassman, Kevin H. Nguyen, Arpitha Parthasarathy, Vishwanath Venketaraman
Summary: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) remains a major cause of death in developing countries. The BCG vaccine is widely used in developing countries but its efficacy is still uncertain. Neutrophils play a crucial role in the immune response against M. tb, promoting clearance of the bacteria and regulating the inflammatory response. This review highlights the role of neutrophils during M. tb infection and emphasizes the need for more research on effective vaccination.
Article
Biology
Ekansh Mittal, Andrew T. Roth, Anushree Seth, Srikanth Singamaneni, Wandy Beatty, Jennifer A. Philips, Bavesh D. Kana
Summary: For decades, researchers have studied the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and macrophages, a major cellular environment for the bacterium. Different methods used to disaggregate Mtb have been found to impact the bacterial cell envelope integrity, macrophage inflammatory responses, and intracellular Mtb survival. Sonication and filtering, two commonly used preparation methods, were found to damage the mycobacterial cell envelope and affect the outcome of infections in mouse macrophages. These findings highlight the potential for experimental artifacts in Mtb-host interaction studies and the interpretation of bacterial mutants due to the widely used disaggregation methods.
Article
Microbiology
Rita Matos, Kaori L. Fonseca, Stefan Mereiter, Ana Raquel Maceiras, Joana Gomes, Cristina Vilaplana, Fatima Gartner, Pedro N. S. Rodrigues, Celso A. Reis, Margarida Saraiva, Ana Magalhaes
Summary: The study reveals an increased expression of the sialylated glycan structure Sialyl-Lewis X (SLeX) in lung epithelium upon M. tuberculosis infection, accompanied by altered tissue transcriptomic signature. This suggests that glycosylation-involved molecular mechanisms may modulate host response to M. tuberculosis infection, potentially shaping TB disease outcome.
Article
Microbiology
Huanhuan Ning, Xuan Liang, Yanling Xie, Lu Bai, Wei Zhang, Lifei Wang, Jian Kang, Yanzhi Lu, Yanling Ma, Guangchun Bai, Yinlan Bai
Summary: This study investigates the role of c-di-AMP in regulating mycobacterial physiology and immunogenicity. Elevated c-di-AMP levels in Mycobacterium smegmatis were found to result in smaller colonies, shorter bacteria length, impaired growth, and inhibition of potassium transporter. The study also discovered that elevated c-di-AMP levels can inhibit biofilm formation and induce porphyrin accumulation, which may affect drug resistance and virulence of mycobacterium.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Sasha E. Larsen, Jesse H. Erasmus, Valerie A. Reese, Tiffany Pecor, Jacob Archer, Amit Kandahar, Fan-Chi Hsu, Katrina Nicholes, Steven G. Reed, Susan L. Baldwin, Rhea N. Coler
Summary: In this study, two delivery platforms were used to assess the efficacy of prophylactic vaccines against M.tb infection in mice. Both protein subunit- and RNA-based vaccines reduced bacterial burden and induced unique immune responses. This suggests that repRNA platforms are a viable option for TB vaccines that contain CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes.
Article
Immunology
Xinying Zhou, Linmiao Lie, Yao Liang, Hui Xu, Bo Zhu, Yingqi Huang, Lijie Zhang, Zelin Zhang, Qianna Li, Qi Wang, Zhenyu Han, Yulan Huang, Honglin Liu, Shengfeng Hu, Chaoying Zhou, Qian Wen, Li Ma
Summary: This study reveals the significant role of GSK-3alpha/beta pathway in regulating immune response of macrophages to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. It also demonstrates that PKC-delta and mTOR can influence the activation of GSK-3alpha/beta and subsequently regulate the expression of MMP-1/9. These findings provide new insights into the immune escape mechanism of tuberculosis and the crosstalk between critical signaling pathways.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Mariana Herrera, Yoav Keynan, Lucelly Lopez, Diana Marin, Lazaro Velez, Paul J. McLaren, Zulma Vanessa Rueda
Summary: We studied the immune changes in newly acquired tuberculosis infection in a population deprived of liberty in Colombian prisons. We found differences in immune levels between individuals with new tuberculosis infection and those incarcerated for short and long periods of time. Certain cytokines/chemokines were associated with new tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Balazs Mero, Kitti Koprivanacz, Anna Cserkaszky, Laszlo Radnai, Virag Vas, Gyongyi Kudlik, Gergo Gogl, Peter Sok, Adam L. Poti, Balint Szeder, Laszlo Nyitray, Attila Remenyi, Miklos Geiszt, Laszlo Buday
Summary: Tks4 scaffold protein is a crucial regulator of cell motility by being essential for podosome and invadopodia formation, as well as participating in the EGF signaling pathway. It shares structural similarities with p47(phox) in its N-terminal region and may be regulated by an intramolecular interaction similar to p47(phox).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Poornima Sankar, Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra
Summary: Tuberculosis remains a global health challenge, causing a significant number of deaths every year. The interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and innate immune cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, plays a crucial role in the host defense against the infection. However, our understanding of these interactions is still limited. This review focuses on exploring the early host-pathogen interactions and the contribution of various innate immune cells and mucosal barrier in tuberculosis immunity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
P. von Morgen, K. Burdova, T. G. Flower, N. J. O'Reilly, S. J. Boulton, S. J. Smerdon, L. Macurek, Z. Horejsi
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jacob P. Brady, Patrick J. Farber, Ashok Sekhar, Yi-Hsuan Lin, Rui Huang, Alaji Bah, Timothy J. Nott, Hue Sun Chan, Andrew J. Baldwin, Julie D. Forman-Kay, Lewis E. Kay
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joao P. Pisco, Cesira de Chiara, Kamila J. Pacholarz, Acely Garza-Garcia, Roksana W. Ogrodowicz, Philip A. Walker, Perdita E. Barran, Stephen J. Smerdon, Luiz Pedro S. de Carvalho
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2017)
Article
Microbiology
Barbara Rieck, Giulia Degiacomi, Michael Zimmermann, Alessandro Cascioferro, Francesca Boldrin, Natalie R. Lazar-Adler, Andrew R. Bottrill, Fabien le Chevalier, Wafa Frigui, Marco Bellinzoni, Maria-Natalia Lisa, Pedro M. Alzari, Liem Nguyen, Roland Brosch, Uwe Sauer, Riccardo Manganelli, Helen M. O'Hare
Article
Microbiology
Nabanita Bhattacharyya, Irene Nailain Nkumama, Zaccheus Newland-Smith, Li-Ying Lin, Wen Yin, Rebecca E. Cullen, Jack S. Griffiths, Alexander R. Jarvis, Michael J. Price, Pei Ying Chong, Russell Wallis, Helen M. O'Hare
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tristan Wagner, Gwenaelle Andre-Leroux, Valerie Hindie, Nathalie Barilone, Maria-Natalia Lisa, Sylviane Hoos, Bertrand Raynal, Brigitte Vulliez-Le Normand, Helen M. O'Hare, Marco Bellinzoni, Pedro M. Alzari
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iswahyudi, Galina Mukamolova, Anna A. Straatman-Iwanowska, Natalie Allcock, Paul Ajuh, Obolbek Turapov, Helen M. O'Hare
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kawther Alqaseer, Obolbek Turapov, Philippe Barthe, Heena Jagatia, Angelique De Visch, Christian Roumestand, Malgorzata Wegrzyn, Iona L. Bartek, Martin Voskuil, Helen M. O'Hare, Paul Ajuh, Andrew R. Bottrill, Adam A. Witney, Martin Cohen-Gonsaud, Simon J. Waddell, Galina Mukamolova
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robeena Farzand, Kumar Rajakumar, Roxana Zamudio, Marco R. Oggioni, Michael R. Barer, Helen M. O'Hare
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Robeena Farzand, Kumar Rajakumar, Michael R. Barer, Primrose P. E. Freestone, Galina Mukamolova, Marco R. Oggioni, Helen M. O'Hare
Summary: The study revealed that the siderophore importer YbtPQ affects antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae, potentially involving antimicrobial efflux. Deletion of the mobile genetic element ICEKp increased susceptibility to antimicrobials in pathogenic bacteria. Introduction of ICEKp or a plasmid encoding YbtPQ in E. coli decreased susceptibility to a broad range of antimicrobials.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Marjorie Fournier, Amelie Rodrigue, Larissa Milano, Jean-Yves Bleuyard, Anthony M. Couturier, Jacob Wall, Jessica Ellins, Svenja Hester, Stephen J. Smerdon, Laszlo Tora, Jean-Yves Masson, Fumiko Esashi
Summary: The tumour suppressor PALB2 stimulates homologous recombination (HR) repair of DNA damage and protects active genes during DNA replication. Acetylation of the 7K-patch within the PALB2 chromatin association motif (ChAM) by KAT2A/2B enhances PALB2's association with nucleosomes. DNA damage triggers deacetylation of ChAM and increases PALB2's mobility. Mutations in the 7K-patch affect PALB2's chromatin binding, leading to defects in RAD51 foci formation and decreased cell survival.
Article
Microbiology
Robeena Farzand, Richard D. Haigh, Philip Monk, Pranabashis Haldar, Hemu Patel, Manish Pareek, Raman Verma, Michael R. Barer, Gerrit Woltmann, Lauren Ahyow, Heena Jagatia, Jonathan Decker, Galina V. Mukamolova, Andrea M. Cooper, Natalie J. Garton, Helen M. O'Hare
Summary: The genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis plays a role in disease severity and transmissibility. In this study, the phenotyping of M. tuberculosis from a persistent outbreak in the UK revealed higher lipid contents and more hydrophobic cell surfaces compared to nonoutbreak isolates. Deletions in specific genes were also found in the outbreak isolates, potentially altering the interactions between the bacteria and immune cells. Reintroduction of one of these genes led to a phenotype resembling nonoutbreak strains. Understanding the microbiological characteristics and genetic polymorphisms associated with outbreaks can inform tuberculosis control strategies.
Article
Cell Biology
Michael D. Crabtree, Jack Holland, Arvind S. Pillai, Purnima S. Kompella, Leon Babl, Noah N. Turner, James T. Eaton, Georg K. A. Hochberg, Dirk G. A. L. Aarts, Christina Redfield, Andrew J. Baldwin, Timothy J. Nott
Summary: Membraneless organelles, or biomolecular condensates, compartmentalize material and processes into unique biochemical environments. The stability, dynamics, interfaces, and selective partitioning of molecules in biomolecular condensates are regulated by repulsive and attractive electrostatic interactions. Signaling ions, such as calcium, can alter repulsions between condensate proteins by changing their charge through binding to negatively charged amino acid sidechains. A polymerization model combined with generalized stickers and spacers accurately quantifies and predicts condensate stability over a wide range of conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jack Holland, Alfonso A. Castrejon-Pita, Remco Tuinier, Dirk G. A. L. Aarts, Timothy J. Nott
Summary: The study presents a method to evaluate the surface tension of model biomolecular condensates using straightforward sessile drop measurements. It demonstrates the detrimental impact of increased protein net charge on the surface tension of Ddx4N condensates. The study also explores the application of Scheutjens-Fleer theory to calculate condensate surface tensions and evaluate molecular organization at condensate surfaces.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Bassam Abu-Libdeh, Satpal S. Jhujh, Srijita Dhar, Joshua A. Sommers, Arindam Datta, Gabriel M. C. Longo, Laura J. Grange, John J. Reynolds, Sophie L. Cooke, Gavin S. McNee, Robert Hollingworth, Beth L. Woodward, Anil N. Ganesh, Stephen J. Smerdon, Claudia M. Nicolae, Karina Durlacher-Betzer, Vered Molho-Pessach, Abdulsalam Abu-Libdeh, Vardiella Meiner, George-Lucian Moldovan, Vassilis Roukos, Tamar Harel, Robert M. Brosh, Grant S. Stewart
Summary: This study identified a genetic instability disorder named RECON syndrome, caused by mutations in the RECQL gene. The affected individuals exhibited multiple symptoms, such as short stature and progeroid facial features. This research expands the association of the RecQ helicase family with human genomic stability disorders.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)