Review
Immunology
Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Jhenifer Santos dos Reis, Marcos Andre Rodrigues da Costa Santos, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca-Previato, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima
Summary: Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, was described by Dr. Carlos Chagas in the early 20th century. One important discovery was trans-sialidase, an enzyme that masks the parasite's presence and dampens the immune response. Research into the disease has identified key events in the biochemical mechanism of T. cruzi-host cell interactions.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Daichi Sahashi, Yurina Kubo, Mika Ishii, Asami Ikeda, Chiharu Yamasaki, Masaharu Komatsu, Kazuhiro Shiozaki
Summary: Neu1 sialidase plays a crucial role in regulating lysosomal degradation in macrophages, thus affecting the susceptibility of fish to bacterial infection.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Zhimin Lv, Hongyu Liu, Huifang Hao, Faiz-Ur Rahman, Yongmin Zhang
Summary: This review summarizes the chemical synthesis methods of oligosaccharides and their application in medicinal chemistry, highlighting their great potential in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raju Bej, Rainer Haag
Summary: Mucus hydrogels at biointerfaces play a crucial role in protecting against foreign pathogens and facilitating biological functions of underlying cells. Developing a synthetic model system that mimics the properties and functions of native mucus and can be synthesized on a large scale would greatly advance mucus-related research for understanding infectious diseases. However, synthesizing such biofunctional hydrogels in the lab is highly challenging due to their complex chemical compositions and specific chemical interactions within the gel network. This perspective discusses the chemical structures and physicochemical interactions responsible for the unique properties and functions of mucus hydrogels, explores different approaches for preparing mucus-inspired hydrogels, and highlights the challenges and opportunities in achieving desired de novo synthetic mucus hydrogels.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Mei Peng, Fang Chen, Zhongdao Wu, Jia Shen
Summary: Endoplasmic reticulum stress can be induced when cellular protein homeostasis is damaged, and parasitic infection can cause ER stress in host cells, with parasites also potentially possessing part or all of the unfolded protein response.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
H. A. Walters, L. A. Temesvari
Summary: Protozoan parasites are single-celled eukaryotic organisms that cause significant human disease and pose a substantial health and socioeconomic burden worldwide. Transcription factors, which were previously thought to be undruggable, are now considered appealing drug targets for anti-parasitic drug design. Understanding parasite transcriptional pathways and how parasites alter host gene expression will be essential in discovering innovative drug targets.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Garhima Arora, Mallar Banerjee, Jimpi Langthasa, Ramray Bhat, Samrat Chatterjee
Summary: The formation of spheroids is closely related to peritoneal metastasis, disease recurrence, and poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer. This study explored the mechanistic associations between metabolism and phenotypic transitions, and identified potential drug targets for inhibiting cancer progression. Experimental validation confirmed the inhibitory effects of the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir on spheroidogenesis in ovarian cancer cell lines.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cecile Echalier, Anna Rutkowska, Ana Kojic, Douglas W. Thomson, Lee J. Edwards, Blandine S. J. McKay, Marcel Muelbaier, Carsten Schultz, Giovanna Bergamini
Summary: Click chemistry probes have significantly enhanced the study of drug interactions in live cells and relevant disease models. The design of the probes, including the choice of the click moiety coupled to the drug, is crucial for ensuring good performance and broad application. The new trans-cyclooctene derivative amTCO has improved the physical chemical properties of click chemistry probes, particularly in measuring the binding affinities of small molecule inhibitors to IDO1 in cells.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Pragya Prasanna, Prakash Kumar, Saptarshi Mandal, Tanvi Payal, Saurabh Kumar, Sk Ugir Hossain, Prolay Das, V Ravichandiran, Debabrata Mandal
Summary: Gold nanoparticles synthesized with 7,8-dihydroxyflavone exhibit high biological activity against Leishmania donovani, inhibiting the activity of the parasite's enzyme. Additionally, a Th1/Th2-mediated cytokine response in macrophages indicates cell death in response to the nanoparticles.
Article
Microbiology
Gabriela de A. Burle-Caldas, Nailma S. A. dos Santos, Julia T. de Castro, Fernanda L. B. Mugge, Viviane Grazielle-Silva, Antonio Edson R. Oliveira, Milton C. A. Pereira, Joo Luis Reis-Cunha, Anderson Coqueiro dos Santos, Dawidson Assis Gomes, Daniella C. Bartholomeu, Nilmar S. Moretti, Sergio Schenkman, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Santuza M. R. Teixeira
Summary: Trans-sialidases (TS) are enzymes present on the surface of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and play a crucial role in the late stages of intracellular development and parasite egress. In this study, TS knockout parasites were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, resulting in impaired parasite egress from infected cells. These TS mutants lost their ability to cause infection in vivo but provided full protection against a challenge infection with a virulent strain, indicating their potential as a live attenuated vaccine against Chagas disease.
Article
Microbiology
Gabriela de A. Burle-Caldas, Nailma S. A. dos Santos, Julia T. de Castro, Fernanda L. B. Mugge, Viviane Grazielle-Silva, Antonio Edson R. Oliveira, Milton C. A. Pereira, Joao Luis Reis-Cunha, Anderson Coqueiro dos Santos, Dawidson Assis Gomes, Daniella C. Bartholomeu, Nilmar S. Moretti, Sergio Schenkman, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Santuza M. R. Teixeira
Summary: Trans-sialidases play a crucial role in the virulence of Trypanosoma cruzi, and using CRISPR-Cas9, aTS mutant parasites were generated which lost infectivity in vivo but provided full protection against a challenge infection with a virulent strain.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Martin Frank, Elena Kuhfeldt, Jonathan Cramer, Carsten Watzl, Horst Prescher
Summary: This study reports the discovery of novel sialic acid derivatives binding to Siglec-7, which opens up new opportunities for the rational design of Siglec-7 inhibitors. The study also provides strategies on how to use and visualize MD simulations to describe and investigate sialoside-Siglec complexes.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Bethany A. Crooks, Darrin Mckenzie, Luke C. Cadd, Ciaran J. McCoy, Paul McVeigh, Nikki J. Marks, Aaron G. Maule, Angela Mousley, Louise E. Atkinson
Summary: The endocannabinoid signalling system has been broadly conserved across the Nematoda phylum, including therapeutically and agriculturally relevant species. The EC-effectors display clade and lifestyle-specific conservation patterns, with filarial species possessing a reduced EC-effector complement. There are key differences between nematode and vertebrate EC-effectors. The life stage-, tissue-, and sex-specific expression profiles of EC-effectors suggest a role for ECS in therapeutically relevant parasitic nematodes. This study is the most comprehensive characterization of ECS pathways in the Nematoda phylum and provides insight into nematode ECS complexity.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Juan Cruz Gamba, Carolina Roldan, Estefania Prochetto, Giuliana Lupi, Ivan Bontempi, Carolina Veronica Poncini, Monica Vermeulen, Ana Rosa Perez, Ivan Marcipar, Gabriel Cabrera
Summary: The study demonstrates the significant influence of MDSCs on the immune response during T. cruzi infection, even in vaccinated mice, impacting various immune cell populations. Targeting MDSCs may be an effective tool in vaccine design against T. cruzi and potentially other conditions characterized by immune system subversion.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lingbo Sun, Yuhan Zhang, Wenyan Li, Jing Zhang, Yuecheng Zhang
Summary: Mucin glycans are crucial for the mucus barrier and their abnormal expression is associated with diseases like cancer. Therefore, targeting mucin glycans for cancer diagnosis and treatment is a promising research direction.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simone Dedola, Michael D. Rugen, Robert J. Young, Robert A. Field
Article
Plant Sciences
Barbara Pfister, Samuel C. Zeeman, Michael D. Rugen, Robert A. Field, Oliver Ebenhoeh, Adelaide Raguin
PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karan Wangpaiboon, Nisachon Waiyaseesang, Pawinee Panpetch, Thanapon Charoenwongpaiboon, Sergey A. Nepogodiev, Sanong Ekgasit, Robert A. Field, Rath Pichayangkura
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Peterson de Andrade, Juan C. Munoz-Garcia, Giulia Pergolizzi, Valeria Gabrielli, Sergey A. Nepogodiev, Dinu Iuga, Laszlo Fabian, Rinat Nigmatullin, Marcus A. Johns, Robert Harniman, Stephen J. Eichhorn, Jesus Angulo, Yaroslav Z. Khimyak, Robert A. Field
Summary: Understanding the self-assembly of building blocks into complex hierarchical structures is a major challenge in designing soft-matter materials. A series of fluorinated cellodextrins were prepared by chemoenzymatic synthesis and their structural characterization revealed unprecedented features, with multiply 6-fluorinated chains assembling into particles with unique morphological and crystallinity properties.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alexander N. Baker, Sarah-Jane Richards, Collette S. Guy, Thomas R. Congdon, Muhammad Hasan, Alexander J. Zwetsloot, Angelo Gallo, Jozef R. Lewandowski, Phillip J. Stansfeld, Anne Straube, Marc Walker, Simona Chessa, Giulia Pergolizzi, Simone Dedola, Robert A. Field, Matthew Gibson
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
J. Baruah, C. Chaliha, E. Kalita, B. K. Nath, R. A. Field, P. Deb
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valeria Gabrielli, Juan C. Munoz-Garcia, Giulia Pergolizzi, Peterson De Andrade, Yaroslav Z. Khimyak, Robert A. Field, Jesus Angulo
Summary: Cellulose-based beta-1 -> 4-glucan polysaccharides are ideal candidates for various biotechnological applications due to their unique physicochemical properties, but accessing them with high purity at scale remains challenging. Enzymatic approaches, such as using the versatile enzyme CDP from Ruminiclostridium thermocellum, offer eco-friendly alternatives for production of diverse cellulose-based structures. Detailed understanding of the enzyme's molecular recognition of substrates in solution is crucial for fully exploiting its broad binding specificity.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Peterson de Andrade, Sanaz Ahmadipour, Robert A. Field
Summary: In this study, a series of 1,2,3-triazole-linked sialic acid derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their activity against TcTS and neuraminidase. The compounds showed minimal inhibition of TcTS, while displaying significant inhibition of neuraminidase. This suggests that there are differences between neuraminidase and TcTS, possibly due to steric hindrance caused by a bulky hydrophobic loop in TcTS.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gregory S. Bulmer, Peterson de Andrade, Robert A. Field, Jolanda M. van Munster
Summary: This review summarizes recent developments in enzymatic synthesis of 8-glucans and cellulose, focusing on the types of biocatalysts used, their incorporation in cascades, exploitation of enzyme promiscuity and engineering, as well as the reaction conditions affecting production and in situ self-assembly of (non)functionalized glucans. Achievements in the application of glycosyl transferases and 8-1,4- and 8-1,3-glucan phosphorylases highlight the high potential and versatility of these biocatalysts in glucan synthesis in both industrial and academic settings.
CARBOHYDRATE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ravindra Pal Singh, Raja Bhaiyya, Raksha Thakur, Jayashree Niharika, Chandrajeet Singh, Dimitrios Latousakis, Gerhard Saalbach, Sergey A. Nepogodiev, Praveen Singh, Sukesh Chander Sharma, Shantanu Sengupta, Nathalie Juge, Robert A. Field
Summary: This study characterized the ability of Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Blautia producta strains to utilize xylan derivatives. The findings revealed the enzymatic properties and mechanisms of these strains in xylooligosaccharide (XOS) utilization and proposed an XOS metabolism pathway model for L. reuteri and B. producta. Additionally, the study highlighted the extended xylanolytic potential of the gut microbiota.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alice R. Cross, Sumita Roy, Mirella Vivoli Vega, Martin Rejzek, Sergey A. Nepogodiev, Matthew Cliff, Debbie Salmon, Michail N. Isupov, Robert A. Field, Joann L. Prior, Nicholas J. Harmer
Summary: This study found that the orthologs StrM and CBU1838 in bacteria Streptomyces griseus and Coxiella burnetii, respectively, have similar functions to the TDP enzyme and can support the biosynthesis of TDP-rhamnose. The research also showed that there are differences in proton exchange rates at the 3 and 5 positions, and the enzymes form an active site through binding with TDP. This is important for understanding the complete biosynthetic pathways of these unique sugars.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Sanaz Ahmadipour, Alice J. C. Wahart, Jonathan P. Dolan, Laura Beswick, Chris S. Hawes, Robert A. Field, Gavin J. Miller
Summary: Sufferers of cystic fibrosis are at risk of chronic bacterial lung infections caused by mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study presents the design and synthesis of sugar nucleotide tools to study the enzyme GMD involved in alginate biosynthesis. The synthesis of GDP 6-chloro-6-deoxy-o-mannose was achieved using a chemoenzymatic method and its activity against GMD was evaluated.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biology
ThankGod Echezona Ebenezer, Ross S. Low, Ellis Charles O'Neill, Ishuo Huang, Antonio DeSimone, Scott C. Farrow, Robert A. Field, Michael L. Ginger, Sergio Adrian Guerrero, Michael Hammond, Vladimir Hampl, Geoff Horst, Takahiro Ishikawa, Anna Karnkowska, Eric W. Linton, Peter Myler, Masami Nakazawa, Pierre Cardol, Rosina Sanchez-Thomas, Barry J. Saville, Mahfuzur R. Shah, Alastair G. B. Simpson, Aakash Sur, Kengo Suzuki, Kevin M. Tyler, Paul V. Zimba, Neil Hall, Mark C. Field
Summary: Euglenoids are unicellular flagellates with wide geographical and ecological distribution. They have biotechnological potential and show promise in fields such as biofuels, nutraceuticals, bioremediation, cancer treatments, and robotics design. However, the lack of reference genomes hinders the development of these applications. The Euglena International Network aims to overcome these challenges.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alexander N. Baker, George W. Hawker-Bond, Panagiotis G. Georgiou, Simone Dedola, Robert A. Field, Matthew Gibson
Summary: This article introduces the potential of glycans coupled to gold nanoparticles as recognition agents for lateral flow diagnostics. The concept of lateral flow is first introduced, with a case study comparing its use in the field to other diagnostic tools. The use of glycosylated materials and the affinity gains achieved by the cluster glycoside effect are then discussed. Finally, the potential role of glycans in lateral flow is explained, and examples of their successful use are provided.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brydie A. Thomas-Moore, Carla Arnau del Valle, Robert A. Field, Maria J. Marin
Summary: The rise of antibacterial drug resistance has led to limited treatment options, and alternative strategies such as antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) are being explored. This technique relies on light, oxygen, and a non-toxic dye to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. Nanotechnology-based techniques have shown potential in addressing the limitations of current aPDT.
PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
