Article
Food Science & Technology
Xin Tan, Jun Qiao, Qing Zhou, Danyang Huang, Hedan Li, Jianli Wang, Xiaoyuan Wang
Summary: The study identified that VP_RS21300 encodes a phosphoethanolamine transferase in Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which plays an important role in polymyxins resistance and pathogenicity.
Article
Microbiology
Willames M. B. S. Martins, Evelin R. Martins, Leticia K. de Andrade, Refath Farzana, Timothy R. Walsh, Mark A. Toleman, Mara C. L. Nogueira, Ana C. Gales
Summary: This study characterized a multidrug-resistant Enterobacter spp. isolate from a patient in a Brazilian tertiary hospital in 2014, showing the presence of new beta-lactamase variants and a mobile colistin resistance gene.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Deborah A. Ribardo, Jeremiah J. Johnson, David R. Hendrixson
Summary: The study reveals how the flagellar motor of Campylobacter jejuni modulates swimming velocity in different viscosity environments. VidA and VidB are identified as the primary determinants, with VidA being required for swimming in low-viscosity environments and VidB acting as a brake or clutch to slow swimming velocity in low-viscosity environments.
Article
Cell Biology
Yongchang Xu, Haiyi Chen, Huimin Zhang, Saif Ullah, Tingjun Hou, Youjun Feng
Summary: The study identified a functional variant (Ah762) of MCR-3 in certain Aeromonas species through genetic duplication and amplification, with a hinge linker termed Linker 59 playing a determining role in MCR activity and assisting inactive MCR variants in regaining colistin resistance. This facilitator ensures the formation of a substrate-accessible pocket within MCR-3-like enzymes, providing a novel insight into colistin resistance mechanism.
Review
Immunology
Se-Hun Kim, Ramachandran Chelliah, Sudha Rani Ramakrishnan, Ayyappasamy Sudalaiyadum Perumal, Woo-Suk Bang, Momna Rubab, Eric Banan-Mwine Daliri, Kaliyan Barathikannan, Fazle Elahi, Eunji Park, Hyeon Yeong Jo, Su-Bin Hwang, Deog Hwan Oh
Summary: Campylobacter spp. are the leading cause of bacterial colon infections in humans globally, and their stress-adaptation mechanisms differ from other enteropathogenic bacteria, allowing them to survive in diverse environments and enhance their resistance mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ana Beatriz Souza Flor dos Santos, Manuele Figueiredo da Silva, Joao Xavier de Araujo-Junior, Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Junior
Summary: Bacterial resistance, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, has become a major global concern impacting around 500,000 individuals in 22 countries. The mcr-1 gene, initially identified in animals but quickly spreading to humans in 70 countries, confers resistance to last-resort drugs like polymyxin B and colistin. Studies on natural compounds, such as azidothymidine and isoalantholactone, show promise in combating the resistance attributed by the mcr-1 gene.
CURRENT DRUG TARGETS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ying-Shu Liao, Bo-Han Chen, Ru-Hsiou Teng, You-Wun Wang, Jui-Hsien Chang, Shiu-Yun Liang, Chi-Sen Tsao, Yu-Ping Hong, Hui-Yung Sung, Chien-Shun Chiou
Summary: Research in Taiwan has shown that C. coli and C. jejuni are highly resistant to most therapeutic antimicrobials. Whole-genome sequencing was used to analyze genetic diversity among isolates and genetic resistance determinants associated with antimicrobial resistance.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jose A. Rodrigues, Wonhee Cha, Rebekah E. Mosci, Sanjana Mukherjee, Duane W. Newton, Paul Lephart, Hossein Salimnia, Walid Khalife, James T. Rudrik, Shannon D. Manning
Summary: In a four-year active surveillance study at four metropolitan hospitals in Michigan, an increasing trend in Campylobacter jejuni infections was observed. Analysis of 214 C. jejuni isolates revealed widespread antibiotic resistance, with differences in infection rates by hospital type and patient characteristics associated with disease severity.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Van C. Thai, Keith A. Stubbs, Mitali Sarkar-Tyson, Charlene M. Kahler
Summary: Antibiotic resistance caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria is a global public health challenge. Polymyxins, the last-line antibiotics, are increasingly being used to treat MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections, but the development of resistance renders them ineffective. This review provides a comprehensive overview of PEA transferases in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, including their function, structure, and mechanism of action. It also summarizes the current progress in drug development targeting this enzyme family to reverse antibiotic resistance and restore the efficacy of polymyxins in empirical therapy.
Article
Microbiology
Su-Hyun Kim, Sohyeon Yun, Woojun Park
Summary: This study investigated the degree of polymyxin B (PMB) resistance in clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates and identified the characteristics of PMB-resistant strains.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Marek Bogacz, Faiha M. El Abbar, Claudia A. Cox, Jiaqi Li, Jarred S. Fiedler, Lynn K. H. Tran, Paul M. H. Tran, C. Luke Daugherty, Kate H. Blake, Zhirui Wang, Parastoo Azadi, Stuart A. Thompson
Summary: The study identified the FliW binding site on CsrA in Campylobacter jejuni and found that specific mutations (V51A and N55A) significantly decreased FliW binding. These mutations, as well as the conservation of certain residues in bacterial species, suggest a potential regulation mechanism by FliW in bacterial CsrA proteins.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Matteo Cervoni, Davide Sposato, Alessandra Lo Sciuto, Francesco Imperi
Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa has the potential to develop colistin resistance through lipopolysaccharide modification, with L-Ara4N being the preferred mechanism over PEtN addition. The regulation of eptA in P. aeruginosa is not well understood, so this study aimed to investigate its expression and contribution to colistin resistance. The results showed that eptA was only slightly induced under certain stress conditions and did not confer colistin resistance. On the other hand, mutations leading to colistin resistance consistently triggered arn expression instead of eptA. Overall, these findings suggest that eptA may have limited contribution to colistin resistance in P. aeruginosa due to regulatory restraints.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Shanwei Tong, Luyao Ma, Jennifer Ronholm, William Hsiao, Xiaonan Lu
Summary: Campylobacter is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, and whole genome sequencing has been proven to be a robust and efficient tool for monitoring this microbe in food chain surveillance.
CURRENT OPINION IN FOOD SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuki Otsuka, Hideharu Hagiya, Misa Takahashi, Shinnosuke Fukushima, Ruri Maeda, Naruhiko Sunada, Haruto Yamada, Masayuki Kishida, Koji Fujita, Fumio Otsuka
Summary: In this retrospective, multicenter study, the clinical characteristics of Campylobacter bacteremia in western Japan were investigated. The study revealed that nearly half of the patients presented with fever as the main symptom, rather than gastrointestinal symptoms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Shenmiao Li, Kelvin Ka-wan Chan, Marti Z. Hua, Greta Goelz, Xiaonan Lu
Summary: Decanoic acid and lauric acid were found to inhibit AI-2 activity of C. jejuni and reduce biofilm biomass and motility. These findings can aid in developing alternative C. jejuni control strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katie N. Kang, Dustin R. Klein, Misha I. Kazi, Francois Guerin, Vincent Cattoir, Jennifer S. Brodbelt, Joseph M. Boll
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Augusto Cesar Hunt-Serracin, Brian J. Parks, Joseph Boll, Cara C. Boutte
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christopher D. Fage, Thomas Lathouwers, Michiel Vanmeert, Ling-Jie Gao, Kristof Vrancken, Eveline-Marie Lammens, Angus N. M. Weir, Ruben Degroote, Harry Cuppens, Simone Kosol, Thomas J. Simpson, Matthew P. Crump, Christine L. Willis, Piet Herdewijn, Eveline Lescrinier, Rob Lavigne, Jozef Anne, Joleen Masschelein
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Milda Kaniusaite, Julien Tailhades, Tiia Kittila, Christopher D. Fage, Robert J. A. Goode, Ralf B. Schittenhelm, Max J. Cryle
Summary: The biosynthesis of glycopeptide antibiotics demonstrates the exceptional ability of nonribosomal peptide synthesis to generate diverse and complex structures. An important study on the NRPS assembly lines involved in synthesizing GPAs revealed that they function as dynamic peptide assembly lines, allowing for flexible control over amino acid modifications and peptide formation, which is beneficial for the redesign of important biosynthetic systems.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Misha Kazi, Blair W. Perry, Daren C. Card, Richard D. Schargel, Hana B. Ali, Victor C. Obuekwe, Madhab Sapkota, Katie N. Kang, Mark W. Pellegrino, David E. Greenberg, Todd A. Castoe, Joseph M. Boll
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Misha Kazi, Richard D. Schargel, Joseph M. Boll
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Katie N. Kang, Misha I. Kazi, Jacob Biboy, Joe Gray, Hannah Bovermann, Jessie Ausman, Cara C. Boutte, Waldemar Vollmer, Joseph M. Boll
Summary: The absence of PBP1A results in septation defects and cell chaining in Acinetobacter baumannii, supporting the isolation of colistin-resistant LOS- strains. Only isolates producing multiple septa are able to develop resistance. Defects in PBP1A glycosyltransferase activity and LD-transpeptidase activity play a role in remodeling the cell envelope to support colistin-resistant LOS- A. baumannii.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Christopher D. Fage, Simone Kosol, Matthew Jenner, Carl Oster, Angelo Gallo, Milda Kaniusaite, Roman Steinbach, Michael Staniforth, Vasilios G. Stavros, Mohamed A. Marahiel, Max J. Cryle, Jozef R. Lewandowski
Summary: Nonribosomal peptides are a type of natural products constructed by nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), and the communication between donor epimerization (E) and acceptor condensation (C) domains found at the termini of NRPS subunits is mediated by COM domains. Biophysical studies using X-ray crystallography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations show that the donor COM region is intrinsically disordered and folds into a helical motif upon binding to an acceptor, suggesting a dynamic interaction interface. Further experiments demonstrate the importance of donor COM region in binding the acceptor C domain, pointing towards potential noncognate domain crosstalk.
Article
Biology
Madhab Sapkota, Mohammed Adnan Qureshi, Siraje Arif Mahmud, Yves Balikosa, Charlton Nguyen, Joseph M. Boll, Mark W. Pellegrino
Summary: The healthcare field faces a dramatic rise in infections with antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, prompting an urgent need for the development of new antimicrobial agents. Mitochondria play a central role in cellular functions and innate immunity pathways, while the mitochondrial unfolded protein response helps counteract bacterial infections. Antimicrobial peptide CNC-4, regulated during the UPRmt stress response, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against a range of bacterial species.
Article
Microbiology
Augusto Cesar Hunt-Serracin, Misha Kazi, Joseph M. Boll, Cara C. Boutte
Summary: The stringent factor Rel in Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab), a nontuberculous mycobacterial pathogen, does not play a significant role in (p)ppGpp synthesis and does not provide survival advantages in stress conditions or antibiotic treatment. However, it is involved in regulating expression of anabolism and growth genes in the stationary phase. This study suggests the presence of an unannotated (p)ppGpp synthetase in Mab.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew N. Murtha, Misha Kazi, Richard D. Schargel, Trevor Cross, Conrad Fihn, Vincent Cattoir, Erin E. Carlson, Joseph M. Boll, Tobias Dorr
Summary: Antibiotic tolerance is an important factor contributing to treatment failure and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. This study uncovers a novel role of the PhoPQ two-component system in promoting antibiotic tolerance in Enterobacterales. The findings highlight the potential of targeting this mechanism to enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics against tolerant bacteria.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mengjiao Wang, Christopher D. Fage, Yile He, Jinhui Mi, Yang Yang, Fei Li, Xiaoping An, Huahao Fan, Lihua Song, Shaozhou Zhu, Yigang Tong
Summary: Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a diverse family of natural products with varied structures and bioactivities. These peptides are initially created from the twenty proteinogenic amino acids through ribosome-dependent assembly, and then modified post-translationally to achieve their unique bioactive structures. Lasso peptides, a subfamily of RiPPs, are characterized by their distinct lariat knot-like structure, where additional functional groups can be added to enhance their properties.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huanhuan Xiu, Mengjiao Wang, Christopher D. Fage, Yile He, Xiaogang Niu, Meng Han, Fei Li, Xiaoping An, Huahao Fan, Lihua Song, Guojun Zheng, Shaozhou Zhu, Yigang Tong
Summary: Lasso peptides are a unique class of natural products with a distinct three-dimensional structure and encoding mechanism. Genome mining has revealed various types of lasso peptide biosynthetic gene clusters, expanding the known chemical space of lasso peptides. This study discovered and characterized a new lasso peptide, rubrinodin, and analyzed its evolutionary history. Additionally, the conversion of the thermolabile rubrinodin into a more thermostable scaffold was achieved through structural and biochemical investigations.
Article
Microbiology
Nowrosh Islam, Misha Kazi, Katie N. Kang, Jacob Biboy, Joe Gray, Feroz Ahmed, Richard D. Schargel, Cara C. Boutte, Tobias Dorr, Waldemar Vollmer, Joseph M. Boll
Summary: Beta-lactam antibiotics disrupt the peptidoglycan layer of bacteria, leading to lysis and death. Many Gram-negative bacteria show tolerance to bactericidal antibiotics, which is associated with treatment failure and the development of true resistance. This study investigates the tolerance mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a multidrug-resistant pathogen. The findings suggest that outer membrane integrity and peptidoglycan recycling play significant roles in meropenem tolerance in A. baumannii.
Article
Microbiology
Katie N. Kang, Joseph M. Boll
Summary: This study reveals a direct interaction between PBP1A and the divisome component PBP3 in Acinetobacter baumannii, highlighting the unique role of this enzyme in the division of this highly drug-resistant nosocomial pathogen.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)