Article
Microbiology
Xuerui Bao, Ellen Goeteyn, Aurelie Crabbe, Tom Coenye
Summary: D,L-malate enhances ciprofloxacin activity against P. aeruginosa, improving antibiotic therapy in infection environments. The choice of model system influences the outcome of the experiment, emphasizing the importance of using models that closely mimic the in vivo environment. This study confirms the potential of D,L-malate to enhance ciprofloxacin activity against P. aeruginosa-associated infections.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Thomas James O'Brien, Wendy Figueroa, Martin Welch
Summary: The presence of diverse polymicrobial communities in the airways of individuals with cystic fibrosis can hinder the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment. A study showed that growth in a polymicrobial environment protects the target microorganism from the effects of specific antimicrobial agents. This decreased efficacy is found to have both physiological and genetic components.
Article
Microbiology
Xuerui Bao, Mona Bove, Tom Coenye
Summary: The high tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in respiratory tract infections in cystic fibrosis contributes to the failure of antibiotic therapy. This study identified carbon sources that could enhance the inhibiting and/or eradicating activity of tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftazidime against P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms. The mechanisms underlying the enhanced biofilm eradicating activity were strain-dependent.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Amal H. Yahya, Sophie R. Harston, William L. Colton, Matthew T. Cabeen
Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogen that infects hospitalized patients and individuals with cystic fibrosis. This species is known for forming biofilms, which provide extra protection to the cells and make infections difficult to treat. The deletion of the gene PA14_16550 reduces biofilm formation, and further investigations have identified other genes that regulate biofilm matrix production.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Devin Sindeldecker, Shaurya Prakash, Paul Stoodley
Summary: This study analyzed the zone of killing (ZOK) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms using both in vitro and in silico methods. The findings revealed that achieving a specific antibiotic concentration versus time constraint (AUC) could completely eradicate bacteria in the biofilms. This suggests that appropriate antibiotic concentrations and treatment duration may be effective against antibiotic-resistant and -tolerant biofilm infections.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Gina A. Suh, Thomas P. Lodise, Pranita D. Tamma, Jane M. Knisely, Jose Alexander, Saima Aslam, Karen D. Barton, Erica Bizzell, Katherine M. C. Totten, Joseph L. Campbell, Benjamin K. Chan, Scott A. Cunningham, Katherine E. Goodman, Kerryl E. Greenwood-Quaintance, Anthony D. Harris, Shayla Hesse, Anthony Maresso, Veronique Nussenblatt, David Pride, Michael J. Rybak, Zoe Sund, David van Duin, Daria Van Tyne, Robin Patel
Summary: Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance and medical device-related infections, phage therapy has gained renewed interest as an alternative or adjunct to conventional antimicrobials. However, there are significant knowledge gaps in clinical application and laboratory testing of phage therapy, leading to heterogeneity in approach and lack of consensus.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Fernanda Jimenez Otero, Dianne K. Newman, Leonard M. Tender
Summary: Biofilms provide a protective environment but also present challenges to the cells living within them. Pseudomonas aeruginosa overcomes oxygen limitation by secreting redox active phenazines, which act as electron shuttles. Blocking the re-oxidation of one of these electron shuttles, pyocyanin, decreases cell survival within biofilms and enhances the effect of gentamicin in killing cells. The study highlights the importance of redox cycling of electron shuttles in P. aeruginosa biofilms.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Maria del Mar Cendra, Eduard Torrents
Summary: This article discusses the traits of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and the clinical challenges they pose, focusing on the bacterium's ability to coexist and interact with other microorganisms. It explores infections caused by P. aeruginosa single and polymicrobial biofilms, as well as current models used to recreate them in laboratory conditions. Antimicrobial and antibiofilm strategies developed against P. aeruginosa mono and multispecies biofilms are also detailed.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chelsey M. VanDrisse, Rosalie Lipsh-Sokolik, Olga Khersonsky, Sarel J. Fleishman, Dianne K. Newman
Summary: This study demonstrates that by engineering the structure of PodA protein and combining it with tobramycin, the killing effect on P. aeruginosa can be enhanced, especially on biofilms that are resistant to conventional antibiotic treatment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ellen Young, Gavin Melaugh, Rosalind J. Allen
Summary: The emergence of spatial organisation in biofilm growth is investigated using individual-based simulations. It is found that the transition from smooth to rough interface morphologies is associated with dynamical changes in the active layer. The fluctuations in the active layer thickness play a central role in controlling the pinning of the biofilm interface and the resulting biofilm morphology.
NPJ BIOFILMS AND MICROBIOMES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sylvia Yang Liu, Matthew Ming-Lok Leung, James Kar-Hei Fang, Song Lin Chua
Summary: Plastics, especially microplastics, pose a significant threat to the environment as they are resistant to biodegradation and difficult to remove. Current removal techniques are not effective, necessitating the development of sustainable solutions.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ayesha Z. Beg, Faraz Rashid, Absar Talat, Mohd Azam Haseen, Nadeem Raza, Kafil Akhtar, Morten Kam Dahl Dueholm, Asad U. Khan
Summary: The Fap operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa plays a crucial role in pathoadaptation during pulmonary infection. Its presence increases pathogenesis and biofilm sustainability by modulating bacterial physiology. Targeting amyloids could be a potential clinical application to exploit the pathoadaptive role of Fap in pulmonary infections. The genetic conservation and extracellular exposure of Fap make it a commendable target for interventions.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kim Thomsen, Niels Hoiby, Peter Ostrup Jensen, Oana Ciofu, Claus Moser
Summary: Biofilm infections are resistant to host responses and antibiotics. The host immune response plays a crucial role in the outcome and exacerbation of chronic infections. In chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections, antibody response and Th1/Th2 imbalance have been associated with a worse outcome.
Article
Microbiology
Zhongyou Li, Katja Koeppen, Victoria I. Holden, Samuel L. Neff, Liviu Cengher, Elora G. Demers, Dallas L. Mould, Bruce A. Stanton, Thomas H. Hampton
Summary: Researchers developed an algorithm called GAUGE, which automatically annotates GEO microbial data sets, increasing the percentage of analyzable data sets from 4% to 33%. The annotations provide valuable insights and facilitate the identification of consistent patterns of differential gene expression. Additionally, they created a web interface called GAPE for reanalyzing P. aeruginosa and E. coli transcriptomic data.
Article
Biology
Wellington S. Miranda, Q. Cong, A. L. Schaefer, E. K. MacLeod, A. Zimenko, D. Baker, E. P. Greenberg
Summary: Researchers have identified selectivity residues within AHL synthases and receptors using covariation methods, demonstrating their importance in the Las system. This study deepens the understanding of how communication systems evolve and diversify.
Article
Ecology
M. Mozammel Hoque, Parisa Noorian, Gustavo Espinoza-Vergara, Pradeep Manuneedhi Cholan, Mikael Kim, Md Hafizur Rahman, Maurizio Labbate, Scott A. Rice, Mathieu Pernice, Stefan H. Oehlers, Diane McDougald
Summary: Predation by heterotrophic protists drives the emergence of adaptive traits in bacteria, particularly Vibrio cholerae, by selecting for mutations in flagellar transcriptional regulator flrA, leading to enhanced survival and competitive fitness in amoebae and improved colonization in eukaryotic organisms such as zebrafish. These adaptive traits evolved in response to environmental predatory pressure impact the colonization of eukaryotic organisms by these pathogens.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wee Han Poh, Scott A. Rice
Summary: The use of nitric oxide (NO) shows promise as a novel approach for treating antibiotic resistant bacteria and biofilm infections. Different strategies have been developed to overcome the limitations of NO's reactivity and enable controlled release, including the design of NO-releasing materials and encapsulation of NO donors. This review summarizes recent developments and discusses limitations and variability in biological responses to the use of NO for bacterial eradication.
Article
Microbiology
Pauliina Rajala, Dong-Qiang Cheng, Scott A. Rice, Federico M. Lauro
Summary: The study found that metal corrosion in deep-sea environments is driven by both biotic and abiotic processes, with microbially induced corrosion playing a key role, which differs significantly from the microbial communities in the surrounding sediment, dominated by sulfur-cycling bacteria.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Joash Jun Keat Chu, Wee Han Poh, Nabilah Taqiah Binte Hasnuddin, En Yi Hew, Linh Chi Dam, Abbas El Sahili, Scott A. Rice, Boon Chong Goh
Summary: As antimicrobial resistance becomes a growing health threat, the need for novel therapeutic agents is urgent. This study identifies a lysin called Abp013 that exhibits significant lytic activity against drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii. Abp013 is able to tolerate the presence of human serum and effectively kill bacterial cells within biofilms. These findings suggest that Abp013 holds promising potential as a novel therapeutic agent.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anjali Gupta, Danqin Lu, Harikrushnan Balasubramanian, Zhang Chi, Thorsten Wohland
Summary: The localization of membrane proteins within microdomains containing cholesterol and sphingolipids is crucial for cell signaling and function. However, these membrane domains are too small and dynamic to be observed with current super-resolution techniques. This study presents a simple approach to identify the phase preference of membrane-associated molecules in individual live cells within a short time. The method involves using a membrane fluidizer to induce clustering and stabilize phase separation, allowing the identification of associated molecules using routine microscopy.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emmanuel T. Oluwabusola, Nursheena Parveen Katermeran, Wee Han Poh, Teo Min Ben Goh, Lik Tong Tan, Oluwatofunmilayo Diyaolu, Jioji Tabudravu, Rainer Ebel, Scott A. Rice, Marcel Jaspars
Summary: Natural products derived from marine sponges have shown inhibitory activity against quorum sensing, preventing biofilm formation and reducing virulence factor expression by pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, psammaplin-type compounds from Aplysinella rhax were evaluated and found to have significant inhibitory effects.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jiayi Huang, Liang Cui, Meenubharathi Natarajan, Paul W. Barone, Jacqueline M. Wolfrum, Yie Hou Lee, Scott A. Rice, Stacy L. Springs
Summary: Controlling microbial risks is crucial for ensuring the safety of cell therapy products. Researchers have identified the ratio of nicotinic acid to nicotinamide as a biomarker that can detect a wide range of microbial contaminants in cell cultures.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Daniel Y. K. Aik, Thorsten Wohland
Summary: Modern EMCCD and sCMOS cameras have the capability to read out fluorescence data with single-molecule sensitivity at high frame rates. This paper presents a direct camera-read-out tool that allows access to the data in real time, simplifying alignment procedures and speeding up fluorescence experiments in microscopy.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Joey Kuok Hoong Yam, Thet Tun Aung, Song Lin Chua, Yingying Cheng, Gurjeet Singh Kohli, Jianuan Zhou, Florentin Constancias, Yang Liu, Zhao Cai, May Margarette Santillan Salido, Daniela Drautz-Moses, Scott A. Rice, Stephan Christoph Schuster, Zhao Zhi Boo, Bin Wu, Staffan Kjelleberg, Tim Tolker-Nielsen, Rajamani Lakshminarayanan, Roger W. Beuerman, Liang Yang, Michael Givskov
Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa establishes biofilm-associated infections through the regulation of c-di-GMP. Elevated intracellular c-di-GMP levels and T3SS activity are necessary for infection establishment and modulation of host immune responses in mouse cornea.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Kira Eilers, Joey Kuok Hoong Yam, Richard Morton, Adeline Mei Hui Yong, Jaime Brizuela, Corina Hadjicharalambous, Xianghui Liu, Michael Givskov, Scott A. Rice, Alain Filloux
Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile bacterium that can survive and thrive in various environments and hosts. Its adaptability is due to its large genome and tight control over gene expression. Cyclic-di-GMP signaling, a regulatory mechanism found in many bacteria, influences all levels of control in P. aeruginosa. This signaling involves modifications to enzymes or proteins upon c-di-GMP binding, ultimately impacting the transcriptome. This study suggests that the specificity of c-di-GMP networks needs to be reconstructed for each strain of P. aeruginosa and cannot be extrapolated from one strain to another.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Stephen Summers, Y. Shona Pek, Deepthi P. Vinod, Diane McDougald, Peter A. Todd, William R. Birch, Scott A. Rice
Summary: Seawalls are crucial in protecting coastlines but can negatively impact biodiversity. This study investigated the effects of different stone materials on biofilm formation, finding no significant impact on microbial diversity. However, surface properties did influence initial biofilm development.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yu Fen Goh, Henriette L. L. Roder, Siew Herng Chan, Muhammad Hafiz Ismail, Jonas S. S. Madsen, Kai Wei Kelvin Lee, Soren J. Sorensen, Michael Givskov, Mette Burmolle, Scott A. A. Rice, Diane McDougald
Summary: Mixed species biofilms exhibit increased tolerance to stresses. Grazing by Tetrahymena pyriformis significantly reduced the biofilms of single species K. pneumoniae and P. protegens, but P. aeruginosa biofilms were resistant. Rhamnolipids and the quorum sensing molecule PQS contribute to the protective mechanisms.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lan Li Wong, Sudarsan Mugunthan, Binu Kundukad, James Chin Shing Ho, Scott A. A. Rice, Jamie Hinks, Thomas Seviour, Atul N. N. Parikh, Staffan Kjelleberg
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
M. Mozammel Hoque, Parisa Noorian, Gustavo Espinoza-Vergara, Srijon Adhikary, Joyce To, Scott A. Rice, Diane McDougald
Summary: The flagellar transcriptional regulator flrA plays a key role in flagellum synthesis initiation in Vibrio cholerae. This study demonstrates that the absence of flrA leads to increased growth and survival of V. cholerae in the amoeba host Acanthamoeba castellanii, and this is associated with upregulation of genes involved in iron acquisition and amino acid biosynthesis. The availability of iron is crucial for V. cholerae survival in amoeba, and the catalases KatB and KatG confer increased tolerance to oxidative stress. These findings highlight the importance of flrA in resistance to protozoan predation and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying increased survival in the environment.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biology
Jagadish Sankaran, Thorsten Wohland
Summary: The Mini Review discusses recent developments in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and its combinations with super-resolution imaging and machine learning. FCS is a single molecule sensitive tool for quantitatively measuring biomolecular dynamics and interactions. Recent advancements in biology, computation, and detection technology enable real-time FCS experiments with multiplexed detection even in vivo.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)