Article
Immunology
Armaan A. Akhtar, David P. J. Turner
Summary: Bacterial ABC transporters play a crucial role in virulence and pathogenesis by importing essential molecules and exporting virulent determinants and toxic substances. They also have potential applications in treatments and vaccines.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Nick D. Pokorzynski, Eduardo A. Groisman
Summary: Cells adjust growth and metabolism to nutrient availability. Facultative intracellular pathogens must efficiently prioritize carbon utilization in order to survive in their animal hosts. Bacterial regulators of carbon metabolism control virulence programs, while signals controlling virulence regulators may impact carbon source utilization. Intestinal inflammation and disruption of the gut microbiota can also influence the availability of carbon sources. Coordination between virulence factors and carbon utilization determinants allows pathogens to adopt metabolic pathways that promote antimicrobial resistance and overcome nutrient deprivation imposed by the host.
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lenka Hruba, Viswanath Das, Marian Hajduch, Petr Dzubak
Summary: Nucleoside-based drugs, widely used in the treatment of various diseases, have been hindered by drug resistance. This review explores the mechanisms of resistance, including changes in membrane transporters, activating kinases, drug elimination strategies, and DNA damage repair mechanisms. The critical analysis in this review points towards novel therapeutic strategies such as targeted therapies, new nucleoside analogs, and synergistic drug combinations to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xinghong Zhao, Yanli Xu, Jakob H. Viel, Oscar P. Kuipers
Summary: In this study, a new class of antimicrobial peptides were developed using class-II lanthipeptide synthetase CinM, which showed bactericidal activity against relevant pathogenic bacteria through the addition of lipid tails. Additionally, the peptides exhibited a potential mode of action by disrupting bacterial membranes and lysing bacterial cells, while also showing low hemolytic activity.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Esther Imperlini, Federica Massaro, Francesco Buonocore
Summary: The introduction of antibiotics revolutionized the treatment of microbial infections, but growing antibiotic resistance poses a major concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show promise as alternatives to conventional antibiotics, as they have low risk of resistance development. However, there are challenges in their clinical impact, and research efforts are focused on improving their activity and reducing toxicity. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed for AMP delivery, including lipid NPs, polymeric NPs, mesoporous silica, and gold NPs, to enhance solubility, protect against degradation, reduce toxicity, and potentiate their action against pathogens.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fleurdeliz Maglangit, Yi Yu, Hai Deng
Summary: Pathogenic bacteria pose threats but also provide potential for pharmaceuticals. Discovering new antibiotics and exploiting pathogenic bacteria could lead to a new era of antibiotic discovery.
NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michele Galluccio, Lara Console, Lorena Pochini, Mariafrancesca Scalise, Nicola Giangregorio, Cesare Indiveri
Summary: Membrane transport systems play a crucial role in maintaining cell homeostasis and drug interactions. E. coli is a preferred host for expressing human membrane proteins, but their hydrophobicity and structural differences pose challenges. This review summarizes various strategies for expressing human transport systems in bacteria.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Israel Castillo-Juarez, Blanca Esther Blancas-Luciano, Rodolfo Garcia-Contreras, Ana Maria Fernandez-Presas
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have broad antimicrobial activity and can inhibit microbial growth. In addition to their bactericidal effects, AMPs also have anti-virulence activity against pathogenic bacteria, including those in biofilms. Understanding the mechanisms behind AMPs' anti-virulence properties is important for developing alternative therapeutic strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ragini Amarnani, Amey Revdekar, Bhagyashree Salvi, Pravin Shende
Summary: Some existing therapies are not effective in treating drug-resistant infections due to low drug efficacy, increasing dosage regimes, bacteria mutations, and poor drug properties. Overuse of antibiotics leads to the emergence and spread of resistant microorganisms. Nanocarriers with ABC transporter efflux mechanism can overcome multidrug resistance by interfering with normal cell activity. This review focuses on the novel applications of nanocarriers using the ABC transporter pump to overcome resistance in various organs.
DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weipan Xu, Zheng Ma, Geetika Dhanda, Jayanta Haldar, Hexin Xie
Summary: The expression of B-lactamase in bacteria has led to significant resistance to clinically important B-lactam antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as potential therapeutic agents to combat antibiotic resistance, but their cytotoxicity has been a major concern. This study reports a novel cephalosporin-caged AMP that shows reduced cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity, but becomes highly active against bacteria upon specific hydrolysis by antimicrobial resistance-causing B-lactamase. Further investigations demonstrate that this B-lactamase-activatable AMP selectively inactivates resistant bacterial pathogens. This strategy could be applicable to other AMPs for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by B-lactamase-expressing pathogenic bacteria.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuel F. Varela, Jerusha Stephen, Deeksha Bharti, Manjusha Lekshmi, Sanath Kumar
Summary: Bacterial pathogens resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents through active efflux pose a serious threat to public health. This review discusses recent molecular studies focused on modulating the antimicrobial efflux transporters to restore the clinical efficacy of infectious disease chemotherapy.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Faizan Abul Qais, Mohammad Shavez Khan, Iqbal Ahmad, Fohad Mabood Husain, Mohammed Arshad, Altaf Khan, Mohd Adil
Summary: The development of antibiotic resistant microbial pathogens has become a global health threat and a major concern in modern medicine. Plants are considered as promising source for new drugs against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pathogens. In this study, the potential of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract in targeting the virulence of Gram -ve pathogenic bacteria was demonstrated.
MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simona Cavalu, Samar S. Elbaramawi, Ahmed G. Eissa, Mohamed F. Radwan, Tarek S. Ibrahim, El-Sayed Khafagy, Bruno Silvester Lopes, Mohamed A. M. Ali, Wael A. H. Hegazy, Mahmoud A. Elfaky
Summary: The development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health concern exacerbated by the formation of biofilms. The study aimed to evaluate the anti-quorum sensing (QS), anti-biofilm, and anti-virulence activities of the beta-adrenoreceptor blocker atenolol against Gram-negative bacteria. In silico studies showed that atenolol had a significant binding affinity to the QS receptors of the tested bacteria. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that atenolol effectively competed with QS proteins, downregulated the expression of QS- and virulence-encoding genes, and reduced bacterial biofilm formation, virulence enzyme production, and motility. It also protected mice from bacterial infection. These findings suggest that atenolol has potential as an adjuvant in the treatment of aggressive bacterial infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Diandra M. Vaval Taylor, Bobbi Xayarath, Nancy E. Freitag
Summary: Peptide transport systems are important for nutrient uptake and may additionally function in a variety of other roles. In this study, we demonstrate complementary yet distinct functional roles for two membrane permeases, CtpP1 and CtpP2, that contribute to bacterial growth, invasion, and pathogenicity.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Annarita Falanga, Valentina Del Genio, Stefania Galdiero
Summary: The alarming rise in antimicrobial resistance and recent viral pandemics have increased the demand for novel approaches, such as antimicrobial peptides, cell-penetrating peptides, antiviral peptides, and dendrimers, to combat bacteria and viruses effectively. Nanoplatforms constructed with peptides and dendrimers show promising potential for advanced nanosystems with diverse applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Omkar Hegde, Ritika Chatterjee, Abdur Rasheed, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Saptarshi Basu
Summary: This study demonstrates the control of biofluid droplet deposition and bacterial aggregation by manipulating the flow dynamics using non-contact vapor-mediated interactions. The findings show that the nucleation sites and crystal formation can be controlled through the preferential transfer of solutes in the droplets. This methodology has potential implications in biomedical applications such as disease detection and bacterial segregation.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Zachary N. Phillips, Preeti Garai, Greg Tram, Gael Martin, Annelies Van den Bergh, Asma-Ul Husna, Megan Staples, Keith Grimwood, Amy Jennison, Patrice Guillon, Mark von Itzstein, Michael P. Jennings, Kenneth L. Brockman, John M. Atack
Summary: Lay is an autotransporter protein found in pathogenic Haemophilus and Neisseria species. Its expression status is reversible and related to pathogenicity in non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae. Understanding the role of Lay can provide insights into different pathological processes.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Kapudeep Karmakar, Rohan Bhattacharya, Abhishek Sharma, Kirti Parmar, Utpal Nath, Karaba N. Nataraja, N. Earanna, Gaurav Sharma, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: The study analyzed the colonization of Salmonella in plant roots and the importance of attachment factors, finding that a competitive bacterium inhibited its biofilm to reduce colonization in roots. It classified Salmonella with Rdar morphotypes as good plant colonizers and suggested that Lysinibacillus macroides could serve as a biocontrol agent to reduce the burden of Salmonella in various vegetables.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Kasturi Chandra, Atish Roy Chowdhury, Ritika Chatterjee, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: This study reveals the important role of chitinase in Salmonella pathogenesis. It promotes intestinal epithelium remodeling and host system access. In phagocytes, chitinase-mediated upregulation of nitric oxide inhibits MHC-I bound antigen presentation and CD8(+) T cell proliferation. The absence of chitinase impairs bacterial adhesion and colonization. In the murine host, chitinase prevents immune activation and antimicrobial responses. In C. elegans, Salmonella chitinase promotes bacterial attachment to the intestinal epithelium and enhances pathogen colonization and persistence.
Article
Physics, Applied
N. Punith, Ashish K. Singh, J. Ananthanarasimhan, Bhavadharini Boopathy, Ritika Chatterjee, M. Hemanth, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Lakshminarayana Rao
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful generation of neutral pH high-strength plasma-activated water through pin to water discharge, which exhibits excellent bactericidal activity against hypervirulent multidrug resistance pathogens.
PLASMA PROCESSES AND POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Abdur Rasheed, Omkar Hegde, Ritika Chatterjee, Srinivas Rao Sampathirao, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Saptarshi Basu
Summary: In naturally evaporating droplets, bacteria self-assemble into unique patterns based on their spatial location, resulting in varying physical forces and affecting their viability and infectivity. Self-assembly favors bacteria at the edge of the droplet, which has significant implications for understanding bacterial infection through droplets.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jayantika Bhowmick, Manish Nag, Pritha Ghosh, Raju S. Rajmani, Ritika Chatterjee, Kapudeep Karmakar, Kasturi Chandra, Jayanta Chatterjee, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Raghavan Varadarajan
Summary: This study tests the effect of a 24-mer peptide derived from CcdB (CP1-WT) on bacterial growth in Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and a carbapenem- and tigecycline-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii. The CP1-WT peptide shows significant improvement over ciprofloxacin in treating established infections of S. Typhimurium, S. aureus, and A. baumannii. The study validates the CcdB binding site on bacterial DNA Gyrase as a viable alternative target to the fluoroquinolone binding site.
Article
Immunology
Ritika Chatterjee, Debalina Chaudhuri, Subba Rao Gangi Setty, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: Salmonella is a stealthy intracellular pathogen that evades host immune responses and establishes a replicative niche in hostile environments like macrophages. It escapes autophagy by inhibiting the fusion of Salmonella-containing vacuoles with lysosomes/autophagosomes and downregulates lysosomal biogenesis, facilitating its survival in macrophages and systemic dissemination.
MICROBES AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Ritika Chatterjee, Abhilash Vijay Nair, Anmol Singh, Nishi Mehta, Subba Rao Gangi Setty, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: Intracellular membrane fusion is mediated by SNARE complexes. Salmonella modulates host SNARE machinery to escape lysosomal fusion and maintain its division in the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV). Syntaxin 3 (STX3) is critical for bacterial proliferation and fusion of SCV with intracellular vesicles. The interaction of STX3 with SCV is impaired in SPI-2 encoded T3SS mutant. These findings highlight the importance of SPI-2 encoded effectors in the interaction with host SNAREs for Salmonella pathogenesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vishnu Hariharan, Atish Roy Chowdhury, S. Srinivas Rao, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Saptarshi Basu
Summary: This study reveals the impact of bacteria-laden droplets on solid surfaces and subsequent desiccation on the virulence of Salmonella typhimurium. The research explores the deformation, cell-cell interactions, adhesion energy, and roughness in bacteria induced by impact velocity and low moisture. The findings show that mechanical stress induced by impact velocity decreases the in vitro viability of Salmonella while promoting bacterial proliferation in macrophages. The role of phoP in sensing mechanical stress and maintaining the virulence of Salmonella is also highlighted.
Article
Microbiology
Kasturi Chandra, Abhilash Vijay Nair, Ritika Chatterjee, Prerana Muralidhara, Anmol Singh, Sathisha Kamanna, Utpal S. Tatu, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: Salmonella is a widespread Gram negative bacteria that causes a significant proportion of global diarrheal morbidity and mortality. It can cause typhoid fever and gastroenteritis by entering the host gut through contaminated food and water. Salmonella's biofilm lifestyle allows it to resist antibiotics and persist in the host, and inhibiting biofilm initiation is challenging.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ritika Chatterjee, Atish Roy Chowdhury, Debapriya Mukherjee, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: Salmonella Typhi is a serious threat to global health, causing typhoid fever in humans and resulting in high morbidity and mortality in developing countries. It can be transmitted to healthy individuals through contaminated food and water. This Review focuses on a comparative analysis of the virulence and pathogenesis of typhoidal and nontyphoidal serovars of Salmonella enterica.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Siddhant Jain, Anmol Singh, Nivedita Tiwari, Aparna Naik, Ritika Chatterjee, Dipshikha Chakravortty, Saptarshi Basu
Summary: This study experimentally investigates the effects of stress generated by flowing fluid on bacterial morphology and virulence. The results show that increased stress conditions lead to significant changes in bacterial structure and decreased viability. Importantly, stressed bacteria proliferate faster inside macrophages. These findings shed light on the complex relationship between flow stresses and bacterial pathogenicity.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sukriyo Chakraborty, Ritika Chatterjee, Dipshikha Chakravortty
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides, or host defense peptides, show promise as therapeutic candidates for combating infections, but their clinical trials have been hindered by toxicity and hemolytic activity. Rational peptide engineering based on evolutionary principles and activity determinants offers new avenues for developing peptides targeted at specific microbes.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)