Article
Hematology
Oscar Negron, Miranda Weggeman, Jos Grimbergen, Emily G. Clark, Sara Abrahams, Woosuk S. Hur, Jaap Koopman, Matthew J. Flick
Summary: This study found that changing the ratio of naturally occurring fibrinogen variants in blood could offer significant therapeutic potential against bacterial infection and potentially other diseases.
JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Ping Teoh, Xi Chen, Irina Laczkovich, Francis Alonzo
Summary: During infection, pathogenic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus adapt to the host's nutritional environment by scavenging necessary nutrients, including lipoic acid, and enzymes required for metabolism. The ability to acquire lipoic acid and unsaturated fatty acids from the host environment is crucial for the pathogen's virulence in different infection sites. The findings emphasize the importance of host lipid assimilation for bacterial survival and suggest challenges in targeting bacterial lipogenesis as an antibacterial strategy.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Dominique Missiakas, Volker Winstel
Summary: Host cell death programs are essential for cellular homeostasis, embryonic development, and tissue regeneration. Pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus use cell death pathways to establish infection, manipulating apoptotic, necroptotic, and pyroptotic modes to shape the immune environment conducive to persistence. This exploitation of cell death pathways is a virulence strategy that must be considered alongside immune evasion mechanisms for the development of effective therapeutics and interventions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Tao Jin, Majd Mohammad, Rille Pullerits, Abukar Ali
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus infections pose a significant healthcare challenge, necessitating the development of new treatment options. Understanding the interaction between bacterial virulence factors and host immune response is crucial for determining disease outcomes. The timing and approach of treatment play a critical role in the effectiveness of therapies.
Article
Microbiology
Monika Kumaraswamy, Kamilla Wiull, Bishnu Joshi, George Sakoulas, Armin Kousha, Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad, Mona Johannessen, Kristin Hegstad, Victor Nizet, Fatemeh Askarian
Summary: This study revealed that MRSA-derived MVs are capable of reducing the pathogen's susceptibility to VAN, thereby increasing its resistance to treatment, particularly in interactions with human neutrophils. Additionally, the elevated expression of proteins associated with antibiotic resistance in MVs may further impact MRSA's resistance.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maria Simitsopoulou, Paschalis Kadiltzoglou, Charalampos Antachopoulos, Emmanuel Roilides
Summary: This study found that Daptomycin (DAP) has a synergistic effect on MRSA biofilms, enhancing the damage caused by human polymor-phonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Additionally, DAP can modulate the immune response of human monocytes (MNCs) to MRSA biofilms through upregulation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and increased NLRP3 inflammasome production, potentially controlling biofilm-associated pathogenicity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arnaud Kengmo Tchoupa, Bart A. Eijkelkamp, Andreas Peschel
Summary: This review discusses how bacteria adapt to host-derived antimicrobial fatty acids and highlights their altered response to antibiotics. Understanding bacterial adaptation strategies to fatty acids is of prime importance for the rational design of antimicrobial combination therapies.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anna Lena Jung, Bernd Schmeck, Marie Wiegand, Katrin Bedenbender, Birke J. Benedikter
Summary: Pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, understanding the complex mechanisms of interaction between host cells and infecting pathogens is crucial. Host cell and bacterial-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a role in these interactions, with the potential to improve management of pneumonia patients.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kirsten A. Berry, Mackenzie T. A. Verhoef, Allison C. Leonard, Georgina Cox
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus is a pathobiont capable of colonizing and infecting most tissues within the human body, relying on a complex and diverse arsenal of adhesins. Therapeutics targeting the S. aureus host-pathogen interaction remain understudied, and alternative approaches are crucial due to the increasing global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Developing antivirulence agents to neutralize virulence factors could reduce bacterial pathogenicity and the burden of S. aureus infections.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sun Liu Rei Yan, Felipe Wakasuqui, Xiaochen Du, Matthew R. Groves, Carsten Wrenger
Summary: Lipoic acid is crucial in cellular metabolism through its involvement in lipoylation. Recent research has focused on the metabolism of lipoic acid in Plasmodium sp. and Staphylococcus aureus, examining lipoate ligase proteins and potential inhibitors.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hannah Waechter, Erdal Yoeruek, Karsten Becker, Dennis Goerlich, Barbara C. Kahl
Summary: In this study, Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) was found to have a high mortality rate at the university hospital, with an overall mortality of 24.2% and 30-day mortality of 14.6%. Inadequate initial therapy, patient age, agr type 4, and pathological leukocyte counts were associated with poor survival outcomes.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Katrien Van Dyck, Felipe Viela, Marion Mathelie-Guinlet, Liesbeth Demuyser, Esther Hauben, Mary Ann Jabra-Rizk, Greetje Vande Velde, Yves F. Dufrene, Bastiaan P. Krom, Patrick Van Dijck
Summary: The study revealed the interaction between Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, and their importance in bacterial dissemination, while also identifying the crucial role of the host immune response in this process.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Colleen S. Curran, Lindsay M. Busch, Yan Li, Cui Xizhong, Junfeng Sun, Peter Q. Eichacker, Parizad Torabi-Parizi
Summary: In this study, it was found that anti-PD-L1 therapy did not improve survival in pneumonia models in mice, suggesting the need for further preclinical studies on other common pathogens and septic foci.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xiaoyuan Ma, Huaijian Jin, Xiang Chu, Weihong Dai, Wanqi Tang, Junyu Zhu, Fangjie Wang, Xue Yang, Wei Li, Guodong Liu, Xia Yang, Huaping Liang
Summary: This study reveals the unexpected role of host CYP1A1 in microbiota-mediated cadaverine metabolism and its crucial consequences for dysbacteriosis following MRSA-induced abdominal sepsis. Inhibition of CYP1A1 or blocking cadaverine-histamine H4 receptor signaling could be a potential therapeutic target against abdominal sepsis.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Adeline Espinasse, Manibarsha Goswami, Junshu Yang, Onanong Vorasin, Yinduo Ji, Erin E. Carlson
Summary: The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria has led to the need for novel approaches and targets to combat this challenge. Bacterial two-component systems (TCSs) are important in bacterial adaptive responses and are linked to antibiotic resistance and virulence. A study developed maleimide-based compounds and evaluated them against a model histidine kinase, resulting in the identification of a molecule that decreased the lesion size caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus skin infection by 65% in a murine model.
Article
Microbiology
Ashira Lubkin, Warren L. Lee, Francis Alonzo, Changsen Wang, Jason Aligo, Matthew Keller, Natasha M. Girgis, Tamara Reyes-Robles, Rita Chan, Aidan O'Malley, Peter Buckley, Nikollaq Vozhilla, Marilyn T. Vasquez, Johnny Su, Michael Sugiyama, Stephen T. Yeung, Maryaline Coffre, Sofia Bajwa, Eric Chen, Patricia Martin, Sang Y. Kim, Cynthia Loomis, G. Scott Worthen, Bo Shopsin, Kamal M. Khanna, Daniel Weinstock, Anthony Simon Lynch, Sergei B. Koralov, P'ng Loke, Ken Cadwell, Victor J. Torres
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Chance J. Cosgriff, Chelsea R. White, Wei Ping Teoh, James P. Grayczyk, Francis Alonzo
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Wei Ping Teoh, Zachary J. Resko, Sarah Flury, Francis Alonzo
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Sarah Talley, Olga Kalinina, Michael Winek, Wonbeom Paik, Abigail R. Cannon, Francis Alonzo, Mashkoor A. Choudhry, Katherine L. Knight, Edward M. Campbell
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Wonbeom Paik, Francis Alonzo, Katherine L. Knight
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Kelly M. Hines, Gloria Alvarado, Xi Chen, Craig Gatto, Antje Pokorny, Francis Alonzo, Brian J. Wilkinson, Libin Xu
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Raiza R. Bonomo, Tyler M. Cook, Chaitanya K. Gavini, Chelsea R. White, Jacob R. Jones, Elisa Bovo, Aleksey Zima, Isabelle A. Brown, Lara R. Dugas, Eleonora Zakharian, Gregory Aubert, Francis Alonzo, Nigel A. Calcutt, Virginie Mansuy-Aubert
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Ping Teoh, Xi Chen, Irina Laczkovich, Francis Alonzo
Summary: During infection, pathogenic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus adapt to the host's nutritional environment by scavenging necessary nutrients, including lipoic acid, and enzymes required for metabolism. The ability to acquire lipoic acid and unsaturated fatty acids from the host environment is crucial for the pathogen's virulence in different infection sites. The findings emphasize the importance of host lipid assimilation for bacterial survival and suggest challenges in targeting bacterial lipogenesis as an antibacterial strategy.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xi Chen, Wei Ping Teoh, Madison R. Stock, Zachary J. Resko, Francis Alonzo
Summary: The diverse fatty acid composition in the bacterial cell envelope affects membrane fluidity and immune responses. Shifting away from branched chain fatty acids towards unsaturated fatty acids can disrupt infection dynamics and lead to immune activation. This study highlights the importance of acyl chain repertoire in bacterial infection outcomes and immune responses.
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Ivan C. Acosta, Francis Alonzo Iii
Summary: Tissue damage and persistent inflammation are distinct features of antibiotic-resistant chronic infections. In this study, Tang et al. demonstrate that anti-folate antibiotics can trigger the synthesis of a bacterial second messenger, leading to an excessive immune response and establishing a paradigm for chronic infection.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laty A. Cahoon, Xiomarie Alejandro-Navarreto, Avinash N. Gururaja, Sam H. Light, Francis Alonzo, Wayne F. Anderson, Nancy E. Freitag
Summary: Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause infections in susceptible hosts. The proteins PrsA1 and PrsA2 play different roles in the bacterium's pathogenesis, with PrsA2 being more important. The PieRS signal transduction system regulates the expression of PrsA1 and PrsA2, and its gene products are crucial for the bacterium's resistance to ethanol and survival in the gastrointestinal tract.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Francis Alonzo
Summary: The skin is a hostile environment for microbial growth, but commensal microbes and some opportunistic pathogens can survive within it. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are important constituents of the skin microbiome, and Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus hominis are common colonizers of human skin. S. hominis is increasingly recognized as a beneficial commensal, and studying its interactions with other skin microbes, including pathogenic strains, has become of interest.
Article
Immunology
Madison R. Stock, Liwei Fang, Kaelie R. Johnson, Chance Cosgriff, Wei Ping Teoh, Francis Alonzo
Summary: The study reveals the critical role of MroQ in the maturation and activity of AIP in Agr-I, -II, and -IV strains, but not in Agr-III. MroQ may act as a mediator of cyclic peptide maturation.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Zachary J. J. Resko, Caleb M. M. Anderson, Michael J. J. Federle, Francis Alonzo III
Summary: The peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus plays an important role in subverting host immune defenses and protecting against stressors. The glucosaminidase SagB processes peptidoglycan chains, which is crucial for IL-1 beta production. SagB-mediated IL-1 beta production is independent of traditional receptor engagement and caspase activity, suggesting a novel mechanism for IL-1 beta maturation.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Emily L. Pruitt, Rutan Zhang, Dylan H. Ross, Nathaniel K. Ashford, Xi Chen, Francis Alonzo III, Matthew F. Bush, Brian J. Werth, Libin Xu
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus can synthesize fatty acids through its own pathway and also utilize host-derived fatty acids. This study investigated the substrate specificity of secreted lipases, the impact of human serum albumin and FASII inhibitor on fatty acid incorporation. It was found that Geh is the main lipase responsible for hydrolyzing cholesteryl esters, but other lipases can compensate for its function. The incorporation of exogenous fatty acids alters the lipidome, membrane fluidity, and ROS formation of S. aureus.