Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Diksha Kumari, Shavi Mahajan, Parampreet Kour, Kuljit Singh
Summary: Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, poses a global concern for healthcare. This review highlights the importance of virulence factors in the pathogenesis of the disease and explores their potential applications in vaccine development and novel therapeutics against this parasitic disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edlainne Pinheiro Ferreira-Sena, Daiana de Jesus Hardoim, Flavia de Oliveira Cardoso, Luiz Ney d'Escoffier, Isabela Ferreira Soares, Joao Pedro Rangel da Silva Carvalho, Ricardo Almir Angnes, Stenio Perdigao Fragoso, Carlos Roberto Alves, Salvatore Giovanni De-Simone, Josue da Costa Lima-Junior, Alvaro Luiz Bertho, Tania Zaverucha-do-Valle, Franklin Souza da Silva, Katia da Silva Calabrese
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a complex and diverse disease that is considered a major public health problem. Despite the availability of treatment options, there are currently no vaccines for cutaneous leishmaniasis. This study focused on the prediction and characterization of antigenic epitopes that could interact with major histocompatibility complex class I in mice or humans. Through a combination of immunogenicity prediction and interaction assays, nine antigenic peptides were identified as strong candidates for the development of a peptide vaccine against leishmaniasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Bao-Zhong Zhang, Danyu Hu, Ying Dou, Lifeng Xiong, Xiaolei Wang, Jingchu Hu, Shao-Zhen Xing, Wenjun Li, Jian-Piao Cai, Meiling Jin, Mengya Zhang, Qiubin Lin, Min Li, Kwok-Yung Yuen, Jian-Dong Huang
Summary: This study identified five outer membrane proteins of Klebsiella pneumoniae, with three of them showing potential as candidate antigens for vaccine development. Mice vaccinated with these proteins elicited higher antigen-specific IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a responses, indicating their role in inducing protective immune responses against K. pneumoniae infection. These findings suggest the potential for developing multivalent and serotype-independent vaccines against K. pneumoniae using these antigens.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Marco Antonio Cabrera Gonzalez, Ana Alice Maia Goncalves, Jennifer Ottino, Jaqueline Costa Leite, Lucilene Aparecida Resende, Otoni Alves Melo-Junior, Patricia Silveira, Mariana Santos Cardoso, Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara, Lilian Lacerda Bueno, Renato Lima Santos, Tatiane Furtado de Carvalho, Giani Martins Garcia, Paulo Ricardo de Oliveira Paes, Alexsandro Sobreira Galdino, Miguel Angel Chavez-Fumagalli, Marilia Martins Melo, Denise Silveira-Lemos, Olindo Assis Martins-Filho, Walderez Ornelas Dutra, Vanessa Carla Furtado Mosqueira, Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a fatal disease caused by Leishmania infantum, and dogs are the main reservoirs. A vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is important in controlling human and CVL infections by reducing L. infantum infection. This study evaluated the potential of two polymeric nanoformulations loaded with Leishmania amazonensis antigens as a VL vaccine using golden hamsters as a model. The results showed that the vaccines had no adverse reactions and significantly reduced the parasitic load in the liver and spleen. These vaccines may be promising candidates for a VL vaccine.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ayane Kubo, Keiichi Matsubara, Yuko Matsubara, Hirotomo Nakaoka, Takashi Sugiyama
Summary: Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious complication of pregnancy, and the impaired invasion of extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) is involved in its pathogenesis. Nicotine can protect against PE by modifying the content of exosomes released by EVT cells, and it significantly reduces blood pressure in a PE mouse model.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hannah Huckstep, Liam G. Fearnley, Melissa J. Davis
Summary: Protein phosphorylation is a well-known post-translational mechanism that plays a key role in cellular processes. While data-driven approaches have had limited success in revealing phosphosite functionality, using prior knowledge from literature-derived databases is a more suitable alternative. This study analyzed seven widely used databases to assess their suitability in providing functional insights into phosphoproteomics data, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses and providing guidance on how to best identify biological mechanisms in phosphoproteomic data.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Muntinee Lertpanprom, Atit Silsirivanit, Patcharaporn Tippayawat, Tanakorn Proungvitaya, Sittiruk Roytrakul, Siriporn Proungvitaya
Summary: This study identified a novel and reliable biomarker for diagnosis/prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor S (PTPRS), using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) combined with bioinformatics analysis. The results showed that PTPRS was significantly higher in CCA patients compared to patients with benign biliary disease and healthy controls. Higher serum PTPRS levels were associated with longer overall survival time of CCA patients and PTPRS was found to be an independent prognostic marker for CCA.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Derya Topuz Ata, Muattaz Hussain, Michael Jones, Jonathan Best, Martin Wiese, Katharine Christine Carter
Summary: In this study, transgenic Leishmania tarentolae expressing ?GCS from three pathogenic species were used to evaluate their protective effect against infection. The live vaccine showed a significant reduction in parasite burdens compared to controls, suggesting that ?GCS could be a candidate vaccine for leishmaniasis.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jeffrey Molendijk, Rui Yip, Benjamin L. Parker
Summary: We have developed a database for underrepresented post-translational modifications (PTMs) to accelerate the discovery of enriched protein modifications in experimental data. The database provides curated lists of proteins reported to be substrates of underrepresented modifications. We demonstrated the utility of the database through the analysis of previously published data. Additionally, we developed an online tool that integrates upstream transcription factor enrichment analysis with downstream pathway analysis through an easy-to-use interactive interface.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Lorenzo Tagliazucchi, Ana Perea-Martinez, Greta Fiorini, Jose Ignacio Manzano, Filippo Genovese, Raquel Garcia-Hernandez, Diego Pinetti, Francisco Gamarro, Maria Paola Costi
Summary: As leishmaniasis becomes increasingly difficult to treat with current therapies, understanding the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance and treatment failure is crucial for drug discovery and development. This study investigates the biochemical pathways of THP-1 human monocytes infected with different Leishmania infantum clinical isolates, and identifies overexpressed proteins associated with drug resistance. The findings provide insights into new targets for combating drug resistance and treatment failure, and highlight the importance of a dual host-guest pharmacological approach.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Mahreen U. Hassan, Mike P. Williamson
Summary: The WxL domain is a common feature on the cell surface of various bacteria, particularly commensal gut bacteria. Its function is not yet clear, but it is believed to be involved in virulence and/or peptidoglycan attachment. Bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the structure and function of the WxL domain, revealing its occurrence in cell surface-associated gene clusters and its role in facilitating interactions with host proteins through attachment to bacterial peptidoglycan.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Ahmad Fudail Eiyad Aziz, Norhamizah Roshidi, Nurulhasanah Othman, Khayriyyah Mohd Hanafiah, Norsyahida Arifin
Summary: This article reviews the applications of proteomics in studying G. duodenalis and proposes future directions for research.
Review
Immunology
Thalia Pacheco-Fernandez, Greta Volpedo, Sreenivas Gannavaram, Parna Bhattacharya, Ranadhir Dey, Abhay Satoskar, Greg Matlashewski, Hira L. Nakhasi
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasitic protozoa transmitted by infected sandflies, affecting over 1 billion people worldwide. The successful vaccination procedure known as leishmanization, which has been used in the Middle East for decades, is no longer practiced due to safety and ethical concerns. New genome editing technologies may allow for the development of a second generation leishmanization that could enter human trials.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Kristina Zec, Stephanie Thiebes, Jenny Bottek, Devon Siemes, Philippa Spangenberg, Duc Viet Trieu, Nils Kirstein, Nirojah Subramaniam, Robin Christ, Diana Klein, Verena Jendrossek, Maria Loose, Florian Wagenlehner, Jadwiga Jablonska, Thilo Bracht, Barbara Sitek, Bettina Budeus, Ludger Klein-Hitpass, Dirk Theegarten, Olga Shevchuk, Daniel R. Engel
Summary: This study provides novel insights into the molecular adaptations of alveolar macrophages (AM) upon lung infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. The results reveal a strong neutrophil-associated proteomic signature in AM, and identify CD11b as a central molecular hub influencing neutrophil recruitment, activation, and migration.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Chaojie Yu, Xinli Zhan, Tuo Liang, Liyi Chen, Zide Zhang, Jie Jiang, Jiang Xue, Jiarui Chen, Chong Liu
Summary: This study analyzed the proteome of hip joint samples from AS patients and non-AS patients, finding that MPO may promote the inflammatory response of fibroblasts in the hip joint through the phagosome pathway.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)