Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
John T. Kalyvas, Paula Facal Marina, Damian L. Stachura, John R. Horsley, Andrew D. Abell
Summary: A novel strategy using UV light to activate and deliver an antimicrobial therapeutic agent for treating Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) skin infections is introduced. The active peptide, derived from a photoswitchable gramicidin S analogue immobilized on a wearable patch, exhibits antimicrobial activity against S. aureus without harming red blood cells. The antimicrobial properties of the peptide can be switched off within seconds by irradiation with visible light, providing an ideal approach to regulate antibiotic activity and potentially mitigate resistance.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johannes Morstein, Giovanna Romano, Belinda E. Hetzler, Ambrose Plante, Caleb Haake, Joshua Levitz, Dirk Trauner
Summary: This study develops tools for optical control of serotonin receptors, providing a new method for studying receptor function. By constructing a repeatable and reversible optical control system, this study lays the foundation for extending photopharmacology to the serotonin receptor family.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Li Gao, Joyce C. M. Meiring, Constanze Heise, Ankit Rai, Adrian Mueller-Deku, Anna Akhmanova, Julia Thorn-Seshold, Oliver Thorn-Seshold
Summary: Optical methods to modulate microtubule dynamics have the potential to decrypt the roles of the cytoskeleton in biology with high resolution. However, the development of optical microtubule stabilisers is still limited. In this study, we introduce STEpos as GFP-orthogonal, light-responsive microtubule stabilisers, which significantly improve potency, solubility, and ease-of-use compared to previous stabilisers. These reagents can greatly contribute to high-precision research in cytoskeleton biophysics, cargo transport, cell motility, cell division, development, and neuroscience.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hejian Xiong, Kevin A. Alberto, Jonghae Youn, Jaume Taura, Johannes Morstein, Xiuying Li, Yang Wang, Dirk Trauner, Paul A. Slesinger, Steven O. Nielsen, Zhenpeng Qin
Summary: Precisely modulating the release of neuroactive molecules is crucial for understanding brain circuits and behavior. In this study, a photoswitchable nanovesicle called "azosome" was developed, allowing controlled and repeatable release of cargo under specific wavelengths of light. The release of a dopamine D1-receptor agonist from the azosome demonstrated its potential as a valuable tool for molecular neuroscience studies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena Petukhova, Daria Ponomareva, Karin Rustler, Burkhard Koenig, Piotr Bregestovski
Summary: In this study, it was found that Glyght can modulate GABAergic synaptic transmission by acting on extrasynaptic glycine receptors, without affecting postsynaptic GABA receptors and neurotransmitter release mechanisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlo Matera, Pablo Calve, Veronica Casado-Anguera, Rosalba Sortino, Alexandre M. J. Gomila, Estefania Moreno, Thomas Gener, Cristina Delgado-Sallent, Pau Nebot, Davide Costazza, Sara Conde-Berriozabal, Merce Masana, Jordi Hernando, Vicent Casado, M. Victoria Puig, Pau Gorostiza
Summary: Understanding the dopaminergic system is a priority, and dysregulation of dopamine receptors is associated with major neurological disorders. Current tools for studying the endogenous dopaminergic circuits are limited. This study introduces azodopa, a photoswitchable ligand that enables reversible control of dopaminergic transmission. Azodopa has shown efficacy in wild-type animals and has the potential for remote control of dopaminergic neurotransmission.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhi Qiao, Wen Fu, Qiutang Huang, Zhong Li, Chunqing Zhao, Xusheng Shao
Summary: Photopharmacology, with its superior temporal and spatial resolution, has significantly advanced the research of neurons and cells, particularly in the study of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABARs). This study reported the use of azobenzene-phenylpyrazole (ABPs) for controlling GABARs function using light. The ABPs showed different insecticidal activity against Aedes albopictus larvae before and after light illumination, and enabled real-time photoregulation of larval behavior. The findings suggest that ABPs can be valuable supplements to existing GABAR photocontrol tools.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alexey Noev, Natalia Morozova, Nikita Suvorov, Yuriy Vasil'ev, Andrei Pankratov, Mikhail Grin
Summary: The toxicity of local anesthetics is a serious problem and their non-selectivity of action is a main cause of side effects. The photopharmacology approach can increase their selective action. A new dosage form of ethercaine was developed to improve solubility and demonstrate high biological activity and low toxicity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexey Noev, Nikita Kuznetsov, Georgiy Korenev, Natalia Morozova, Yuriy Vasil'ev, Nikita Suvorov, Ekaterina Diachkova, Maksim Usachev, Andrei Pankratov, Mikhail Grin
Summary: Pain is a common symptom that affects people's quality of life worldwide. The development of new drugs and methods for pain relief is important due to the side effects of commonly used local anesthetics. This study aimed to create a new light-controlled local anesthetic and investigate its biological activity in animals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Pascal Lentes, Jeremy Rudtke, Thomas Griebenow, Rainer Herges
Summary: Novel nitrogen-bridged diazocines with formyl or acetyl groups and halogen substituents were synthesized and showed promising photophysical properties in acetonitrile and water. The use of an oxidative approach increased the yields of intramolecular azo cyclizations. Water-soluble diazocines exhibited high photoconversion yields, making them potential candidates for applications in photopharmacology.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronald Udasin, Anwesha Sil, Elia Zomot, Hadas Achildiev Cohen, Jozafina Haj, Nurit Engelmayer, Shaya Lev, Alexander M. Binshtok, Yuval Shaked, Michael A. Kienzler, Raz Palty
Summary: This study reports the synthesis and characterization of azoboronate light-operated CRAG channel inhibitors (LOCIs), which enable dynamic and reversible remote modulation of native CRAG channels using light. The application of LOCI-1 was demonstrated in gene expression regulation in T lymphocytes, cancer cell seeding at metastatic sites, and pain-related behavior.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
James T. Hagan, Alejandra Gonzalez, Yuran Shi, Grace G. D. Han, Jason R. Dwyer
Summary: In this study, we fabricated photoregulated thin-film nanopores by covalently linking azobenzene photoswitches to silicon nitride pores. The photoresponsive coatings allowed for repeated optical switching of the nanopores, resulting in changes to the effective nanopore diameter and ionic conductance. The sensitivity of the nanopores to specific analytes could be controlled through illumination wavelength and voltage polarity. This research has significant implications for the development of ionic circuit elements and chemically tuned filters, as well as for single-molecule sensing applications in personalized medicine, genomics, and glycomics.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. L. Barrett, C. Meyer, E. Cwiklik, V Fieglein, M. Burns, J. Guerrero, W. J. Brittain
Summary: Laboratory illumination is strong enough to create a photostationary state (PSS) of amphiphilic azo-benzene compounds in water. The [cis]PSS/[trans]PSS ratios were observed to be 0.33-1.2 in D2O and 0.37-3.8 in dimethyl sulfoxide-d6. ortho-Fluoroazobenzene amphiphiles show higher cis-isomer concentration at equilibrium compared to non-fluorinated compounds due to differences in optical absorption profiles. The kinetics of isomerization were measured using UV-Vis spectroscopy and the ratio of trans-to-cis rates does not directly correlate with the observed PSS. The half-life for PSS formation is 40 minutes for fluorinated compounds and 80 minutes for non-fluorinated compounds.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Matthias Scheiner, Alexandra Sink, Matthias Hoffmann, Cassandre Vrigneau, Erik Endres, Allison Carles, Christoph Sotriffer, Tangui Maurice, Michael Decker
Summary: Selective and pseudoirreversible photoswitchable BChE inhibitors were synthesized to investigate their biological functions and the mechanisms by which they affect Alzheimer's disease. One of the compounds showed significant differences in activity both in vitro and in vivo, and exhibited complete recovery in a murine cognition-deficit AD model.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
J. Royes, V. A. Bjornestad, G. Brun, T. Narayanan, R. Lund, C. Tribet
Summary: Photoswitchable surfactants are used in the design of light-responsive colloids and self-assemblies. This study investigates the intermediate lipid-surfactant assemblies formed during fast isothermal photo-triggered transitions. The experiments reveal that the transient assemblies detected during the photo-triggered kinetics are similar to the stationary states. Additionally, the reorganization speed of surfactant-enriched assemblies is faster than that of lipid-enriched ones.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arunas Damijonaitis, Johannes Broichhagen, Tatsuya Urushima, Katharina Huell, Jatin Nagpal, Laura Laprell, Matthias Schoenberger, David H. Woodmansee, Amir Rafiq, Martin P. Sumser, Wolfgang Kummer, Alexander Gottschalk, Dirk Trauner
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Laura C. Miller, Colleen T. OLoughlin, Zinan Zhang, Albert Siryaporn, Justin E. Silpe, Bonnie L. Bassler, Martin F. Semmelhack
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2015)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johannes Broichhagen, Arunas Damijonaitis, Joshua Levitz, Kevin R. Sokol, Philipp Leippe, David Konrad, Ehud Y. Isacoff, Dirk Trauner
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Calla M. Olson, Baishan Jiang, Michael A. Erb, Yanke Liang, Zainab M. Doctor, Zinan Zhang, Tinghu Zhang, Nicholas Kwiatkowski, Myriam Boukhali, Jennifer L. Green, Wilhelm Haas, Tyzoon Nomanbhoy, Eric S. Fischer, Richard A. Young, James E. Bradner, Georg E. Winter, Nathanael S. Gray
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Immunology
Zinan Zhang, Florian Gothe, Perrine Pennamen, John R. James, David McDonald, Carlos P. Mata, Yorgo Modis, Anas M. Alazami, Meghan Acres, Wolfram Haller, Claire Bowen, Rainer Doffinger, Jan Sinclair, Shannon Brothers, Yu Zhang, Helen F. Matthews, Sophie Naudion, Fanny Pelluard, Huda Alajlan, Yasuhiro Yamazaki, Luigi D. Notarangelo, James E. Thaventhiran, Karin R. Engelhardt, Hamoud Al-Mousa, Sophie Hambleton, Caroline Rooryck, Kenneth G. C. Smith, Michael J. Lenardo
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James E. D. Thaventhiran, Hana Lango Allen, Oliver S. Burren, William Rae, Daniel Greene, Emily Staples, Zinan Zhang, James H. R. Farmery, Ilenia Simeoni, Elizabeth Rivers, Jesmeen Maimaris, Christopher J. Penkett, Jonathan Stephens, Sri V. V. Deevi, Alba Sanchis-Juan, Nicholas S. Gleadall, Moira J. Thomas, Ravishankar B. Sargur, Pavels Gordins, Helen E. Baxendale, Matthew Brown, Paul Tuijnenburg, Austen Worth, Steven Hanson, Rachel J. Linger, Matthew S. Buckland, Paula J. Rayner-Matthews, Kimberly C. Gilmour, Crina Samarghitean, Suranjith L. Seneviratne, David M. Sansom, Andy G. Lynch, Karyn Megy, Eva Ellinghaus, David Ellinghaus, Silje F. Jorgensen, Tom H. Karlsen, Kathleen E. Stirrups, Antony J. Cutler, Dinakantha S. Kumararatne, Anita Chandra, J. David M. Edgar, Archana Herwadkar, Nichola Cooper, Sofia Grigoriadou, Aarnoud P. Huissoon, Sarah Goddard, Stephen Jolles, Catharina Schuetz, Felix Boschann, Paul A. Lyons, Matthew E. Hurles, Sinisa Savic, Siobhan O. Burns, Taco W. Kuijpers, Ernest Turro, Willem H. Ouwehand, Adrian J. Thrasher, Kenneth G. C. Smith
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qian Zhang, Paul Bastard, Zhiyong Liu, Jeremie Le Pen, Marcela Moncada-Velez, Jie Chen, Masato Ogishi, Ira K. D. Sabli, Stephanie Hodeib, Cecilia Korol, Jeremie Rosain, Kaya Bilguvar, Junqiang Ye, Alexandre Bolze, Benedetta Bigio, Rui Yang, Andres Augusto Arias, Qinhua Zhou, Yu Zhang, Fanny Onodi, Sarantis Korniotis, Lea Karpf, Quentin Philippot, Marwa Chbihi, Lucie Bonnet-Madin, Karim Dorgham, Nikaia Smith, William M. Schneider, Brandon S. Razooky, Hans-Heinrich Hoffmann, Eleftherios Michailidis, Leen Moens, Ji Eun Han, Lazaro Lorenzo, Lucy Bizien, Philip Meade, Anna-Lena Neehus, Aileen Camille Ugurbil, Aurelien Corneau, Gaspard Kerner, Peng Zhang, Franck Rapaport, Yoann Seeleuthner, Jeremy Manry, Cecile Masson, Yohann Schmitt, Agatha Schlueter, Tom Le Voyer, Taushif Khan, Juan Li, Jacques Fellay, Lucie Roussel, Mohammad Shahrooei, Mohammed F. Alosaimi, Davood Mansouri, Haya Al-Saud, Fahd Al-Mulla, Feras Almourfi, Saleh Zaid Al-Muhsen, Fahad Alsohime, Saeed Al Turki, Rana Hasanato, Diederik van de Beek, Andrea Biondi, Laura Rachele Bettini, Mariella D'Angio, Paolo Bonfanti, Luisa Imberti, Alessandra Sottini, Simone Paghera, Eugenia Quiros-Roldan, Camillo Rossi, Andrew J. Oler, Miranda F. Tompkins, Camille Alba, Isabelle Vandernoot, Jean-Christophe Goffard, Guillaume Smits, Isabelle Migeotte, Filomeen Haerynck, Pere Soler-Palacin, Andrea Martin-Nalda, Roger Colobran, Pierre-Emmanuel Morange, Sevgi Keles, Fatma Colkesen, Tayfun Ozcelik, Kadriye Kart Yasar, Sevtap Senoglu, Semsi Nur Karabela, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallego, Giuseppe Novelli, Sami Hraiech, Yacine Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Xavier Duval, Cedric Laouenan, Andrew L. Snow, Clifton L. Dalgard, Joshua D. Milner, Donald C. Vinh, Trine H. Mogensen, Nico Marr, Andras N. Spaan, Bertrand Boisson, Stephanie Boisson-Dupuis, Jacinta Bustamante, Anne Puel, Michael J. Ciancanelli, Isabelle Meyts, Tom Maniatis, Vassili Soumelis, Ali Amara, Michel Nussenzweig, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Florian Krammer, Aurora Pujol, Darragh Duffy, Richard P. Lifton, Shen-Ying Zhang, Guy Gorochov, Vivien Beziat, Emmanuelle Jouanguy, Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu, Charles M. Rice, Laurent Abel, Luigi D. Notarangelo, Aurelie Cobat, Helen C. Su, Jean-Laurent Casanova
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zinan Z. Zhang, Yu Zhang, Tingyan He, Colin L. Sweeney, Safa Baris, Elif Karakoc-Aydiner, Yikun Yao, Deniz Ertem, Helen F. Matthews, Claudia Gonzaga-Jauregui, Harry L. Malech, Helen C. Su, Ahmet Ozen, Kenneth G. C. Smith, Michael J. Lenardo
Summary: IL-37 mutation in a 4-month-old male from a consanguineous family led to infantile inflammatory bowel disease (I-IBD) with persistent diarrhea. The patient's cells showed increased intracellular IL-37 expression and proinflammatory cytokine production. Insights from this patient suggest a potential role of the IL-18 and IL-37 axis in colonic homeostasis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Zinan Zhang, Dominic Ortega, Anthony Rush, Lauren R. Blankenship, Zi Jun Cheng, Rebecca E. Moore, Minh L. N. Tran, Lucero G. Sandoval, Kareem Aboulhosn, Seiichiro Watanabe, Kendra S. Cortez, David H. Perlman, Martin F. Semmelhack, Laura C. Miller Conrad
Summary: Newly developed antipyocyanin compounds not only have potential antivirulence effects, but may also act as antibiotic adjuvants to amplify bactericidal activity. These compounds could represent a first-in-class antibiotic adjuvant therapy, widening the therapeutic index and strengthening our arsenal against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Carlos Perez-Sanchez, Ariana Barbera Betancourt, Paul A. Lyons, Zinan Zhang, Chenqu Suo, James C. Lee, Eoin F. McKinney, Louise K. Modis, Christian Ellson, Kenneth G. C. Smith
Summary: miR-374a-5p plays a crucial role in regulating inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by controlling the expression of inflammatory mediators and monocyte function. Its reduced expression is associated with inflammatory response in IBD patients and predicts the response to anti-TNF therapy. The findings suggest that miR-374a-5p has therapeutic potential for immune-mediated diseases.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2022)
