Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xin Jiang, Chenguang Yang, Jie Qiu, Dongfei Ma, Cheng Xu, Shuxin Hu, Weijing Han, Bing Yuan, Ying Lu
Summary: LL-37 is able to induce specific permeability of a phosphoethanolamine-rich mitochondrial membrane in a protein-independent manner, offering an alternative pathway for LL-37-triggered mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and apoptosis.
Article
Biology
Piotr Kolesinski, Kuei-Chen Wang, Yujiro Hirose, Victor Nizet, Partho Ghosh
Summary: This study revealed the specific binding mechanism between the Streptococcus pyogenes M protein and the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, providing important insights into the drug resistance of streptococcus.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kornelius Zeth, Enea Sancho-Vaello
Summary: The human cathelicidin LL-37 is a versatile peptide with antimicrobial activity, playing a crucial role in targeting microorganisms. Recent structural studies have revealed the diversity and adaptability of LL-37 in interacting with lipid-like molecules. Complexes of LL-37 with detergents provide insights into mimicking lipids and inducing oligomerization and fibrillation, opening avenues for designing LL-37-derived peptides with enhanced antibiotic properties.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Oriana Simonetti, Oscar Cirioni, Gaia Goteri, Guendalina Lucarini, Elzbieta Kamysz, Wojciech Kamysz, Fiorenza Orlando, Giulio Rizzetto, Elisa Molinelli, Gianluca Morroni, Roberto Ghiselli, Mauro Provinciali, Andrea Giacometti, Annamaria Offidani
Summary: LL-37 has a potential future role in the management of infected wounds, promoting wound healing and angiogenesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomasz Wollny, Urszula Wnorowska, Ewelina Piktel, Lukasz Suprewicz, Grzegorz Krol, Katarzyna Gluszek, Stanislaw Gozdz, Janusz Kopczynski, Robert Bucki
Summary: The role of inflammation in bladder cancer development is still unclear. This study investigates the potential role of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a regulator of cellular processes in inflammation and cancer, and its effect on the expression of human cathelicidin (hCAP-18). The study suggests that S1P may promote bladder cancer development by stimulating the expression of hCAP-18.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hamed Memariani, Mojtaba Memariani
Summary: Despite continuous efforts to develop effective antibiofilm chemotherapeutics, biofilm-associated infections remain a challenging issue in medicine. The human cathelicidin LL-37 has shown promise in treating such infectious diseases due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and immunomodulatory properties. This paper aims to comprehensively review the antibiofilm effects of LL-37. Accumulating evidence suggests that LL-37 is able to prevent biofilm establishment by various bacterial pathogens, and it functions through mechanisms such as inhibiting bacterial adhesion and degrading biofilm matrix. However, more research is needed to determine its efficacy and safety in vivo.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Kat Franklin, Brenda Kwambana-Adams, Fernanda C. Lessa, Heidi M. Soeters, Laura Cooper, Matthew E. Coldiron, Jason Mwenda, Martin Antonio, Tomoka Nakamura, Ryan Novak, Adam L. Cohen
Summary: The study reviewed and analyzed 10 potential pneumococcal meningitis outbreaks in Africa between 2000 and 2018. These outbreaks showed lower peak attack rates than meningococcal meningitis outbreaks and were characterized by a predominance of serotype 1. Patients with pneumococcal meningitis tended to be older and had a higher case fatality rate compared to meningococcal meningitis cases. Improved laboratory testing for S. pneumoniae is essential for early outbreak identification.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Philip H. C. Kremer, Bart Ferwerda, Hester J. Bootsma, Nienke Y. Rots, Alienke J. Wijmenga-Monsuur, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Krzysztof Trzcinski, Anne L. Wyllie, Paul Turner, Arie van der Ende, Matthijs C. Brouwer, Stephen D. Bentley, Diederik van de Beek, John A. Lees
Summary: This study identified genetic variations in pneumococcal carriage that differ between infants and adults. Serotypes and genetic background were found to explain a proportion of the heritability in carriage. The findings support the proposal for adaptive vaccination strategies targeting dominant circulating serotypes and tailored to the composition of the pathogen populations.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Fereshte Sheybani, Matthijs C. Brouwer, Diederik van de Beek
Summary: Bacterial meningitis in patients with multiple myeloma is rare but severe, with high rates of unfavorable outcomes. These patients often present with a lower cerebrospinal fluid leukocyte count compared to those without multiple myeloma. Physicians should have a low threshold for performing lumbar puncture and initiating antibiotic treatment in these patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Chih-Chin Shih, Wei-Chieh Liao, Hung-Yen Ke, Chia-Wen Kuo, Cheng-Ming Tsao, Wen-Chiuan Tsai, Yi-Lin Chiu, Hsieh-Chou Huang, Chin-Chen Wu
Summary: Global warming increases the incidence of heat stroke, which leads to intestinal barrier disruption, microbial translocation, systemic inflammation, and multiple organ failure. Cathelicidin LL-37 has protective effects on the intestine and could prevent heat stress-induced intestinal damage and heat-related illnesses.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Marco Rinaldo Oggioni, Uwe Koedel
Summary: Researchers have found a link between impaired glymphatic system functionality and neurological sequelae caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis. This study provides an important initial step in evaluating the potential impact of glymphatic system functionality on disease severity and sequelae in meningitis.
Article
Immunology
Mingjie Jin, Siyu Liang, Jing Wang, Huihui Zhang, Yueling Zhang, Wanjiang Zhang, Siguo Liu, Fang Xie
Summary: This study reveals the important role of the PepO protease in Streptococcus suis by assisting the bacterium in resisting cathelicidin-mediated killing. PepO cleaves and degrades cathelicidins LL-37 and mCRAMP, impairing their antibacterial abilities and affecting neutrophil migration, anti-apoptosis activity, and lysosome development in macrophages. Furthermore, the loss of PepO attenuates organ injury and bacterial burdens in a murine model of S. suis bacteraemia.
Article
Cell Biology
Debabrata Biswas, Poornima Ambalavanan, Miriam Ravins, Aparna Anand, Abhinay Sharma, Kimberly Xuan Zhen Lim, Rachel Ying Min Tan, Hwee Ying Lim, Asaf Sol, Gilad Bachrach, Veronique Angeli, Emanuel Hanski
Summary: Research has shown that Group A Streptococcus can resist host immune responses by cleaving the host's antimicrobial peptide LL-37, leading to soft-tissue infections. Furthermore, the activation of host receptors mediated by LL-37 is critical for defense against GAS infections.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stefanie Voelk, Markus Pfirrmann, Uwe Koedel, Hans-Walter Pfister, Thomas Lang, Franziska Scheibe, Farid Salih, Julia Herzig-Nichtweiss, Julian Zimmermann, Angelika Alonso, Matthias Wittstock, Andreas Totzeck, Patrick Schramm, Ingo Schirotzek, Oezguer A. Onur, Johann Otto Pelz, Caroline Ottomeyer, Sebastian Luger, Kristian Barlinn, Tobias Binder, Gabriele Woebker, Gernot Reimann, Christian Urbanek, Jan Heckelmann, Piergiorgio Lochner, Martin Berghoff, Silvia Schoenenberger, Bernhard Neumann, Wolf-Dirk Niesen, Christian Dohmen, Hagen B. Huttner, Albrecht Guenther, Matthias Klein
Summary: This study demonstrates a decrease in the number of patients with bacterial and viral meningitis as well as otolaryngological infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting a possible correlation with hygiene measures.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kai Zheng, Liang Zhu, Yiwei Ding, Xixi Zhang, Ning Chen, Gang Liu, Qiushui He
Summary: The study revealed significant changes in serum pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in pediatric patients with pneumococcal meningitis. IL-10 levels were significantly higher, while IL-12p40, IL-17A, and IL-1 beta levels were significantly lower in patients compared to healthy controls. Additionally, there was a negative correlation between blood neutrophil percentages and IL-10 concentrations, and lower levels of IL-12p40 and CXCL-1 were observed in patients with sepsis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Aisling R. Caffrey, Haley J. Appaneal, Kerry L. LaPlante, Vrishali V. Lopes, Erlinda R. Ulloa, Victor Nizet, George Sakoulas
Summary: This study demonstrates that the use of P2Y12 inhibitor clopidogrel can reduce in-hospital mortality in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nitasha D. Menon, Samuel Penziner, Elizabeth T. Montano, Raymond Zurich, David T. Pride, Bipin G. Nair, Geetha B. Kumar, Victor Nizet
Summary: Bacteriophage therapy is an alternative treatment to antibiotics for multidrug-resistant pathogens. This study found that phage therapy can lead to the emergence of phage-resistant mutants with pyomelanin pigmentation, but these mutants are less virulent due to large genomic deletions and retain susceptibility to the antibiotic colistin. This suggests that they do not pose a contraindication to using anti-pseudomonal phage therapy.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yujiro Hirose, Piotr Kolesinski, Masanobu Hiraoka, Satoshi Uchiyama, Raymond H. Zurich, Monika Kumaraswamy, Elisabet Bjanes, Partho Ghosh, Shigetada Kawabata, Victor Nizet
Summary: This study shows that the M87 protein of Streptococcus pyogenes strain emm87 acts as a virulence factor by modulating the interaction between the bacteria and innate immune cells, contributing to bacterial resistance and the release of mature IL-1 beta.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Piotr Kolesinski, Kuei-Chen Wang, Yujiro Hirose, Victor Nizet, Partho Ghosh
Summary: This study revealed the specific binding mechanism between the Streptococcus pyogenes M protein and the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, providing important insights into the drug resistance of streptococcus.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sydney P. Thomas, Erce Denizer, Simone Zuffa, Brookie M. Best, Lars Bode, Christina D. Chambers, Pieter C. Dorrestein, George Y. Liu, Jeremiah D. Momper, Victor Nizet, Shirley M. Tsunoda, Adriana H. Tremoulet
Summary: Antibiotics are crucial for perinatal care, but they can harm the host gut microbiota. Current studies mainly focus on the effects of antibiotics on infants directly or through maternal use, with limited knowledge about the risks of antibiotics in human milk to infants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Htut Htut Htoo, Nhung Ngo Thi Tuyet, Kittiporn Nakprasit, Chanat Aonbangkhen, Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak, Warinthorn Chavasiri, Poochit Nonejuie
Summary: In an era where bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics at a faster rate than new antibiotics are discovered, the search for new sources of antibacterial agents has become crucial. Plant-based natural products have gained interest as potential sources of antibacterial agents. Mansonone G, extracted from Mansonia gagei Drumm. heartwoods, has shown antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli lptD4213, and its derivatives also exhibit similar antibacterial spectrum with improved activities.
Article
Microbiology
Thanadon Samernate, Htut Htut Htoo, Joseph Sugie, Warinthorn Chavasiri, Joe Pogliano, Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak, Poochit Nonejuie
Summary: A high-resolution bacterial cytological profiling method was developed to capture morphological variations in bacteria upon antibiotic treatment. The method accurately classified morphological changes of individual cells into known mechanisms of action with an overall accuracy above 90%. Additionally, the method successfully revealed multiple cytological changes caused by a natural product-derived compound through combinations of antibiotics.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ericka Anderson, Bipin Nair, Victor Nizet, Geetha Kumar
Summary: The complexity of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis and its global impact on healthcare requires understanding of the underlying forces and implementation of innovative solutions. Future therapeutic interventions should focus on host-pathogen interactions to enhance the innate immune system and reduce pathogen virulence. Interrupting pathogen survival strategies and using clonotyping assays to identify 'super clones' can guide targeted antibiotic regimens. Innovative alternatives to traditional antibiotics, such as bacteriophage therapy and repurposing drugs, are being successfully used to combat AMR. Policy changes, including shorter durations of antibiotic treatment and increased surveillance measures, can enhance patient safety and global prevention and control programs.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
E. Mauricio Barajas-Mora, Lindsay Lee, Hanbin Lu, J. Andres Valderrama, Elisabet Bjanes, Victor Nizet, Ann J. J. Feeney, Ming Hu, Cornelis Murre
Summary: Researchers have identified a specific enhancer, E34, within the Igk locus, which is crucial for chromatin remodeling and repositioning, and promotes the rearrangement of Igkv7-33 V-kappa-J(kappa) genes necessary for the production of anti-phosphorylcholine-specific antibodies. Mice lacking E34 are more susceptible to Streptococcus pneumoniae infections.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Elisabet Bjanes, Jiarong Zhou, Tariq Qayum, Nishta Krishnan, Raymond H. Zurich, Nitasha D. Menon, Alexandria Hoffman, Ronnie H. Fang, Liangfang Zhang, Victor Nizet
Summary: This study reports a vaccine platform that combines gold nanoparticles coated with immunogenic Acinetobacter baumannii outer membrane vesicles (Ab-OMVs). It induces high levels of IgG antibodies in rabbits, enhances neutrophil killing of A. baumannii, and provides passive protection against sepsis in mice. Active immunization with the Ab-NP vaccine in mice protects against sepsis and pneumonia, activates B cells and dendritic cells, improves neutrophil responses, and mitigates cytokine storm.
ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Lucy Catteau, Yvan Diaz Iglesias, Hannah Tsunemoto, Joseph Pogliano, Francoise Van Bambeke, Victor Nizet, George Sakoulas
Summary: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) endocarditis, which does not respond to conventional therapy, can be effectively treated with the combination of nafcillin and daptomycin. In vitro studies have shown that nafcillin enhances the killing of MRSE by daptomycin, both in planktonic cells and biofilms. Nafcillin also sensitizes MRSE to killing by human neutrophils and cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37. Clinical studies are needed to determine the optimal timing for the use of these regimens to improve clinical outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tirthankar Mohanty, Christofer A. Q. Karlsson, Yashuan Chao, Erik Malmstrom, Eleni Bratanis, Andrietta Grentzmann, Martina Morch, Victor Nizet, Lars Malmstrom, Adam Linder, Oonagh Shannon, Johan Malmstrom
Summary: This study used pharmacoproteomics to evaluate the time-dependent treatment effects of meropenem and methylprednisolone on a murine Escherichia coli sepsis model. Three distinct proteome response patterns were identified, which depended on the underlying proteotype for each organ. The findings provide insights for guiding treatment timing, dosage, and potential combination therapies.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Tanapon Soonthonsrima, Htut Htut Htoo, Parameth Thiennimitr, Veerasak Srisuknimit, Poochit Nonejuie, Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak
Summary: In a post-antibiotic era, finding antibiotic alternatives has become crucial in fighting against pathogens. This study investigated phage-induced bacterial morphological changes and discovered a potential phage-derived antimicrobial embedded in the phage genome. By analyzing the genome, lytic transglycosylase (LT) was identified as a gene product of interest for further studies. The heterologous expression of wild-type KVP40-LT induced similar bacterial morphological changes to those caused by the phage or cell wall synthesis inhibitors, while truncated or catalytic mutant KVP40-LT had no effect, suggesting the importance of these domains for antibacterial activities.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sarah R. Rudd, Leticia Silva Miranda, Hannah R. Curtis, Yves Bigot, Mercedes Diaz-Mendoza, Robert Hice, Victor Nizet, Hyun-Woo Park, Gregor Blaha, Brian A. Federici, Dennis K. Bideshi
Summary: This paper introduces three important commercial bacterial insecticides derived from different subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), including their sources and uses. It also explores the unique features of Bt subspecies israelensis, such as the structure of the parasporal body (PB) and the multilaminar fibrous matrix (MFM), as well as the functions and structural similarities of two proteins, Bt152 and Bt075. Additionally, a novel molecular process for targeting Cry and Cyt proteins has been identified.
Article
Microbiology
Patiphan Khunti, Kittapart Chantakorn, Arishabhas Tantibhadrasapa, Htut Htut Htoo, Parameth Thiennimitr, Poochit Nonejuie, Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak
Summary: In this study, a novel E. coli phage named Killian was discovered, which specifically targets uropathogenic E. coli. Killian phage exhibits stability across a broad temperature and pH range, with no undesirable genes detected in its genome. Furthermore, the combination of Killian phage with certain antibiotics demonstrated synergistic effects in suppressing bacterial growth revival.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
