Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yaquan Liang, Yilin Zhao, Jeric Mun Chung Kwan, Yue Wang, Yuan Qiao
Summary: Peptidoglycan (PG) is a protective component in bacteria, and excessive lytic transglycosylase (LT) activity can cause cell lysis. However, the growth of the lysed cells can be restored, and the restored cells show similar morphology and function as the control, indicating the restoration of the effects of PG cleavage on bacterial morphology and function.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Optics
Yuzhen Wang, Gaochao Liu, Zhiguo Xia
Summary: This study successfully achieved near-infrared (NIR) II emission in a certain calcium gallium silicate crystal by designing and verifying the occupation of Cr4+ ions. The phosphor exhibited broadband NIR-II emission under red light excitation, with good temperature response and relative sensitivity.
LASER & PHOTONICS REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kaimin Wang, Xuling Bai, Xiong Zhao, Keyan Duan, Ruiting Zhao, Hongmei Yu, Lifeng Li, Zhengliang Wang, Huaijun Tang, Yulu Ma
Summary: A new water-stable metal-organic framework, MOF 1, was synthesized and showed selectivity and sensitivity in detecting Chloramphenicol antibiotic in aqueous solutions. It also exhibited effective detection performance in milk and honey samples.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu-Qiao Su, Ruo-Tong Wang, Olga A. Blatova, Yong-Sheng Shi, Guang-Hua Cui
Summary: Selective detection of antibiotics and MnO4- is crucial for human health improvement and environmental protection. Two stable Zn(II)-based metal-organic frameworks were successfully synthesized using a mixed ligands approach, exhibiting excellent chemical and thermal stability. These MOFs are promising dual-functional fluorescent sensors for high-selectivity and sensitivity detection of enrofloxacin/MnO4- anions, marking the first observation of fluorescent MOFs for these analytes.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Zhi Long Ma, Meng Chen Wang, Li Tian, Lin Cheng
Summary: The study synthesized a water stable three-dimensional coordination polymer with excellent recognition abilities and efficient luminescent sensing properties.
INORGANICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mengyu Niu, Xiaoping Yang, Yanan Ma, Chengri Wang, Wenxin Hao, Dongliang Shi, Desmond Schipper
Summary: The newly synthesized octanuclear Zn(II)-Yb(III) complex exhibits high luminescence sensitivity to nitrofuran antibiotics, with detection limits ranging from 1.27 to 2.38 μmol/L, and this sensitivity is not affected by the presence of other antibiotics.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleksandra Tymoszewska, Tamara Aleksandrzak-Piekarczyk
Summary: The study investigated the development of resistance to aureocin A53- and enterocin L50-like bacteriocins in bacterium Lactococcus lactis, and found that decreased sensitivity to membrane-active bacteriocins and antibiotics may lead to an increased vulnerability to other antibiotics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Jing Ru, Yi-Xuan Shi, Ying-Xue Wang, Qiang Guo, Xin-Xin Ma, Lei-Lei Li, Yan-Lan Wang, Chun-Lin Ma
Summary: A three-dimensional Co(II) metal-organic framework (MOF) with good magnetic and photosensitive properties was successfully synthesized and used for detecting nitrofuran antibiotics.
JOURNAL OF CLUSTER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Delia Casas-Pastor, Raphael Rene Mueller, Sebastian Jaenicke, Karina Brinkrolf, Anke Becker, Mark Buttner, Carol Gross, Thorsten Mascher, Alexander Goesmann, Georg Fritz
Summary: Extracytoplasmic function sigma factors (ECFs) play a major role in bacterial signal transduction mechanisms, with our comprehensive phylogenetic analysis identifying numerous new ECF groups and expanding classification efforts. This detailed description of the phylogenetic distribution of the ECF family will serve as a powerful tool for guiding future research in the field.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Koji Yahara, Kevin C. Ma, Tatum D. Mortimer, Ken Shimuta, Shu-ichi Nakayama, Aki Hirabayashi, Masato Suzuki, Michio Jinnai, Hitomi Ohya, Toshiro Kuroki, Yuko Watanabe, Mitsuru Yasuda, Takashi Deguchi, Vegard Eldholm, Odile B. Harrison, Martin C. J. Maiden, Yonatan H. Grad, Makoto Ohnishi
Summary: This study investigated the evolution and spread of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains in Japan and globally. The emergence of mosaic penA alleles in ST-1901 and ST-7363 was found to be due to recombination events with other Neisseria species, followed by acquisition of wildtype penA alleles. Furthermore, fluoroquinolone resistance mutations in ST-7363 were found to be due to independent mutations rather than horizontal gene transfer. These findings highlight the role of antibiotic use and genetic recombination in driving the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhea.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Vegard Eldholm, Janne O. Ronning, Anne Torunn Mengshoel, Trude Arnesen
Summary: The study found that in Norway, most cases of Mycobacterium africanum (MAF) are the result of importation, but there is also evidence of transmission within the country.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Neil MacAlasdair, Maiju Pesonen, Ola Brynildsrud, Vegard Eldholm, Paul A. Kristiansen, Jukka Corander, Dominique A. Caugant, Stephen D. Bentley
Summary: The study reveals the high dynamic nature of Neisseria meningitidis genome with highly recombinant loci and frequent gene sharing across deeply separated lineages in a structured population. Recombination acts primarily to prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations, while also speeding gene adaptation in some cases. This highlights the importance of recombination in the evolution of a geographically expansive population with deep population structure in a short time frame.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Philipp F. Popp, Lena Friebel, Alhosna Benjdia, Alain Guillot, Olivier Berteau, Thorsten Mascher
Summary: The epeXEPAB locus of Bacillus subtilis encodes a biosynthetic pathway for the antimicrobial peptide EpeX, which is processed post-translationally by enzymes EpeE and EpeP. This locus is mainly distributed within the phylum Firmicutes, with the gene products targeting and perturbing the integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane. The regulation of epe expression involves the action of global regulators AbrB and Spo0A, which ensure a balanced immunity against mature EpeX.
MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Magnus N. Osnes, Lucy van Dorp, Ola B. Brynildsrud, Kristian Alfsnes, Thamarai Schneiders, Kate E. Templeton, Koji Yahara, Francois Balloux, Dominique A. Caugant, Vegard Eldholm
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lindsey L. Bohr, Madison A. Youngblom, Vegard Eldholm, Caitlin S. Pepperell
Summary: Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapid growing bacterium that causes lung infections in humans. Recently emerged dominant circulating clones in M. abscessus subspecies massiliense and abscessus are globally distributed and provide insights into the mechanisms of pathogen emergence and host adaptation. Differences in lateral gene transfer patterns, genome reorganization, and selection pressures were observed between environmental and host-adapted bacteria, suggesting major changes in genome evolution during host adaptation.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kristian Alfsnes, Vegard Eldholm, Michael W. Gaunt, Xavier de Lamballerie, Ernest A. Gould, John H-O Pettersson
Summary: The study indicates that the epidemiological history of dengue virus in Africa, primarily originating from South East Asia, remains unclear. Throughout the 20th century, DENV1-DENV3 were introduced to Africa multiple times from South East Asia, leading to inter-regional dispersal within Africa.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qian Zhang, Carolin M. Kobras, Susanne Gebhard, Thorsten Mascher, Diana Wolf
Summary: In this study, the model organism B. subtilis W168 was successfully established as a novel platform for subtilin biosynthesis, and the underlying regulatory mechanism was comprehensively characterized. This work not only facilitates genetic (engineering) studies on subtilin, but also paves the way for its industrial production. Moreover, it sheds new light on the heterologous production of other lantibiotics.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Philipp F. Popp, Vadim M. Gumerov, Ekaterina P. Andrianova, Lisa Bewersdorf, Thorsten Mascher, Igor B. Zhulin, Diana Wolf, Laura A. Hug
Summary: Maintaining cell envelope integrity is crucial for microorganisms. The phage shock protein (Psp) stress response is a conserved protection network that connects stress perception, signal transduction, and cellular responses. This study reveals the distribution and diversity of Psp systems in various bacterial and archaeal phyla, and establishes a natural classification system for Psp networks based on protein domain analysis. The research highlights the importance of studying Psp functions in underrepresented organisms.
Article
Microbiology
Ainhoa Revilla-Guarinos, Philipp F. Popp, Franziska Durr, Tania Lozano-Cruz, Johanna Hartig, Francisco Javier de la Mata, Rafael Gomez, Thorsten Mascher
Summary: Over the past few decades, continuous exposure of bacteria to antibiotics has led to the widespread development of antimicrobial resistances. This study introduces BDTL049 as a promising novel antimicrobial agent, which has the ability to kill Gram-positive bacteria and potentially reduce the chances of bacterial resistances.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Hilde Synnove Vollan, Dominique A. Caugant, Vegard Eldholm, Kristian Alfsnes, Nadia Debech, Ola Brynildsrud
Summary: The abcZ gene is essential in Neisseria species and plays an important role in multilocus sequence typing. We identified a strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with a deletion in the abcZ gene, which could affect the typing results. Further analysis revealed that abcZ deletions were present in a small percentage of Neisseria genomes.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Philipp F. Popp, Tania Lozano-Cruz, Franziska Duerr, Addis Londaitsbehere, Johanna Hartig, Francisco Javier de la Mata, Rafael Gomez, Thorsten Mascher, Ainhoa Revilla-Guarinos
Summary: The threat of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is increasing, but the development of new therapeutic countermeasures has stopped. Carbosilane dendritic systems with antimicrobial properties can be used as synthetic molecules for therapeutics. The bow-tie topology of BDTL049 has strong bactericidal properties against Bacillus subtilis. In this study, a fluorescent-labeled version of BDTL049 was synthesized to study its interaction with bacterial membrane, and a mutational study of known resistance determinants was conducted. The compound also showed high cytotoxicity in human cells. These insights highlight the potential and challenges of BDTL049 as an antimicrobial agent.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Marcus Thierig, Jana Raupbach, Diana Wolf, Thorsten Mascher, Kannan Subramanian, Thomas Henle
Summary: Manuka honey exhibits unique antibacterial activity attributed to methylglyoxal (MGO). Studying the bacteriostatic effect of honey on Bacillus subtilis using an assay with continuous measurement, it was found that different honeys with equal MGO content show variations, indicating the presence of synergistic compounds. Model studies using artificial honey containing MGO and 3-phenyllactic acid (3-PLA) showed that high concentrations of 3-PLA enhance the bacteriostatic effect. The results highlight the role of 3-PLA and polyphenols in enhancing the antibacterial effect of MGO in manuka honey.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Tobias M. Milzarek, Milena Stevanovic, Dusan Milivojevic, Sandra Vojnovic, Denis Iliasov, Diana Wolf, Thorsten Mascher, Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic, Tobias A. M. Gulder
Summary: This study established a compound library for the evaluation of ambigols and found that they possess exceptional antibiotic activity, especially against challenging clinical isolates.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)