Article
Neurosciences
Damien Dupont, Jian-Sheng Lin, Francois Peyron, Hideo Akaoka, Martine Wallon
Summary: The study demonstrated that Toxoplasma gondii infection can lead to chronic alterations in sleep-wake states in mice, characterized by increased time spent awake, increased cortical EEG theta power density, and decreased slow-wave sleep. These effects can be alleviated by anti-inflammatory treatment with corticosteroid dexamethasone, shedding light on the neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders reported in infected patients.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iti Saraav, Luisa Cervantes-Barragan, Philipp Olias, Yong Fu, Qiuling Wang, Leran Wang, Yi Wang, Matthias Mack, Megan T. Baldridge, Thaddeus Stappenbeck, Marco Colonna, L. David Sibley
Summary: Oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii exacerbates damage to the colon caused by chemical irritant and impairs wound healing by suppressing stem cell regeneration. Enhanced tissue damage is due to inflammatory monocytes releasing inflammatory mediators.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marjan Enshaeieh, Geita Saadatnia, Jalal Babaie, Majid Golkar, Samira Choopani, Mohammad Sayyah
Summary: The study showed that valproic acid can inhibit chronic Toxoplasma infection and reduce the copy numbers of specific proteins and DNA in the brains of mice, comparable to the common medication TMP-SMZ.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Kun Yin, Chao Xu, Guihua Zhao, Huanhuan Xie
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii has a complex life cycle and can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals globally. Infection by this parasite has been linked to various psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and suicide. The mechanism behind the parasite's manipulation effects has not been fully elucidated. Recent research suggests that neuroendocrine programs and neurotransmitter imbalance may play a key role in this process. Additionally, studying the expression patterns of host genes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and mRNAs provides new insights into understanding the neurotransmitter dysfunction induced by parasite manipulation.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito, Ywlliane da Silva Rodrigues Meurer, Jully Anne Lemos Batista, Andrea Lima de Sa, Cassio Ricardo de Medeiros Souza, Janeusa Trindade de Souto, Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of Toxoplasma gondii infection on the systemic inflammatory response and structure of the primary somatosensory cortex (PSC). The results showed increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and tissue cysts in the infected mice, as well as a loss of neuronal net labeling in the cortex.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Adriana Lori, Dimitrios Avramopoulos, Alex W. Wang, Jennifer Mulle, Nicholas Massa, Erica J. Duncan, Abigail Powers, Karen Conneely, Charles F. Gillespie, Tanja Jovanovic, Kerry J. Ressler, Brad D. Pearce
Summary: The study found that the polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (SCZ-PRS) is significantly associated with uninfected individuals but not with those infected with Toxoplasma gondii. This highlights the importance of considering environmental risk factors in identifying subgroups with independent or different genetic components involved in the development of schizophrenia.
COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel, Sergio Estrada-Martinez, Alma Rosa Perez-Alamos, Agar Ramos-Nevarez, Karina Botello-Calderon, Angel Osvaldo Alvarado-Felix, Raquel Vaquera-Enriquez, Gustavo Alexis Alvarado-Felix, Antonio Sifuentes-Alvarez, Carlos Alberto Guido-Arreola, Elizabeth Rabago-Sanchez, Leandro Saenz-Soto
Summary: This study determined the association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and insomnia. The results showed that individuals with insomnia had a higher prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies compared to those without insomnia. Men and individuals over the age of 50 were more susceptible to T. gondii infection-related insomnia.
Article
Oncology
James M. Hodge, Anna E. Coghill, Youngchul Kim, Noemi Bender, Stephanie A. Smith-Warner, Susan Gapstur, Lauren R. Teras, Tom K. Grimsrud, Tim Waterboer, Kathleen M. Egan
Summary: Two prospective cohort studies suggest a potential association between T gondii infection and increased risk of glioma, especially among participants with high antibody titers specific to the sag-1 antigen. Further studies with larger case numbers are needed to confirm this etiologic role for T gondii in glioma.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2021)
Editorial Material
Parasitology
Caio Andreeta Figueiredo, Ildiko Rita Dunay
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii prefers to encyst within neurons in the central nervous system, establishing lifelong persistence. Previous assumptions suggested that this neuronal preference was due, in part, to a lack of neuronal cell-autonomous immunity. However, the findings by Chandrasekaran et al. have challenged this long-held belief by demonstrating that neurons can mount interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-mediated cell-autonomous defenses against T. gondii.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Kehui Zhu, Kun Liu, Junsi Huang, Xueqiong Weng, Qiaoyun Chen, Tianyu Gao, Kebing Chen, Chunxia Jing, Jing Wang, Guang Yang
Summary: This study found that Toxoplasma gondii infection is a risk factor for osteoporosis, especially compound osteoporosis. Further diagnosis and treatment of T. gondii infection, especially in women, are necessary for patients with osteoporosis.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Chris Pavey, Ajai Vyas
Summary: The environmental context can lead to diverse phenotypes from identical genotypes. The concepts of epigenotypes and extended phenotypes are proposed to explain the relationship between genetic information and the environment. Epigenotypes suggest that modifications of genetic material can generate nonvariant modules of development, while extended phenotypes propose that the appropriate phenotype of genetic information can extend beyond the organism itself. A synthesis between epigenotypes and extended phenotypes, called extended epiphenotypes, is proposed in this perspective.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Celine Dard, Christopher Swale, Marie-Pierre Brenier-Pinchart, Dayana C. Farhat, Valeria Bellini, Marie Gladys Robert, Dominique Cannella, Herve Pelloux, Isabelle Tardieux, Mohamed-Ali Hakimi
Summary: Discovery of the protein BCLA/MAG2 as a specific marker for bradyzoite and cyst envelope in T. gondii has been achieved through genetically engineered parasites. By using lab mice as models, researchers have confirmed that BCLA/MAG2 can stimulate antibody production recognizing bradyzoite and cyst structure. An ELISA assay based on a bacterially produced BCLA recombinant polypeptide has been designed and validated using sera from mice and human patients with toxoplasmosis, showing promising results for detection of persistent T. gondii infection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lokman Galal, Frederic Ariey, Meriadeg Ar Gouilh, Marie-Laure Darde, Azra Hamidovic, Franck Letourneur, Franck Prugnolle, Aurelien Mercier
Summary: This study analyzes 156 genomes of Toxoplasma gondii and provides estimates of the parasite's mutation rate and generation time. It reveals that a specific haplotype is associated with the spread of the parasite through cats, indicating its role in sexual reproduction.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Min Chen, Pei Yang, Zixuan Xin, Jiating Chen, Weihao Zou, Lijuan Zhou, Lili Yang, Jiao Peng, Hongjuan Peng
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogen causing toxoplasmosis and has similarities with immunotherapy for cancers. The knockout of GRA5 gene in T. gondii resulted in an avirulent strain that stimulated immune responses. ME49 & UDelta;gra5 vaccination provided protection against T. gondii infection and breast cancer by boosting anti-tumor responses. The vaccine upregulated Th1 cytokines and tumor-infiltrating T cells, and increased the number of immune cells in the spleen.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Shu Ye, Matteo Lunghi, Dominique Soldati-Favre
Summary: This study identifies a novel component, SLF, of a guanylate cyclase complex in Toxoplasma gondii that is essential for both acute infection and natural oral infection through the dissemination and persistence of tissue cysts.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dirk Schluter, Eric Schulze-Niemand, Matthias Stein, Michael Naumann
Summary: Many bacterial and viral pathogens have evolved effective strategies to control the activity of ovarian tumor domain proteases (OTUs) to overcome host immune responses and maintain persistence in the host. Pathogen-encoded OTUs can mimic host OTUs and cause cellular dysregulation. Selective OTU inhibitors have the potential to become pharmacologic targets for treating harmful infections.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Josephin Koschel, Gopala Nishanth, Sissy Just, Kunjan Harit, Andrea Kroger, Martina Deckert, Michael Naumann, Dirk Schluter
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Baohua Liu, Jing Ruan, Meng Chen, Zhongding Li, Gloria Manjengwa, Dirk Schlueter, Weihong Song, Xu Wang
Summary: Neurodegenerative diseases result from the aggregation of neurotoxic proteins in the central nervous system, often due to dysfunction in the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) play a key role in regulating protein degradation and have the potential to become therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases by modulating the stability of pathogenic proteins and influencing processes like mitophagy and neuroinflammation.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Patrick Chhatwal, Ella Ebadi, Frank Schwab, Stefan Ziesing, Ralf-Peter Vonberg, Nicolas Simon, Svetlana Gerbel, Dirk Schlueter, Franz-Christoph Bange, Claas Baier
Summary: In the past 5 years, a total of 141 CR Kp and 60 CR Ab cases were hospitalized in a German university hospital, corresponding to 118 unique patients. The incidences of CR Kp and CR Ab were 0.045 and 0.019 per 100 inpatient cases, respectively. The clinical infection rates were 17.0% in CR Kp group and 35.0% in CR Ab group, indicating a higher clinical impact among CR Ab cases. Further evaluation is needed for the efficiency of weekly microbiologic screening.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Lisa Osbelt, Marie Wende, Eva Almasi, Elisabeth Derksen, Uthayakumar Muthukumarasamy, Till R. Lesker, Eric J. C. Galvez, Marina C. Pils, Enrico Schalk, Patrick Chhatwal, Jacqueline Faerber, Meina Neumann-Schaal, Thomas Fischer, Dirk Schlueter, Till Strowig
Summary: The study highlights the potential of commensal K. oxytoca strains in preventing and treating gut infections caused by multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae, and emphasizes the importance of cooperation with additional commensal bacteria in restoring gut colonization resistance and decolonization.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jing Ruan, Dirk Schlueter, Michael Naumann, Ari Waisman, Xu Wang
Summary: This article discusses the relationship between the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and ubiquitination modification. Ubiquitin-modifying enzymes play crucial roles in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and regulating intestinal inflammation, making them a potential therapeutic target for IBD.
TRENDS IN MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Franca Schaefer, Pia Goerner, Sabrina Woltemate, Christina Brandenberger, Robert Geffers, Stefan Ziesing, Dirk Schlueter, Marius Vital
Summary: This study investigated the physiological adaptation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates with different resistance mechanisms during growth with sublethal concentrations of ertapenem. The results showed distinct strategies and gene expression patterns between strains carrying carbapenemase or alterations in porin-encoding genes. The study also observed a survival-like phenotype and reduced growth efficiencies in strains with alterations in porin-encoding genes, indicating costs of resistance.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Martha A. L. Boening, Gerald P. Parzmair, Andreas Jeron, Henning P. Duesedau, Olivia Kershaw, Baolin Xu, Borna Relja, Dirk Schlueter, Ildiko Rita Dunay, Annegret Reinhold, Burkhart Schraven, Dunja Bruder
Summary: Mice lacking the adhesion and degranulation-promoting adaptor protein (ADAP) are highly susceptible to infection by the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), showing enhanced immunopathology and increased infiltration of immune cells. Despite high phagocyte numbers in infected tissues, ADAP-deficient mice struggle to control pathogen growth efficiently, indicating a functional impairment in infection-primed phagocytes. Analysis revealed molecular alterations in pro-inflammatory mediators following activation in ADAP-deficient host, leading to enhanced immunopathology and reduced pathogen elimination capacity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jennifer Schauer, Soeren G. Gatermann, Jessica Eisfeld, Joerg Berthold Hans, Stefan Ziesing, Dirk Schlueter, Niels Pfennigwerth
Summary: The study aims to identify novel carbapenem resistance mechanisms and their potential to spread among clinical isolates. Through various tests, a new carbapenemase GMB-1 was identified in clinical isolates. Further studies confirmed its functional activity but showed reduced activity against certain drugs. The GMB-1 gene was found to be located on a genetic island on the chromosome, indicating the mobility and potential spread of carbapenemase genes in different species.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Kunjan Harit, Rituparna Bhattacharjee, Kai Matuschewski, Jennifer Becker, Ulrich Kalinke, Dirk Schlueter, Gopala Nishanth
Summary: This study reveals that the deubiquitinating enzyme OTUD7b prevents TNF-induced apoptosis of dendritic cells (DCs) during infection, resulting in efficient immune response. OTUD7b stabilizes the E3 ligase TNF-receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) by counteracting its K48-ubiquitination, facilitating the activation of NF-κB and MAP kinases, IL-12 production, and expression of anti-apoptotic cFLIP and Bcl-xL. Mice with DC-specific OTUD7b-deficiency showed DC apoptosis and failure to induce CD8(+) T cell-mediated brain pathology in a murine malaria infection model. These findings highlight the importance of OTUD7b as a central molecular switch for DC survival and provide insights for manipulating DC responses.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongding Li, Baohua Liu, Kate Lykke Lambertsen, Bettina Hjelm Clausen, Zhenhu Zhu, Xue Du, Yanqi Xu, Frantz Rom Poulsen, Bo Halle, Christian Bonde, Meng Chen, Xue Wang, Dirk Schlueter, Jingyong Huang, Ari Waisman, Weihong Song, Xu Wang
Summary: Deficiency of the ubiquitin-specific protease USP25 aggravates ischemic stroke injury by inhibiting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. USP25 restricts the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling by regulating TAB2 through removing K63-specific polyubiquitin chains. The upregulation of USP25 in microglia suggests its clinical relevance in ischemic stroke.
Article
Oncology
Ying Zhao, Jing Ruan, Zhongding Li, Xian Su, Kangmin Chen, Yimin Lin, Yuepiao Cai, Peng Wang, Baohua Liu, Dirk Schlueter, Guang Liang, Xu Wang
Summary: This study reveals that CCN6 protein levels in breast cancer are regulated by ubiquitination and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). OTUB1 is identified as a novel DUB for CCN6 and inhibits its degradation by interacting with CCN6 and inhibiting its K48 ubiquitination. Deletion of OTUB1 results in decreased CCN6 abundance and increased migration, proliferation, and viability of breast cancer cells, which can be rescued by supplementation of CCN6. Importantly, OTUB1 expression is downregulated in human breast cancer and positively correlated with CCN6 levels.
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carolin Boehne, Leonard Knegendorf, Frank Schwab, Ella Ebadi, Franz-Christoph Bange, Marius Vital, Dirk Schlueter, Gesine Hansen, Sabine Pirr, Corinna Peter, Bettina Bohnhorst, Claas Baier
Summary: This study investigated MRSA colonization and infection in a mixed tertiary neonatal intensive and intermediate care unit in Germany over an 8-year period. The study found that the burden of MRSA was low and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive infection control concept.
Article
Biology
Patrick Chhatwal, Sabrina Woltemate, Stefan Ziesing, Tobias Welte, Dirk Schluter, Marius Vital
Summary: Nocardiosis is a rare but life-threatening infection caused by aerobic Actinomycetes of the genus Nocardia, particularly affecting immunocompromised hosts. Whole genome sequencing revealed a broad taxonomic range of isolates, providing valuable insights into the disease.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Carolin Bohne, Patrick Chhatwal, Corinna Peter, Ella Ebadi, Gesine Hansen, Dirk Schluter, Franz-Christoph Bange, Bettina Bohnhorst, Claas Baier
Summary: This study presents an infection control response to a cluster of Serratia marcescens cases in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. By implementing a comprehensive hygiene management strategy, including early detection, microbiological screening, spatial isolation, and hand hygiene reinforcement, the outbreak was prevented from escalating into a full-blown epidemic.
GMS HYGIENE AND INFECTION CONTROL
(2021)
