Review
Microbiology
Jingxuan Zhou, Yi Cai, Ying Liu, Haoyue An, Kaihong Deng, Muhammad Awais Ashraf, Lili Zou, Jun Wang
Summary: The development of new antimicrobials is urgent and difficult due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The bacterial cell wall is a high-priority target for antibiotic screening, and extensively studied targets in the cell wall have been reviewed. Recent advances in peptidoglycan, lipopolysaccharide, teichoic acid, and lipoprotein have also been discussed. New methods such as macromolecular labeling and structure-based drug design hold promise for screening ideal antibiotics.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jacob D. Muscato, Heidi G. Morris, Aaron Mychack, Mithila Rajagopal, Vadim Baidin, Anthony R. Hesser, Wonsik Lee, Kemal Inecik, Laura J. Wilson, Christina M. Kraml, Timothy C. Meredith, Suzanne Walker
Summary: This study utilized synthetic lethality screening to identify two compounds that effectively inhibit the biosynthesis of Staphylococcus aureus lipoteichoic acid (LTA). These compounds were shown to restore sensitivity to oxacillin in a highly resistant S. aureus strain by targeting the glycosyltransferase UgtP. The study highlights the efficiency of using synthetic lethality to discover compounds that target specific pathways and suggests broader applications in other bacteria and eukaryotic cells.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Josue Flores-Kim, Genevieve S. Dobihal, Thomas G. Bernhardt, David Z. Rudner
Summary: A new factor called WhyD has been discovered to control the level of WTAs in Streptococcus pneumoniae cells, preventing the misactivation and lysis of the autolysin LytA. WhyD restricts the content of WTAs to areas adjacent to active peptidoglycan synthesis. The WTA tailoring activity of WhyD during exponential growth is crucial for proper cell elongation and preventing autolysis by LytA.
Article
Plant Sciences
Valeria Iobbi, Valentina Parisi, Giulia Bernabe, Nunziatina De Tommasi, Angela Bisio, Paola Brun
Summary: The Salvia rosmarinus Eretto Liguria ecotype was found to contain valuable bioactive compounds, with carnosic acid showing anti-virulence activity against MRSA. Carnosic acid inhibited MRSA biofilm formation and gene expression related to toxin production, while also increasing MRSA susceptibility to intracellular killing. This study suggests that carnosic acid could be a species-specific anti-virulence agent against MRSA infections, with potential use in multi-microbial infections.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Harshad Lade, Jae-Seok Kim
Summary: MRSA is a prevalent bacterial pathogen worldwide, and finding new antibiotic targets is crucial for successful treatment. Most antibiotics target essential biochemical processes of S. aureus, such as cell wall synthesis. Further research into novel antibiotics targeting bacterial cellular processes could lead to new therapeutic strategies against antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rana A. Elmesseri, Sarra E. Saleh, Sarah A. Ghobish, Taghreed A. Majrashi, Heba M. Elsherif, Khaled M. Aboshanab
Summary: This study aimed to explore the inhibitory effect of the anti-inflammatory drugs meloxicam and diclofenac on the production of staphyloxanthin by Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that meloxicam and diclofenac effectively inhibited the synthesis of staphyloxanthin and downregulated the expression of genes associated with its synthesis, highlighting the potential role of these drugs in combating MRSA infections.
Review
Microbiology
Philip Nikolic, Poonam Mudgil
Summary: Antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria pose a serious threat to human health and alternative methods are needed to treat resistant bacterial infections. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are resistant to most antibiotics, including last resort drugs. Changes in cell wall, cell membrane, and virulence factors contribute to antibiotic resistance. New antimicrobial strategies can target cell membrane lipids and virulence factors as adjuvant to traditional antibiotic therapy.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Geum-Jae Jeong, Fazlurrahman Khan, Nazia Tabassum, Kyung-Jin Cho, Young-Mog Kim
Summary: Wall teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid are important structural components of Gram-positive bacteria, affecting their physiology, virulence, and pathogenicity. Targeting these components could be a potential approach to reduce bacterial infection, and there have been numerous studies in this field.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Selvi C. Ersoy, Barbara Goncalves, Goncalo Cavaco, Adhar C. Manna, Rita G. Sobral, Cynthia C. Nast, Richard A. Proctor, Henry F. Chambers, Ambrose Cheung, Arnold S. Bayer
Summary: This study investigates the impact of NaHCO3 on MRSA, particularly on the synthesis of wall teichoic acid (WTA), revealing the direct effects of NaHCO3 on responsive MRSA strains. The research demonstrates that NaHCO3 can increase the susceptibility of certain MRSA strains to beta-lactam antibiotics, providing a new target for the design of novel agents.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nader E. Abo-Dya, Khalid A. Agha, Hisham A. Abbas, Mansour E. Abu-Kull, Mohammed Issa Alahmdi, Nermine A. Osman
Summary: This study designed new hybrid N-acylcysteines that exhibited antibiofilm activity and quenched pathogen quorum sensing (QS) systems. Compounds 4d and 4h showed higher antibiofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and had higher docking scores with the QS signal receptor protein LasR. These compounds may have applications for the prevention and treatment of local infections.
Article
Immunology
Philip Nikolic, Poonam Mudgil, David G. Harman, John Whitehall
Summary: This study aimed to identify and compare the general differences in protein profiles among clinical strains of S. aureus sensitive and resistant to methicillin. The proteomic analysis revealed differences in protein abundances related to virulence, metabolism, and protein synthesis between MSSA and MRSA strains.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lin Liu, Yeqiang Xia, Yingchen Li, Yong Zhou, Xiaofeng Su, Xiaojing Yan, Yan Wang, Wende Liu, Hongmei Cheng, Yuanchao Wang, Qing Yang
Summary: Phytopathogenic fungi secrete chitin deacetylase (CDA) to evade the host's immune defense, and the authors identify common structural features of phytopathogenic fungal CDAs and find potential CDA inhibitors for controlling plant diseases.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rana A. Elmesseri, Sarra E. Saleh, Heba M. Elsherif, Ibrahim S. Yahia, Khaled M. Aboshanab
Summary: This review provides an updated outline on strategies to attenuate the virulence factor staphyloxanthin (STX) in Staphylococcus aureus, including bioprospective and chemically synthesized inhibitors, inter-species communication, and genetic manipulation. Various inhibitor molecules were found to have appreciable inhibitory effect against STX, making them potential anti-virulence agents for clinical use.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Thamiris Santana Machado, Felipe Ramos Pinheiro, Lialyz Soares Pereira Andre, Renata Freire Alves Pereira, Reginaldo Fernandes Correa, Gabriela Coutinho de Mello, Tainara Aparecida Nunes Ribeiro, Bruno Penna, Daniela Sachs, Fabio Aguiar-Alves
Summary: This study aimed to compare the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of MRSA isolates in patients from two hospitals in Niteroi-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Different SCCmec types, MLST patterns, and biofilm formation abilities were observed, with 51.06% of isolates classified as strong biofilm builders. Notably, non-Brazilian Epidemic Clone (BEC) isolates and the presence of ACME type I and II genes in the virulence profile were identified in Brazilian hospitals.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Xia Xiao, Yi Li, Liang Li, Yan Q. Xiong
Summary: This study identified genetic determinants related to human endothelial cell (EC) damage by screening a genome-wide transposon mutant library. The findings revealed previously unknown genes that impact EC damage, providing potential targets for developing effective agents against MRSA endovascular infection.
