Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manel Gharbi, Mohammed Abdo Saghir Abbas, Safa Hamrouni, Abderrazak Maaroufi
Summary: This study reports the first identification of Campylobacter coli strains harboring both aac(6 ')-Ib and aac(6 ')-Ib-cr variants in Tunisia. These genes are present in isolates exhibiting resistance to multiple antibiotics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kenneth Rocha, Jesus Magallon, Craig Reeves, Kimberly Phan, Peter Vu, Crista L. Oakley-Havens, Stella Kwan, Maria Soledad Ramirez, Travis LaVoi, Haley Donow, Prem Chapagain, Radleigh Santos, Clemencia Pinilla, Marc A. Giulianotti, Marcelo E. Tolmasky
Summary: This study identified an inhibitor of AAC(6')-Ib using combinatorial libraries and positional scanning strategy, and analyzed its structure-activity relationship using derivatives with different functionalities. The results showed the importance of aromatic functionalities at certain positions, critical stereochemical conformations, and the necessity of specific functional groups for full inhibitory activity. This research will serve as the basis for designing new analogs to improve their ability to induce susceptibility in amikacin-resistant pathogens.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Craig M. Reeves, Jesus Magallon, Kenneth Rocha, Tung Tran, Kimberly Phan, Peter Vu, Yang Yi, Crista L. Oakley-Havens, Jose Cedano, Veronica Jimenez, Maria S. Ramirez, Marcelo E. Tolmasky
Summary: The study showed that silver acetate can inhibit the enzymatic acetylation mediated by AAC(6 ')-Ib, reducing the resistance of Gram-negative bacteria to aminoglycosides. The combination of silver acetate and amikacin exhibits bactericidal effects with low cytotoxicity.
Article
Microbiology
Ting Shi, Liangyi Xie
Summary: This study investigated the antimicrobial resistance rates of gram-negative bacilli isolated from clinical settings. It was found that Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed a rapid increase in resistance, while Escherichia coli had a relatively low and stable resistance rate. Gram-negative bacilli in the ICU department demonstrated higher resistance rates compared to the non-ICU department, with significant differences.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Justin C. Tossey, Zeinab El Boghdadly, Erica E. Reed, Jennifer Dela-Pena, Kelci Coe, Sherry N. Williams, Lynn C. Wardlow
Summary: This study compared the outcomes of cancer patients transitioning from IV to PO therapy with those continuing IV treatment. The PO therapy group had lower treatment failure rates, shorter hospital stays, and fewer complications.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Arsheena Yassin, Mariya Huralska, Jason M. Pogue, Deepali Dixit, Robert G. Sawyer, Keith S. Kaye
Summary: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections has significantly increased in the past decade, leading to higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Treating these infections presents challenges, particularly for critically ill patients with limited margin for error. The availability of new therapies has improved treatment options, but optimal clinical and therapeutic approaches for managing these infections still need to be established.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ziwen Tong, Tianqi Xu, Tian Deng, Jingru Shi, Zhiqiang Wang, Yuan Liu
Summary: The combination of benzydamine and tigecycline showed potent synergistic effect against Gram-negative pathogens carrying tmexCD-toprJ gene, killing all drug-resistant pathogens and suppressing tigecycline resistance evolution. Benzydamine disrupted bacterial proton motive force, thereby promoting intracellular accumulation of tigecycline, leading to improved survival of Galleria mellonella larvae.
Article
Microbiology
Ghazala Muteeb
Summary: This study employed a network meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate and compare the resistance patterns of different classes of antibiotics against gram-negative pathogens. The results showed that carbapenems had the lowest resistance rates, aminoglycosides had moderate resistance rates, and fluoroquinolones had the highest resistance rates. Additionally, resistance to all three classes of antibiotics has been increasing over time.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Kwadwo Mponponsuo, Kevin A. Brown, Daniel J. Fridman, Jennie Johnstone, Bradley J. Langford, Samantha M. Lee, Derek R. MacFadden, Samir N. Patel, Kevin L. Schwartz, Nick Daneman
Summary: In this study, the clinical outcomes of highly bioavailable oral antibiotics were compared with less-bioavailable options in patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections. The results showed that patients who received highly bioavailable antibiotics had significantly better clinical outcomes compared to those who received less-bioavailable options.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Mario Galindo-Mendez, Humberto Navarrete-Salazar, Reinaldo Pacheco-Vasquez, Devanhi de la Paz, Isabel Baltazar-Jimenez, Jose David Santiago-Luna, Laura Guadarrama-Monroy
Summary: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance genes, mcr-1 to mcr-5, among colistin and multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli strains in a tertiary hospital in Toluca, Mexico. PCR tests were conducted to detect the presence of mcr genes among 241 collected strains. Conjugation experiments were carried out to assess the horizontal transmission of colistin resistance, confirming the presence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance and the transmission of mcr genes in Mexican hospitalized patients.
Article
Immunology
Yasmine H. Tartor, Rasha M. A. Gharieb, Norhan K. Abd El-Aziz, Hend M. El Damaty, Shymaa Enany, Eman Khalifa, Amira S. A. Attia, Samah S. Abdellatif, Hazem Ramadan
Summary: A significant rise in bacterial resistance to colistin, a crucial last-resort treatment for severe infections, has been observed globally. The use of colistin in livestock farming is believed to be a key factor in the spread of mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes. In Egypt, a study on colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria from mastitic cows' milk and raw unpasteurized milk revealed high levels of multidrug resistance and the presence of mcr genes, highlighting the urgent need to ban colistin in food animals to combat extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Christine A. Pybus, Christina Felder-Scott, Victor Obuekwe, David E. Greenberg
Summary: The study compared the antimicrobial activity of Cefiderocol with seven commonly used antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens, finding that Cefiderocol had potent inhibitory effects on biofilms of various pathogens, with consistently lower MIC90 values compared to other antibiotics.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Florencia Ercoli, Dee Dee Luu, Ellen Youngsoo Rim, Alexandra Shigenaga, Artur Teixeira de Araujo, Mawsheng Chern, Rashmi Jain, Randy Ruan, Anna Joe, Valley Stewart, Pamela Ronald
Summary: This article describes the development of the field of plant immunity, focusing on the diverse classes of immune receptors and the specific case of the rice XA21 immune receptor. The article highlights the complexity of these receptors and discusses the potential role of a microbial peptide, RaxX, in Xanthomonas biology.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Xiaoli Wang, Bin Tang, Guitian Liu, Meng Wang, Jingyong Sun, Ruoming Tan, Tingting Pan, Jieming Qu, Jialin Liu, Hong-Yu Ou, Hongping Qu
Summary: Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a critical challenge to clinical and public health due to the global spread of conjugative and nonconjugative plasmids associated with carbapenem-resistant, hypervirulent, and even dual-resistant and hypervirulent strains. This study identified a clinically significant CRKP strain and demonstrated the high conjugation ability of its IncN3 plasmid, which can mobilize nonconjugative virulence or resistance plasmids. The findings suggest a need for further monitoring of the transmission of pathogenicity and genetic evolution of carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Georg Riechert, Daniel Maucher, Birte Schmidt, Julia Schumann
Summary: Proper regulation of macrophage polarization is crucial for organism's health and pathogen control. This study found that Toll-like receptor-induced changes in macrophage miRNA profiles fine-tune macrophage polarization. Mechanisms and miRNAs involved in M1 differentiation differ between Gram-positive and Gram-negative settings.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martina Tassinari, Sara N. Richter, Paolo Gandellini
Summary: Noncoding RNAs, which are functional transcripts not translated into proteins, regulate gene expression networks and have potential therapeutic implications in modulating disease-associated phenotypes. Research on noncoding RNA, particularly G-quadruplexes, is advancing understanding of their structural and functional roles in controlling gene expression.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biology
Ilaria Frasson, Paola Solda, Matteo Nadai, Sara Lago, Sara N. Richter
Summary: Researchers found that the herpesvirus major transcription factor ICP4 regulates viral gene expression and replication by binding to parallel DNA G-quadruplexes (G4s). These results suggest that drugs targeting G4s at ICP4-regulated gene promoters could be an effective antiviral strategy.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara Lago, Matteo Nadai, Filippo M. Cernilogar, Maryam Kazerani, Helena Dominiguez Moreno, Gunnar Schotta, Sara N. Richter
Summary: G-quadruplex structures play complex roles linked to transcription regulation. Here the authors, by comparing G4 location and transcript levels in liposarcoma and keratinocyte cells, reveal that G4s cooperate with transcription factors to determine cell-specific transcriptional programs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilaria Frasson, Valentina Pirota, Sara N. Richter, Filippo Doria
Summary: G-quadruplexes (G4s) are stable non-canonical structures in human cells that regulate key cellular processes. They can form high-order structures through multimerization, and play important roles in genome replication, transcription, and translation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilaria Caputo, Brasilina Caroccia, Ilaria Frasson, Elena Poggio, Stefania Zamberlan, Margherita Morpurgo, Teresa M. Seccia, Tito Cali, Marisa Brini, Sara N. Richter, Gian Paolo Rossi
Summary: Blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) can increase the expression of ACE2, the cellular receptor of SARS-CoV-2, and thus increase the risk of COVID-19. This study found that angiotensin II (Ang II) significantly increased the levels of ACE2 expression by acting on the angiotensin type 1 receptor, resulting in enhanced viral entry into cells. However, the blockade of ACE-1-mediated Ang II formation and ACE2-mediated Ang II conversion did not have any effect. Therefore, increased production of Ang II in patients with an activated RAS may lead to a greater spread of COVID-19 infection in lung cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Emanuela Ruggiero, Ilaria Frasson, Elena Tosoni, Matteo Scalabrin, Rosalba Perrone, Maja Marusic, Janez Plavec, Sara N. Richter
Summary: The fused in liposarcoma (FUS) protein has been found to selectively bind and stabilize the least stable and bulged G-quadruplex (G4) structure in HIV-1 LTR, leading to down-regulation of viral transcription. This study reveals the complexity and dynamics of HIV-1 LTR G4s, highlighting their significance as potential targets for antiviral therapies.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Massimiliano Berretta, Vincenzo Quagliariello, Alessia Bignucolo, Sergio Facchini, Nicola Maurea, Raffaele Di Francia, Francesco Fiorica, Saman Sharifi, Silvia Bressan, Sara N. Richter, Valentina Camozzi, Luca Rinaldi, Carla Scaroni, Monica Montopoli
Summary: This review examines the effects of vitamin D on human health, focusing particularly on its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against cancer, immune-related diseases, cardiomyopathies, and infectious diseases. The study found that vitamin D significantly reduces the risk factors associated with chronic cardiometabolic disease and cancer.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Roberta Rocca, Francesca Scionti, Matteo Nadai, Federica Moraca, Annalisa Maruca, Giosue Costa, Raffaella Catalano, Giada Juli, Maria Teresa Di Martino, Francesco Ortuso, Stefano Alcaro, Pierosandro Tagliaferri, Pierfrancesco Tassone, Sara N. Richter, Anna Artese
Summary: This study investigated the stabilizing effect of three candidate compounds on TERRA G4 through molecular modeling simulations, in vitro, and in cell analysis. The results demonstrated the stabilizing power of these candidates on TERRA G4, and they also showed good antiproliferative activity against colorectal and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. This research could potentially provide new tools for cancer treatment.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ilaria Frasson, Paola Solda, Matteo Nadai, Martina Tassinari, Matteo Scalabrin, Vijay Gokhale, Laurence H. Hurley, Sara N. Richter
Summary: A series of new quindoline-derivatives were evaluated, showing high binding to and stabilization of viral G4s. They exhibited nanomolar-range anti-HSV-1 activity in human cells with negligible cytotoxicity, demonstrating remarkable selectivity. These quindoline-derivatives emerge as a new class of G4 ligands with potent dual anti-HSV-1 activity.
ANTIVIRAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Nicoletto, Sara N. Richter, Ilaria Frasson
Summary: This study reports the presence, conservation, and localization of putative G4-forming sequences (PQSs) in human arboviruses. Analysis revealed that positive-strand ssRNA arboviruses, especially Flaviviruses, are enriched in highly conserved PQSs located in coding sequences (CDSs) or untranslated regions (UTRs), while negative-strand ssRNA and dsRNA arboviruses contain few conserved PQSs. The presence of highly conserved PQSs in human arboviruses highlights the potential of non-canonical nucleic acid structures as therapeutic targets in arbovirus infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene Zanin, Emanuela Ruggiero, Giulia Nicoletto, Sara Lago, Ilaria Maurizio, Irene Gallina, Sara N. Richter
Summary: Among the alternative secondary structures to the DNA double helix, i-Motifs (iMs) and G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical nucleic acid structures that form in cytosine- and guanine-rich regions, respectively. It was previously believed that iMs only form in vitro, but now it has been shown that they also form in live human cells, mainly at gene promoters. iMs and G4s have distinct activity as regulators of the cell transcriptome, with iMs associated with low transcript levels and G4s associated with high levels.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
S. Richter, S. Lago, I. Frasson
