Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Meng Wang, Zifeng Deng, Yanmei Li, Yi Ma, Jufang Wang
Summary: A novel lytic protein Cw1-CWB2 with high binding specificity and strong lytic activity has been designed in this study for combating C. difficile.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Tarcisio Brignoli, Edward Douglas, Seana Duggan, Olayemi Grace Fagunloye, Rajan Adhikari, M. Javad Aman, Ruth C. Masseya
Summary: The ability of Staphylococcus aureus to secrete cytolytic toxins is a major factor in its pathogenicity. This study demonstrates the role of wall teichoic acids (WTA) in the release of toxins from S. aureus cells. The presence of WTA alters the electrostatic charge of the cell envelope, thereby affecting toxin release.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Farhan Anwar, Gayatri Vedantam
Summary: This review highlights the progress in understanding the biology of C. difficile surface glycopolymers, which play essential roles in colonization, disease, and immunity, and may serve as potential targets for anti-infective strategies against CDI.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yutaka Koyano, Kiyoshirou Okajima, Mako Mihara, Hiroki Yamamoto
Summary: In Gram-positive bacteria, the cell wall is composed of mesh-like peptidoglycan and covalently linked wall teichoic acid (WTA). Nascent WTA decoration occurs in a patch-like manner at the peptidoglycan synthesis sites on the cytoplasmic membrane. The newly synthesized WTA is inserted into the cell wall layer and reaches the outermost layer of the cell wall after approximately half an hour. The incorporation of newly glucosylated WTA is inhibited by vancomycin but restored upon the removal of the antibiotic.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Svetlana Zamakhaeva, Catherine T. Chaton, Jeffrey S. Rush, Sowmya Ajay Castro, Cameron W. Kenner, Alexander E. Yarawsky, Andrew B. Herr, Nina M. van Sorge, Helge C. Dorfmueller, Gregory Frolenkov, Konstantin Korotkov, Natalia Korotkova
Summary: In ovoid-shaped, Gram-positive bacteria, the major cell separation autolysin AtlA was identified as an SCC-binding protein. GroP-deficient immature SCCs were found to localize at cell poles and equators, potentially leading to AtlA mislocalization, dysregulated cellular autolysis, and morphological abnormalities. This indicates a model where maturation of a cell wall polysaccharide plays a role in recruiting cell division machinery for proper daughter cell separation and FtsZ-ring positioning.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sara Ali, Astrid Hendriks, Rob van Dalen, Thomas Bruyning, Nico Meeuwenoord, Herman S. Overkleeft, Dmitri Filippov, Gijs A. van der Marel, Nina M. van Sorge, Jeroen D. C. Codee
Summary: Synthetic chemistry was used to assemble a library of Staphylococcus aureus WTA fragments with various glycosylation modifications, allowing for efficient generation of different glycosylated WTA fragments. These synthetic fragments were fully characterized and utilized to probe the binding specificity of WTA-specific antibodies.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Chao-Chin Liu, Mei-Hui Lin
Summary: This study demonstrates that Staphylococcus aureus relies on the presence of wall teichoic acids (WTA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to hitchhike motile bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa for movement. The hitchhiking motility of S. aureus is reduced when the gene encoding the WTA synthesis enzyme, TagO, is deleted, but restored when the gene is complemented. The study also shows that P. aeruginosa promotes the movement of S. aureus in the digestive system of Caenorhabditis elegans and mice.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Bellich, Nika Janez, Meta Sternisa, Anja Klancnik, Neil Ravenscroft, Roberto Rizzo, Jerica Sabotic, Paola Cescutti
Summary: The non-pathogenic bacterium Listeria innocua is proposed as a surrogate organism for studying antimicrobial strategies against the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. In this study, the structure of wall teichoic acids (WTAs) in L. innocua strain ZM39 was determined and found to be different from other known Listeria WTAs. Additionally, the genome of L. innocua ZM39 was sequenced and putative WTA synthesis genes were identified.
CARBOHYDRATE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biology
Mariana Tinajero-Trejo, Oliver Carnell, Azhar F. Kabli, Laia Pasquina-Lemonche, Lucia Lafage, Aidong Han, Jamie K. Hobbs, Simon J. Foster
Summary: DivIC plays a crucial role in cell division and survival in Staphylococcus aureus by regulating peptidoglycan synthesis and recruitment of synthesis enzymes. Its function and recruitment rely on its interaction with the cell wall.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Lixia Wang, Zhiyuan Li, Xianzhu Xia, Xuepeng Cai, Qingling Meng, Jun Qiao
Summary: Explored the role of sRNA rli34 in virulence modulation of Listeria monocytogenes, and identified its interaction with the gtcA gene as a mechanism for regulating bacterial virulence. These findings provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of trans-encoded sRNAs in L. monocytogenes virulence modulation.
PAKISTAN VETERINARY JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Amber D. Reed, Casey M. Theriot
Summary: Commensal Clostridium in the gut play a crucial role in resisting colonization by Clostridioides difficile by altering bile acids, producing inhibitory metabolites, and competing for essential nutrients. Understanding the mechanisms of action of these metabolites on C. difficile and other gut pathogens is essential for developing urgently needed new therapeutics for C. difficile infection.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Peng Shen, Lele Zheng, Xinfang Qin, Dan Li, Zijiang Zhang, Jie Zhao, Han Lin, Haofei Hong, Zhifang Zhou, Zhimeng Wu
Summary: In this study, glycosylated wall teichoic acids (WTAs) derived from S. aureus were modified and conjugated with tetanus toxin (TT) as potential MRSA vaccine candidates. The structure-immunogenicity relationship was evaluated in a mouse model, and the heptamer WTAs conjugate T6 showed the highest specific antibody production.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tadakuni Monma, Junichi Iwamoto, Akira Honda, Hajime Ueda, Fumio Kakizaki, Shoichiro Yara, Teruo Miyazaki, Tadashi Ikegami
Summary: The ratio of secondary bile acids in serum can serve as a biomarker for predicting susceptibility to Clostridium difficile infection, with levels below a certain threshold indicating a higher risk of CDI.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hugo Guerin, Saulius Kulakauskas, Marie-Pierre Chapot-Chartier
Summary: Rha-CWPSs are crucial cell wall components of many important bacteria, playing a critical role in bacterial growth, division, and interactions with phages or hosts. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the structure, biosynthesis, and contribution of Rha-CWPSs to cell wall architecture and biogenesis, as well as their importance in cell division.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Joana Figueiredo, Mafalda Xavier Henriques, Maria Joao Catalao, Sara Pinheiro, Ana Rita Narciso, Francisco Mesquita, Bruno Manuel Saraiva, Madalena Carido, Didier Cabanes, Mariana Gomes Pinho, Sergio Raposo Filipe
Summary: This study identified a protein that regulates the synthesis of capsular polysaccharides in Streptococcus pneumoniae and determined its mechanism of directing the protein to the division septum of bacteria. These findings are important for understanding bacterial propagation and for the design of anti-infective strategies.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xia Wu, Navdeep Grover, Elena E. Paskaleva, Ruchir V. Mundra, Martin A. Page, Ravi S. Kane, Jonathan S. Dordick
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2015)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Elena E. Paskaleva, Ruchir V. Mundra, Krunal K. Mehta, Ravindra C. Pangule, Xia Wu, Willing S. Glatfelter, Zijing Chen, Jonathan S. Dordick, Ravi S. Kane
BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS
(2015)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Krunal K. Mehta, Elena E. Paskaleva, Xia Wu, Navdeep Grover, Ruchir V. Mundra, Kevin Chen, Yongrong Zhang, Zhiyong Yang, Hanping Feng, Jonathan S. Dordick, Ravi S. Kane
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2016)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Xia Wu, Seok-Joon Kwon, Jungbae Kim, Ravi S. Kane, Jonathan S. Dordick
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING, VOL 8
(2017)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Domyoung Kim, Seok-Joon Kwon, Xia Wu, Jessica Sauve, Inseon Lee, Jahyun Nam, Jungbae Kim, Jonathan S. Dordick
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2018)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xia Wu, Seok Joon Kwon, Domyoung Kim, Jian Zha, Mauricio Mora-Pale, Jonathan S. Dordick
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jian Zha, Ying Zang, Matthew Mattozzi, Jens Plassmeier, Mamta Gupta, Xia Wu, Sonya Clarkson, Mattheos A. G. Koffas
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2018)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xia Wu, Keith Fraser, Jian Zha, Jonathan S. Dordick
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2018)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Ying Zang, Jian Zha, Xia Wu, Zhaojuan Zheng, Jia Ouyang, Mattheos A. G. Koffas
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xia Wu, Jian Zha, Mattheos A. G. Koffas, Jonathan S. Dordick
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2019)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Jian Zha, Xia Wu, Mattheos A. G. Koffas
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2020)