Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
N. Hammoudi, C. Cassagne, M. Million, S. Ranque, O. Kabore, M. Drancourt, D. Zingue, A. Bouam
Summary: Through analysis of the skin microbiota of individuals exposed to Buruli ulcer, the study found that interactions with fungi may modulate the outcome of Mycobacterium ulcerans skin carriage, suggesting potential new avenues for understanding the pathology, prophylaxis and treatment of this neglected tropical infection.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ronald Gnimavo, Alban Besnard, Horace Degnonvi, Juliana Pipoli Da Fonseca, Marie Kempf, Christian Roch Johnson, Alexandra Boccarossa, Yao Telesphore Brou, Laurent Marsollier, Estelle Marion
Summary: Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, with the main risk factor being living near contaminated water sources. This study identified two cases of Buruli ulcer recurrence due to reinfection with M. ulcerans through DNA comparison, indicating a non-random distribution of M. ulcerans genotypes in the region.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Melanie Foulon, Marie Robbe-Saule, Lucille Esnault, Marine Malloci, Anthony Mery, Jean-Paul Saint-Andre, Anne Croue, Marie Kempf, Chadi Homedan, Estelle Marion, Laurent Marsollier
Summary: This study found that a ketogenic diet can prevent the formation of Buruli ulcer by modulating bacterial growth and host inflammatory response.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Bruno Tello Rubio, Florence Bugault, Blandine Baudon, Bertrand Raynal, Sebastien Brule, Jean-David Morel, Sarah Saint-Auret, Nicolas Blanchard, Caroline Demangel, Laure Guenin-Mace
Summary: Mycolactone specifically associates with serum albumin and lipoproteins for solubilization, regulating its bioavailability, while Scavenger Receptor (SR)-B1 contributes to its cellular uptake, suggesting a new mechanism of transport and cell entry.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dongmin J. Kim, Tawni K. Crippen, Laxmi R. Dhungel, Pablo Delclos, Jeffery Tomberlin, Heather Jordan
Summary: This study found that mosquitoes are more attracted to MU that produces Mycolactone than to MUlac-, and MU enhances the expression of Mycolactone when in contact with mosquitoes, resulting in differential volatile organic compounds. These findings elucidate the interkingdom interactions between viable M. ulcerans bacteria and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, opening new doors for future research.
Article
Microbiology
Laxmi Dhungel, Raisa Bonner, Meagan Cook, Duncan Henson, Trent Moulder, M. Eric Benbow, Heather Jordan
Summary: Buruli ulcer disease is caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans and is characterized by tissue necrosis and ulceration. In this study, the modulation of mycolactone and other genes in response to changing UV and oxygen levels was investigated. The data showed that the expression of mycolactone was influenced by temperature and oxygen levels, providing insight into the metabolic responses of the pathogen.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Emily Strong, Bryan Hart, Jia Wang, Maria Gonzalez Orozco, Sunhee Lee
Summary: Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, secreting mycolactone which affects the intracellular environment. A new inducible system has been developed to study the role of mycolactone during M. ulcerans infection in more detail.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laxmi Dhungel, Lindsey Burcham, Joo Youn Park, Harshini Devi Sampathkumar, Albert Cudjoe, Keun Seok Seo, Heather Jordan
Summary: Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, with mycolactone as a major virulence factor. In rural West Africa, where the disease is endemic, infected lesions can be colonized by quorum sensing bacteria without typical pathology. The pathogenesis of M. ulcerans may involve synergistic or antagonistic mechanisms within a polymicrobial network. Mycolactone was found to impact S. aureus metabolism and virulence gene expression, providing insight into interspecific interactions that may be useful for treatment and prevention.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Marie Robbe-Saule, Melanie Foulon, Isabelle Poncin, Lucille Esnault, Hugo Varet, Rachel Legendre, Alban Besnard, Anna E. Grzegorzewicz, Mary Jackson, Stephane Canaan, Laurent Marsollier, Estelle Marion
Summary: In an original mouse model study, it was found that Mycobacterium ulcerans adapts to its hostile environment by reducing mycolactone synthesis in spontaneously healed tissues to ensure survival.
Article
Immunology
Laure F. Pittet, Marc Tebruegge, Binita Dutta, Susan Donath, Nicole Messina, Dan Casalaz, Willem A. Hanekom, Warwick J. Britton, Roy Robins-Browne, Nigel Curtis, Nicole Ritz
Summary: BCG vaccination induces M. ulcerans-specific immune responses in infants, likely explaining the cross-protective effect observed in epidemiological studies. These immune responses show similar patterns to those observed in M. tuberculosis-stimulated samples.
Review
Immunology
Caroline Demangel
Summary: This article explores the Buruli ulcer disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, focusing on the impact of mycolactone on the immune system and potential therapeutic strategies.
IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Joao Fevereiro, Alexandra G. Fraga, Jorge Pedrosa
Summary: Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is an emerging infectious disease with an uncommon infection pattern where the host relies on a highly orchestrated genetic landscape to control the infection.
IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth Gyamfi, Magdalene Amerl Dogbe, Charles Quaye, Abel Adjet Affouda, Edwin Kyei-Baffour, Daisy Awuku-Asante, Mabel Sarpong-Duah, Lydia Mosi
Summary: This study aimed to identify genetic differences among Mycobacterium ulcerans strains between two Buruli ulcer endemic countries, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. The study found different genotypes among clinical and environmental samples, with clinical isolates showing more heterogeneity. Genotype D was found to be prominent in both clinical and environmental samples, suggesting possible transmission of M. ulcerans from the environment to humans.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bi Gore Oscar Tchan, Solange Kakou-Ngazoa, Sylveste Dizoe, Nassim Hammoudi, Ghiles Grine, Raymond Ruimy, Michel Drancourt, Roderick Hay
Summary: This study identified co-infection of M. ulcerans and other bacteria in patients with Buruli ulcer in Cote d'Ivoire, and revealed a specific co-pathogen B. trematum which counteracts the current treatment of Buruli ulcer in West Africa and Australia.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abdelrahim Zoued, Hailong Zhang, Ting Zhang, Rachel T. Giorgio, Carole J. Kuehl, Bolutife Fakoya, Brandon Sit, Matthew K. Waldor
Summary: Surface protein tagging and mass spectrometry-based proteomics were used in a rabbit cholera model system to identify proteins involved in Vibrio cholera-host cell interactions, revealing a cholera toxin-dependent role for host surfactant protein D. Additionally, other host proteins were found to potentially play roles in intestinal homeostasis and host defense.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ricardo Celestino, Jose B. Gama, Artur F. Castro-Rodrigues, Daniel J. Barbosa, Helder Rocha, Ennio A. d'Amico, Andrea Musacchio, Ana Xavier Carvalho, Joao H. Morais-Cabral, Reto Gassmann
Summary: The MAP kinase and motor scaffold JIP3 plays a role in preventing excessive accumulation of lysosomes in axons. The interaction between JIP3 and dynein and kinesin-1 is important for organelle clearance, but the specific mechanisms are not fully understood.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Sofia Freitas, Marta Costa, Olivia Pontes, Veronique Seidel, Fernanda Proenca, Susana M. Cardoso, Rui Oliveira, Fatima Baltazar, Cristina Almeida-Aguiar
Summary: The study found that propolis and its constituents have potential therapeutic effects against renal cell carcinoma.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ana Sousa, Olivia Pontes, Juliana Andrade, Fatima Baltazar, Marta Costa, Fernanda Proenca
Summary: An in silico study identified a series of potentially active anti-cancer compounds, which were synthesized using a novel approach. These compounds showed inhibitory effects on renal cell carcinoma in vitro, with good selectivity towards non-neoplastic cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Esther Clavero, Jose Manuel Sanchez-Maldonado, Angelica Macauda, Rob Ter Horst, Belem Sampaio-Marques, Artur Jurczyszyn, Alyssa Clay-Gilmour, Angelika Stein, Michelle A. T. Hildebrandt, Niels Weinhold, Gabriele Buda, Ramon Garcia-Sanz, Waldemar Tomczak, Ulla Vogel, Andres Jerez, Daria Zawirska, Marzena Watek, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Stefano Landi, John J. Spinelli, Aleksandra Butrym, Abhishek Kumar, Joaquin Martinez-Lopez, Sara Galimberti, Maria Eugenia Sarasquete, Edyta Subocz, Elzbieta Iskierka-Jazdzewska, Graham G. Giles, Malwina Rybicka-Ramos, Marcin Kruszewski, Niels Abildgaard, Francisco Garcia Verdejo, Pedro Sanchez Rovira, Miguel Inacio da Silva Filho, Katalin Kadar, Malgorzata Razny, Wendy Cozen, Matteo Pelosini, Manuel Jurado, Parveen Bhatti, Marek Dudzinski, Agnieszka Druzd-Sitek, Enrico Orciuolo, Yang Li, Aaron D. Norman, Jan Maciej Zaucha, Rui Manuel Reis, Miroslaw Markiewicz, Juan Jose Rodriguez Sevilla, Vibeke Andersen, Krzysztof Jamroziak, Kari Hemminki, Sonja I. Berndt, Vicent Rajkumar, Grzegorz Mazur, Shaji K. Kumar, Paula Ludovico, Arnon Nagler, Stephen J. Chanock, Charles Dumontet, Mitchell J. Machiela, Judit Varkonyi, Nicola J. Camp, Elad Ziv, Annette Juul Vangsted, Elizabeth E. Brown, Daniele Campa, Celine M. Vachon, Mihai G. Netea, Federico Canzian, Asta Foersti, Juan Sainz
Summary: By conducting a meta-analysis on the germline genetic data of 234 autophagy-related genes from three independent study populations, we investigated the influence of autophagy-related variants on the risk of Multiple Myeloma (MM) and examined the functional mechanisms behind the observed associations. We identified SNPs within the six CD46, IKBKE, PARK2, ULK4, ATG5, and CDKN2A loci associated with MM risk and found that their effect on disease risk was mediated by specific subsets of immune cells, as well as vitamin D3-, MCP-2-, and IL20-dependent mechanisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Marie-Anne Deprez, Marco Caligaris, Joelle Rosseels, Riko Hatakeyama, Ruben Ghillebert, Belem Sampaio-Marques, Kaivalya Mudholkar, Elja Eskes, Els Meert, Christian Ungermann, Paula Ludovico, Sabine Rospert, Claudio De Virgilio, Joris Winderickx
Summary: Yeast cells have complex nutrient signaling pathways that allow them to integrate information and adjust their metabolism and growth accordingly. Loss of the protein kinase Sch9, along with the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) Pho85 or its inhibitor Pho81, causes synthetic lethality and stops cell growth. The transcription factor Pho4 plays a role in this process and can rescue the synthetic lethality caused by the loss of Pho85 and Sch9.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Ana Ines Silva, Manuel Direito, Filipa Pinto-Ribeiro, Paula Ludovico, Belem Sampaio-Marques
Summary: Intermittent fasting (IF) is a dietary intervention associated with improved metabolic parameters. This review and meta-analysis compared different IF protocols, including alternate-day fasting (ADF), time-restricted fasting (TRF), and religious fasting (RF). ADF was found to have the most beneficial effects on metabolic conditions, particularly in obese and MetS individuals. However, the impact of IF on individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) was limited, primarily affecting insulin homeostasis. The study highlights the importance of considering an individual's health status and specific metabolic diseases when evaluating the effects of IF.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Alexandra Teixeira, Luis Carreira, Sara Abalde-Cela, Belem Sampaio-Marques, Anabela C. Areias, Paula Ludovico, Lorena Dieguez
Summary: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common type of leukemia in adults, with limited response to conventional therapies and high recurrence rate. The development of earlier and more accurate diagnostic tools is crucial for improving patient prognosis.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ana Isabel Mendes, Alexandra Gabriel Fraga, Maria Joao Peixoto, Ivo Aroso, Adhemar Longatto-Filho, Alexandra Pinto Marques, Jorge Pedrosa
Summary: Diabetic foot infection (DFI) is a significant cause of illness and death. Antibiotics are an essential treatment for DFI, but their effectiveness can be reduced due to bacterial biofilm formation and associated pathophysiology. Therefore, improved antibiotic therapies are needed to manage DFI more safely and effectively.
BIOENGINEERING & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Juan Dominguez, Ana I. Mendes, Ana R. Pacheco, Maria J. Peixoto, Jorge Pedrosa, Alexandra G. Fraga
Summary: Buruli Ulcer is a common infectious skin disease that can cause severe disfigurement and disability if not treated in a timely manner. The standard antibiotic regimen for treatment has limitations, leading researchers to explore new drug candidates. This study found that statins have the potential to be effective in treating Buruli Ulcer.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marne Azarias Da Silva, Pierre Nioche, Calaiselvy Soudaramourty, Anne Bull-Maurer, Mounira Tiouajni, Dechuan Kong, Ouafa Zghidi-Abouzid, Morgane Picard, Ana Mendes-Frias, Andre Santa-Cruz, Alexandre Carvalho, Carlos Capela, Jorge Pedrosa, Antonio Gil Castro, Paul Loubet, Albert Sotto, Laurent Muller, Jean-Yves Lefrant, Claire Roger, Pierre-Geraud Claret, Sandra Duvnjak, Tu-Anh Tran, Kenzo Tokunaga, Ricardo Silvestre, Pierre Corbeau, Fabrizio Mammano, Jerome Estaquier
Summary: This study evaluated the quantity, quality, and persistence of antibodies in individuals who received mRNA vaccines and compared them with previously infected individuals who were also vaccinated. The findings showed that three doses of mRNA vaccine were needed to match the immune responses of preinfected individuals. Additionally, repeated vaccination significantly improved the cross-reactivity of antibodies against spike variants. The study also reported lower levels of germinal center activation and formation in vaccinated individuals, potentially explaining the shorter duration and lower quality of induced antibodies.
Review
Microbiology
Marco Caligaris, Belem Sampaio-Marques, Riko Hatakeyama, Benjamin Pillet, Paula Ludovico, Claudio De Virgilio, Joris Winderickx, Raffaele Nicastro
Summary: Yeast cells possess nutrient signaling pathways that allow them to sense nutrients' availability and adjust metabolism and growth accordingly. Sch9, a protein kinase, plays a central role in this process by functioning as an integrator that aligns different input signals to accurately respond to metabolic changes and stress. Understanding the structure and regulation of Sch9 can provide insights into the mechanisms underlying healthy aging in mammals.