Article
Microbiology
Mary A. Carr, Dennis Marcelo, K. Michael Lovell, Angela H. Benton, Nathan A. Tullos, Erin W. Norcross, Brandon Myers, Marcus K. Robbins, Hayley Craddieth, Mary E. Marquart
Summary: The bacterial capsule in Streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis affects its pathogenicity, and the absence of the capsule impacts inflammation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rei Nakamoto, Jeric Mun Chung Kwan, Jasmine Fei Li Chin, Hui Ting Ong, Josue Flores-Kim, Caroline Midonet, Michael S. VanNieuwenhze, Xue Li Guan, Lok-To Sham
Summary: Many pathogenic bacteria rely on a layer of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) for virulence, with the bacterial tyrosine kinase (BY-kinase) playing a crucial role in regulating capsule synthesis. The interaction between BY-kinase CpsCD and other proteins influences CPS polymer length and peptidoglycan synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Autophosphorylation of BY-kinases fine-tunes the activity of CpsC, providing spatiotemporal coordination between CPS and PG synthesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Orchid M. M. Allicock, Anna York, Pari Waghela, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Daniel M. M. Weinberger, Anne L. L. Wyllie
Summary: Saliva is a sample type that can be used for pneumococcal carriage studies and overcomes the issues seen with nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. Recent studies have shown the utility of saliva in detecting carriage in adults, and the stability of pneumococci in neat saliva samples makes it a viable sample type for such studies conducted in remote or low-resource settings.
Article
Microbiology
Feroze A. Ganaie, Jamil S. Saad, Stephanie W. Lo, Lesley McGee, Stephen D. Bentley, Andries J. van Tonder, Paulina Hawkins, Jeremy D. Keenan, Juan J. Calix, Moon H. Nahm
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae produces diverse capsule types, posing a threat to vaccines targeting pneumococcal polysaccharide capsule. Many capsule types remain uncharacterized. Identifying functional determinants of capsule synthesis is important for improving typing methods and discovering novel variants.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Kat Franklin, Brenda Kwambana-Adams, Fernanda C. Lessa, Heidi M. Soeters, Laura Cooper, Matthew E. Coldiron, Jason Mwenda, Martin Antonio, Tomoka Nakamura, Ryan Novak, Adam L. Cohen
Summary: The study reviewed and analyzed 10 potential pneumococcal meningitis outbreaks in Africa between 2000 and 2018. These outbreaks showed lower peak attack rates than meningococcal meningitis outbreaks and were characterized by a predominance of serotype 1. Patients with pneumococcal meningitis tended to be older and had a higher case fatality rate compared to meningococcal meningitis cases. Improved laboratory testing for S. pneumoniae is essential for early outbreak identification.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Eileen M. Dunne, Yinglei Hua, Rasheed Salaudeen, Ilias Hossain, Malick Ndiaye, Belinda D. Ortika, E. Kim Mulholland, Jason Hinds, Sam Manna, Grant A. Mackenzie, Catherine Satzke
Summary: We investigated the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia using clinical samples. Results demonstrated that pneumococci in the lung originated from the nasopharynx and suggested that changes in pneumococcal gene expression in the lung are a feature of pneumococcal pneumonia.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Natalha T. Waz, Sheila Oliveira, Raquel Girardello, Nilton Lincopan, Giovana Barazzone, Thais Parisotto, Anders P. Hakansson, Thiago Rojas Converso, Michelle Darrieux
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a globally prevalent pathogen with a highly immunogenic polysaccharide capsule. Indolicidin, an antimicrobial peptide, has bactericidal effects against this pathogen, but the capsule variability may influence its susceptibility.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Feroze Ganaie, Karsten Maruhn, Chengxin Li, Richard J. Porambo, Pernille L. Elverdal, Chitrananda Abeygunwardana, Mark van der Linden, Jens O. Duus, Carmen L. Sheppard, Moon H. Nahm
Summary: Pneumococcal serotype epidemiology has changed with the emergence of a new capsule type, 24C, which resembles 24F but has unique serological features. Pneumococci can modulate their capsule structure and immunologic properties with small genetic changes to evade host immune responses. This suggests a potential for the development of new capsule types within serogroup 24.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Philip H. C. Kremer, Bart Ferwerda, Hester J. Bootsma, Nienke Y. Rots, Alienke J. Wijmenga-Monsuur, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Krzysztof Trzcinski, Anne L. Wyllie, Paul Turner, Arie van der Ende, Matthijs C. Brouwer, Stephen D. Bentley, Diederik van de Beek, John A. Lees
Summary: This study identified genetic variations in pneumococcal carriage that differ between infants and adults. Serotypes and genetic background were found to explain a proportion of the heritability in carriage. The findings support the proposal for adaptive vaccination strategies targeting dominant circulating serotypes and tailored to the composition of the pathogen populations.
Article
Microbiology
Terry Brissac, Eriel Martinez, Katherine L. Kruckow, Ashleigh N. Riegler, Feroze Ganaie, Hansol Im, Sayan Bakshi, Nicole M. Arroyo-Diaz, Brady L. Spencer, Jamil S. Saad, Moon H. Nahm, Carlos J. Orihuela
Summary: The polysaccharide capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae plays a crucial role as an intracellular antioxidant within vascular endothelial cells, with different serotypes showing varying resistance to H2O2-mediated killing. This impacts the efficiency of bacterial translocation and the potential for invasive disease. Capsule-mediated protection against intracellular killing is observed in multiple bacterial species, and the differences in antioxidant capabilities between serotypes explain the varying virulence of Spn strains.
Article
Microbiology
Wan-Zhen Chua, Matthias Maiwald, Kean Lee Chew, Raymond Tzer-Pin Lin, Sanduo Zheng, Lok-To Sham
Summary: MOP family transporters, responsible for transporting lipid-linked precursors to support glycoconjugate synthesis, were systematically tested for their ability to translocate noncognate cargo. Subtle changes in the transporter structure can accommodate different cargoes and potentially expand substrate selectivity. By evaluating the interchangeability of these transporters, important residues for substrate specificity and function were identified, with implications for glycoengineering, vaccine development, and antimicrobial discovery.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Edriss Yassine, Balazs Rada
Summary: This article discusses the antimicrobial mechanism of action of the natural product OSCN- against Streptococcus pneumoniae and elaborates on its potential therapeutic use as a treatment for infections.
Review
Immunology
Catherine S. Palmer, Jacqueline M. Kimmey
Summary: This article summarizes the pathways of neutrophil migration from the bloodstream to the lungs during pneumococcal infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Courtney D. Thompson, Jessica L. Bradshaw, Wesley S. Miller, Ana G. Jop Vidal, Jorge E. Vidal, Jason W. Rosch, Larry S. McDaniel, Lance E. Keller
Summary: Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause various diseases, but the emergence of nonencapsulated strains poses challenges to vaccination. The AliC and AliD proteins regulate gene expression in pneumococcus, protecting it from complement-mediated clearance by reducing CRP binding.
Article
Immunology
Seema Patel, Heidi R. Tucker, Himanshu Gogoi, Samira Mansouri, Lei Jin
Summary: The cGAS-STING pathway collaborates with the MyD88 pathway in monocytes to promote late-stage lung IFN gamma production during pulmonary pneumococcal infection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Atsushi Hirayama, Jun Masui, Ayumi Murayama, Satomi Fujita, Jun Okamoto, Jun Tanaka, Takanori Hirayama, Toshitake Ohara, Emma Nakagawa Hoffmann, Jingwen Zhang, Haruna Kawachi, Hideo Okuno, Shigeto Hamaguchi, Kazunori Tomono, Rumiko Asada
Summary: This study explored the clinical course of COVID-19 patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in Japan, with a 30-day mortality rate of 24.0%. It was found that patients were intubated within 14 days of clinical onset in the majority of cases, and age of 65 or older and male gender were significantly associated with higher 30-day mortality rate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Audrey Baeyens, Sabrina Bracero, Venkata S. Chaluvadi, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Michael Cammer, Susan R. Schwab
Summary: S1P regulates immune cell residence time in lymph nodes, affecting T cell differentiation and disease severity by modulating S1P receptor signaling.
Article
Microbiology
Tonia Zangari, Mila B. Ortigoza, Kristen L. Lokken-Toyli, Jeffrey N. Weiser
Summary: The study found that infection of infants with Streptococcus pneumoniae can trigger inflammatory pathways to facilitate transmission, similar to influenza virus. By activating the type I interferon response, colonization of S. pneumoniae in the upper respiratory tract increases shedding and transmission by stimulating a wide array of genes, including those involved in mucin biosynthesis. This mechanism of S. pneumoniae contagion shared with viral infection highlights the importance of the induction of IFN-I signaling in driving respiratory contagion.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria G. Noval, Maria E. Kaczmarek, Akiko Koide, Bruno A. Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Ping Louie, Takuya Tada, Takamitsu Hattori, Tatyana Panchenko, Larizbeth A. Romero, Kai Wen Teng, Andrew Bazley, Maren de Vries, Marie Samanovic, Jeffrey N. Weiser, Ioannis Aifantis, Joan Cangiarella, Mark J. Mulligan, Ludovic Desvignes, Meike Dittmann, Nathaniel R. Landau, Maria Aguero-Rosenfeld, Shohei Koide, Kenneth A. Stapleford
Summary: Studies have shown that a majority of recovered healthcare workers produce antibodies with low neutralization capacity against SARS-CoV-2, with only a small percentage showing high neutralizing titers. Higher neutralizing sera are correlated with detection of a broader range of antibodies, while individuals with only IgG antibodies exhibit poor neutralization response.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Benjamin G. Wu, Imran Sulaiman, Jun-Chieh J. Tsay, Luisanny Perez, Brendan Franca, Yonghua Li, Jing Wang, Amber N. Gonzalez, Mariam El-Ashmawy, Joseph Carpenito, Evan Olsen, Maya Sauthoff, Kevin Yie, Xiuxiu Liu, Nan Shen, Jose C. Clemente, Bianca Kapoor, Tonia Zangari, Valeria Mezzano, Cynthia Loomis, Michael D. Weiden, Sergei B. Koralov, Jeanine D'Armiento, Sunil K. Ahuja, Xue-Ru Wu, Jeffrey N. Weiser, Leopoldo N. Segal
Summary: The study found that aspiration with oral commensals in mice led to short-term lower-airway dysbiosis, but induced a prolonged inflammatory response, including IL-17-producing T cells, lasting at least 14 days. Furthermore, aspiration with oral commensals decreased hosts' susceptibility to respiratory challenge with S. pneumoniae.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Chen-Yuan Tseng, Michael Burel, Michael Cammer, Sneh Harsh, Maria Sol Flaherty, Stefan Baumgartner, Erika A. Bach
Summary: This study reveals that germline stem cells lacking the transcription factor Chinmo have a competitive advantage and can replace the entire germline stem cell pool over time. The study also suggests that the influence of germline stem cell competition may extend beyond individual stem cell niche dynamics to population-level allelic drift and evolution.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Madeleine M. LaRue, Seth Parker, Joseph Puccini, Michael Cammer, Alec C. Kimmelman, Dafna Bar-Sagi
Summary: Tumor-associated macrophages play a role in remodeling the extracellular matrix, which affects the growth and development of tumors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew S. Bray, Richard D. Smith, Andrew W. Hudson, Giovanna E. Hernandez, Taylor M. Young, Hannah E. George, Robert K. Ernst, M. Ammar Zafar
Summary: This study investigates the biological cost of colistin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae. It finds that while colistin resistance reduces the ability of the bacteria to colonize the gut, it enhances their survival outside the host and therefore increases their transmission between hosts.
Article
Immunology
Andrew W. Hudson, Andrew J. Barnes, Andrew S. Bray, David A. Ornelles, M. Ammar Zafar
Summary: In this study, the researchers revealed that Klebsiella pneumoniae overcomes colonization resistance in the gut by utilizing fucose metabolism, which promotes its robust colonization. It was also found that fucose metabolism enhances hypermucoviscosity, autoaggregation, and biofilm formation of K. pneumoniae. These findings provide insights into the alternative carbon source utilization and the complex relationship between metabolism and virulence in K. pneumoniae.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yu Matsuzawa-Ishimoto, Xiaomin Yao, Akiko Koide, Beatrix M. Ueberheide, Jordan E. Axelrad, Bernardo S. Reis, Roham Parsa, Jessica A. Neil, Joseph C. Devlin, Eugene Rudensky, M. Zahidunnabi Dewan, Michael Cammer, Richard S. Blumberg, Yi Ding, Kelly Ruggles, Daniel Mucida, Shohei Koide, Ken Cadwell
Summary: Loss of Paneth cells is associated with Crohn's disease. γδ IELs promote the viability of Paneth cells by secreting API5.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ting-An Yie, Cynthia A. Loomis, Johannes Nowatzky, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Ziyan Lin, Michael Cammer, Clea Barnett, Valeria Mezzano, Mark Alu, Jackson A. Novick, John S. Munger, Matthias C. Kugler
Summary: Normal lung development relies on the coordinated action of HH and PDGF signaling pathways, which are crucial for mesenchymal differentiation and proliferation. Recent studies have shown that HH is necessary for alveolar myofibroblast differentiation. In this study, we investigated the relationship between HH and PDGF signaling during postnatal lung development in mice. Our findings suggest that HH and PDGF signaling pathways intersect to support myofibroblast function during secondary alveolar septum formation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
M. Ammar Zafar, Alicia Costa-Terryl, Taylor M. Young
Summary: The ability of Streptococcus pneumoniae to sense and respond quickly to the changing environment of the upper respiratory tract allows it to thrive as a pathogen. Two-component systems play a crucial role in this adaptation process. They have been found to promote pneumococcal colonization and virulence in the upper respiratory tract.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qi Sun, Wendy Lee, Hai Hu, Tatsuya Ogawa, Sophie De Leon, Ioanna Katehis, Chae Ho Lim, Makoto Takeo, Michael Cammer, M. Mark Taketo, Denise L. Gay, Sarah E. Millar, Mayumi Ito
Summary: For unknown reasons, the melanocyte stem cell (McSC) system fails earlier than other adult stem cell populations, leading to hair greying in most humans and mice. Contrary to current beliefs, McSCs are not reserved in an undifferentiated state in the hair follicle niche, but rather transition between transit-amplifying and stem cell states. This finding suggests that dedifferentiation is integral to homeostatic stem cell maintenance and may provide new insights for preventing hair greying.
Article
Oncology
Christina Glytsou, Xufeng Chen, Emmanouil Zacharioudakis, Wafa Al-Santli, Hua Zhou, Bettina Nadorp, Soobeom Lee, Audrey Lasry, Zhengxi Sun, Dimitrios Papaioannou, Michael Cammer, Kun Wang, Tomasz Zal, Malgorzata Anna Zal, Bing Z. Carter, Jo Ishizawa, Raoul Tibes, Aristotelis Tsirigos, Michael Andreeff, Evripidis Gavathiotis, Iannis Aifantis
Summary: BH3 mimetics are effective in inducing cell death in various blood malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Loss of mitophagy modulators, such as MFN2, sensitizes AML cells to different BH3 mimetics. Targeting MFN2 can enhance the efficacy of BH3 mimetics and increase apoptosis in AML.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qinqin Sun, Jia Yao, Zhijun Zhang, Juan Li, Xue Zhang, Hui Wang, Xufang Du, Min Li, Ying Zhao
Summary: In recent years, cardiac vascular disease caused by acute myocardial infarction and heart failure has led to death worldwide. To address the complications associated with existing treatments, researchers have developed a new hydrogel material for the repair of acute myocardial infarction. Experimental results show that the hydrogel can effectively restore the infarcted heart.