Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Xizhong Cui, Jeffrey Wang, Yan Li, Zoe G. Couse, Thomas F. Risoleo, Mahtab Moayeri, Stephen H. Leppla, Daniela Malide, Zu-Xi Yu, Peter Q. Eichacker
Summary: This study shows that Bacillus anthracis edema toxin can inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, potentially worsening hypoxemia during invasive anthrax lung infection. The findings suggest that both edema toxin and lethal toxin can contribute to pulmonary pathophysiology during infection, highlighting the importance of antitoxin therapies in managing severe anthrax disease.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kenneth Smith, Lori Garman, Kathleen Norris, Jennifer Muther, Angie Duke, Renata J. M. Engler, Michael R. Nelson, Limone C. Collins, Christina Spooner, Carla Guthridge, Judith A. James
Summary: Research has found that some individuals vaccinated with anthrax vaccine may produce antibodies with poor neutralizing capabilities, potentially due to increased IgG4 to IgG1 ratios, low antibody avidity, and insufficient antibody targeting specific regions. Future vaccine formulations and vaccination schedules should aim to improve these deficiencies.
Article
Microbiology
So Young Oh, Alice Chateau, Anastasia Tomatsidou, Derek Elli, Haley Gula, Olaf Schneewind, Dominique Missiakas
Summary: Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming microbe that causes anthrax disease. Ingestion is the most common route of infection, and the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal anthrax is poorly characterized. In this study, the researchers used B. anthracis to model gastrointestinal disease in Guinea pigs and mice, finding that spores germinate in the GI tract and precipitate disease in a dose-dependent manner. The lack of toxins leads to reduced bacterial replication in infected hosts, and a strain of B. cereus was also found to cause gastrointestinal anthrax.
RESEARCH IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Weiming Ouyang, Tao Xie, Hui Fang, David M. Frucht
Summary: Anthrax toxin is a key virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis. Anti-PA antibodies have been developed for the treatment of anthrax infection, but current assays do not fully capture the pathological functions of anthrax toxin. This study reports the development of a cell-based gene reporter potency assay to measure the effectiveness of anti-PA antibodies.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Arnaud Avril, Jean-Nicolas Tournier, Jean-Charles Paucod, Benedicte Fournes, Philippe Thullier, Thibaut Pelat
Summary: This article discusses the development of an antibody for neutralizing anthrax toxins. The antibody showed promising results in animal experiments but was ultimately cancelled due to industrial and scientific issues. The authors review their strategy, preliminary results, and the challenges faced during the development process.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Zoe Couse, Xizhong Cui, Yan Li, Mahtab Moayeri, Stephen Leppla, Peter Q. Eichacker
Summary: Anti-toxin agents for severe B. anthracis infection are only effective when combined with antibiotic therapy and titrated hemodynamic support. Three anti-toxin antibody preparations have received FDA approval, but only one has been administered to infected patients. Controlled preclinical studies in animal models have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these agents.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ai Sasou, Yoshikazu Yuki, Shiho Kurokawa, Shintaro Sato, Yuki Goda, Masao Uchida, Naomi Matsumoto, Hiroshi Sagara, Yuji Watanabe, Masaharu Kuroda, Naomi Sakon, Kotomi Sugiura, Rika Nakahashi-Ouchida, Hiroshi Ushijima, Kohtaro Fujihashi, Hiroshi Kiyono
Summary: The study produced a llama heavy-chain antibody fragment specific for human norovirus using a rice transgenic system and demonstrated its high neutralizing activity against noroviruses using a human induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived intestinal epithelial cell system. The results provide a fundamental platform for the continued development of this antibody as a candidate for oral immunotherapy and prophylaxis against noroviruses in various populations.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Agnieszka Necel, Sylwia Bloch, Bozena Nejman-Falenczyk, Aleksandra Dydecka, Gracja Topka-Bielecka, Alicja Wegrzyn, Grzegorz Wegrzyn
Summary: This study proposes a validation system for selecting bacteriophages against STEC contamination, and conducts model experiments to explore their potential applications. The results show that bacteriophage vB_Eco4M-7 has a certain bactericidal effect on STEC, but caution should be taken due to the appearance of phage-resistant bacteria.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sa Dong, Kangli He, Lingjun Guan, Qiuyun Shi, Jianwei Wu, Jianguo Feng, Wenchao Yang, Xugen Shi
Summary: In this study, a monoclonal antibody 2C12, which specifically recognizes Cry1Ab toxin without cross-reaction with Cry1Ac toxin, was used as the gene source to construct and express the single chain antibody scFv-2C12. The interaction models between scFv-2C12 and Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac were built and analyzed, revealing that scFv-2C12 could recognize hidden epitopes in Cry1Ac toxin. Furthermore, a double-antibody sandwich ELISA method was developed based on scFv-2C12 for the detection of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac toxins.
FOOD ANALYTICAL METHODS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Victoria V. Firstova, Anastasia S. Shakhova, Alena K. Riabko, Marina Silkina, Natalia A. Zeninskaya, Yana O. Romanenko, Maksim A. Marin, Methun M. Rogozin, Alena S. Kartseva, Ivan A. Dyatlov, Igor G. Shemyakin
Summary: The research studied the duration of antibodies specific to spores, protective antigen (PA), and lethal factor (LF) in the blood of donors after immunization with live anthrax vaccine. Antibodies against PA-D1 were found to circulate for over 1 year, while antibodies against LF and PA-D4 appeared after 11 months. Moderate positive correlation was observed between antibody titers and toxin neutralization activity in the blood serum samples.
Article
Immunology
Xu-Yang Liu, Dong-Kui Wei, Zhi-Ying Li, Jian-Sheng Lu, Xin-Mei Xie, Zhou Yu, Xiao-Bin Pang
Summary: This study investigated the immunological effects of different functional domains or fragments of the tetanus toxin in an animal model. The TL-HN fragment demonstrated the best immunoprotection and induced the highest levels of neutralizing antibodies, suggesting its potential as a promising subunit vaccine to replace THc or TT.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zeyu Lu, Nicholas L. Truex, Mariane B. Melo, Yiran Cheng, Na Li, Darrell J. Irvine, Bradley L. Pentelute
Summary: Novel immunotoxins were developed by linking full-length IgG antibodies with nontoxic anthrax proteins, showing efficient and potent activity against malignant cells with high specificity for HER2 and EGFR, as well as increased pharmacokinetics and in vivo safety, suggesting promise for further therapeutic development.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Manman Lin, Yuan Liu, Xiao Zhang, Jianfeng Zhong, Xiaodan Hu, Chongxin Xu, Yajing Xie, Cunzheng Zhang, Ying Liang, Xianjin Liu, Johnson Lin
Summary: The study obtained seven anti-Cry2Aa toxin anti-idiotypic scFv antibodies from a phage-displayed mutant library, with mutant 2-12B showing the best binding ability. 2-12B and Cry2Aa toxin shared a potential receptor of polycalin in P. xylostella BBMVs and had seven common binding amino acid residues in polycalin. Insect bioassay results indicated that 2-12 had insecticidal efficacy against P. xylostella larvae, suggesting that the 2-12B antibody partially mimics the structure and function of Cry2Aa toxin.
ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Caroline Bayart, Angelique Mularoni, Nada Hemmani, Soumeya Kerachni, Joachim Jose, Patrice Gouet, Joseph Paladino, Marc Le Borgne
Summary: Tetanus toxin fragment C (TTFC) is a potential alternative protein with neurological properties and immunogenicity in drug discovery and vaccine preparation. This article provides a systematic review of TTFC, including its structural features, properties, production methods, and extensive uses in the field of drug discovery.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Norman L. Mukarati, Okechukwu C. Ndumnego, Sunday O. Ochai, Solomon Jauro, Andrew Loveridge, Henriette van Heerden, Gift Matope, Alexandre Caron, Tapiwa G. Hanyire, Michel de Garine-Wichatitsky, Davies M. Pfukenyi
Summary: This study investigated the presence of anthrax antibodies in African lions in Zimbabwe, finding that approximately 21.9% of lions tested positive for anthrax antibodies. The results suggest that anthrax may be more widespread in Zimbabwe than previously realized, present in both high- and low-risk zones, including areas where outbreaks have not been reported for over 20 years. The study highlights the need for improved surveillance of anthrax in both wild and domestic animals in order to better understand and control the disease.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Allergy
Sophia Bjorkander, Likun Du, Fanglei Zuo, Sandra Ekstrom, Yating Wang, Hui Wan, Natalia Sherina, Lisanne Schoutens, Juni Andrell, Niklas Andersson, Antonios Georgelis, Anna Bergstrom, Harold Marcotte, Inger Kull, Lennart Hammarstrom, Erik Melen, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: This population-based study explored the humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in young adults and the characteristics of COVID-19 disease. The study found that 28.4% of young adults had seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2, and a portion of them were asymptomatic. The use of public transport was associated with seropositivity, but factors such as sex, asthma, rhinitis, smoking, or body mass index were not. A subset of participants had detectable B-cell and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, indicating immune memory.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hassan Abolhassani, Ahmad Vosughimotlagh, Takaki Asano, Nils Landegren, Bertrand Boisson, Samaneh Delavari, Paul Bastard, Maribel Aranda-Guillen, Yating Wang, Fanglei Zuo, Fabian Sardh, Harold Marcotte, Likun Du, Shen-Ying Zhang, Qian Zhang, Nima Rezaei, Olle Kampe, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Lennart Hammarstrom, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: This study identified a unique case of a patient with a preexisting inborn error of immunity (IEI) who developed critical COVID-19 pneumonia. Genetic analysis revealed homozygous deleterious mutations in the ATM gene and a hemizygous deleterious mutation in the TLR7 gene, underlying Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) and critical COVID-19 in this patient. Among other A-T patients evaluated, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in mild symptoms or asymptomatic cases, highlighting the importance of genetic factors in COVID-19 severity.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hassan Abolhassani, Nils Landegren, Paul Bastard, Marie Materna, Mohammadreza Modaresi, Likun Du, Maribel Aranda-Guillen, Fabian Sardh, Fanglei Zuo, Peng Zhang, Harold Marcotte, Nico Marr, Taushif Khan, Manar Ata, Fatima Al-Ali, Remi Pescarmona, Alexandre Belot, Vivien Beziat, Qian Zhang, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Olle Kampe, Shen-Ying Zhang, Lennart Hammarstrom, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: This study identified a rare case with concomitant critical COVID-19 pneumonia and MIS-C, and found a genetic variant associated with IFNAR1 deficiency through whole exome sequencing. It highlights the importance of type I interferon immunity and suggests that inherited or acquired dysregulation of this immune response may contribute to MIS-C.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Harold Marcotte, Antonio Piralla, Fanglei Zuo, Likun Du, Irene Cassaniti, Hui Wan, Makiko Kumagai-Braesh, Juni Andrell, Elena Percivalle, Jose Camilla Sammartino, Yating Wang, Stelios Vlachiotis, Janine Attevall, Federica Bergami, Alessandro Ferrari, Marta Colaneri, Marco Vecchia, Margherita Sambo, Valentina Zuccaro, Erika Asperges, Raffaele Bruno, Tiberio Oggionni, Federica Meloni, Hassan Abolhassani, Federico Bertoglio, Maren Schubert, Luigi Calzolai, Luca Varani, Michael Hust, Yintong Xue, Lennart Hammarstrom, Fausto Baldanti, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: This study monitored the immune response in COVID-19 patients up to 15 months after symptom onset. It found that the IgG antibody response and plasma neutralizing titers gradually decreased over time but stabilized after 6 months. SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B and T cells persisted in the majority of patients up to 15 months, but there was a significant decrease in specific T cells between 6 and 15 months. Some variants of concern may partially escape the neutralizing activity of plasma antibodies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maren Schubert, Federico Bertoglio, Stephan Steinke, Philip Alexander Heine, Mario Alberto Ynga-Durand, Henrike Maass, Jose Camilla Sammartino, Irene Cassaniti, Fanglei Zuo, Likun Du, Janin Korn, Marko Milosevic, Esther Veronika Wenzel, Fran Krstanovic, Saskia Polten, Marina Pribanic-Matesic, Ilija Brizic, Fausto Baldanti, Lennart Hammarstrom, Stefan Duebel, Alan Sustic, Harold Marcotte, Monika Strengert, Alen Protic, Antonio Piralla, Qiang Pan-Hammarstroem, Luka Cicin-Sain, Michael Hust
Summary: This study analyzed the binding ability of the Omicron variant to the human receptor and its neutralization efficacy. The results showed weaker binding and complete loss of neutralization against Omicron compared to previous variants. However, booster vaccination increased the antibody levels and partially restored neutralization against Omicron SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fanglei Zuo, Hassan Abolhassani, Likun Du, Antonio Piralla, Federico Bertoglio, Leire de Campos-Mata, Hui Wan, Maren Schubert, Irene Cassaniti, Yating Wang, Jose Camilla Sammartino, Rui Sun, Stelios Vlachiotis, Federica Bergami, Makiko Kumagai-Braesch, Juni Andrell, Zhaoxia Zhang, Yintong Xue, Esther Veronika Wenzel, Luigi Calzolai, Luca Varani, Nima Rezaei, Zahra Chavoshzadeh, Fausto Baldanti, Michael Hust, Lennart Hammarstrom, Harold Marcotte, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: This study demonstrates that an mRNA vaccine booster in individuals vaccinated with inactivated vaccines can significantly increase the humoral and cellular immune responses against the virus, including the Omicron variant.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Beatriz Alvarez, Victor Munoz-Abad, Alejandro Asensio-Calavia, Luis Angel Fernandez
Summary: Expression of EtgA enhances the assembly of functional injectisomes in a synthetic injector E. coli strain, enabling greater translocation of proteins into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Elena Velazquez, Beatriz Alvarez, Luis Angel Fernandez, Victor de Lorenzo
Summary: This study exploited the ability of T7 RNA polymerase fusions with cytosine deaminases to induce C -> T changes in specific DNA segments of Pseudomonas putida KT2440. By introducing CdA-RNAP(T7) fusions into test strains, the researchers achieved specific mutagenesis of DNA segments. It was found that the absence of uracil-DNA glycosylase significantly increased mutagenic rates, and the most active variant, pmCDA1, caused extensive mutations.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Allergy
Hassan Abolhassani, Samaneh Delavari, Nils Landegren, Sima Shokri, Paul Bastard, Likun Du, Fanglei Zuo, Reza Hajebi, Farhad Abolnezhadian, Sara Iranparast, Mohammadreza Modaresi, Ahmad Vosughimotlagh, Fereshte Salami, Maribel Aranda-Guillen, Aurelie Cobat, Harold Marcotte, Shen-Ying Zhang, Qian Zhang, Nima Rezaei, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Olle Kampe, Lennart Hammarstrom, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
Summary: In most children with preexisting inborn errors of immunity (IEI), genetic causes that affect immune system function were identified. The severity of COVID-19 in these children was high, with a significant mortality rate. Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in children with IEI.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Robledo, Beatriz Alvarez, Ana Cuevas, Sheila Gonzalez, David Ruano-Gallego, Luis Angel Fernandez, Fernando de la Cruz
Summary: This study presents a synthetic bacterial adhesion system that enhances the delivery of genetic cargo to targeted recipients, overcoming the challenges of genetic interventions on microbiomes. The system allows for efficient conjugation and transfer of plasmids, particularly in liquid media, and enables selective gene delivery to desired hosts.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yoshikazu Yuki, Fanglei Zuo, Shiho Kurokawa, Yohei Uchida, Shintaro Sato, Naomi Sakon, Lennart Hammarstroem, Hiroshi Kiyono, Harold Marcotte
Summary: Passive administration of neutralizing antibodies against intestinal pathogens like norovirus is a promising strategy for gastrointestinal infection control. However, the challenge lies in ensuring the stability and sufficient amounts of orally administered antibodies in the harsh gastrointestinal environment. In this study, researchers expressed a single-domain neutralizing antibody against norovirus on the cell surface of Lactobacillus, a natural gut commensal. The engineered lactobacilli successfully inhibited norovirus replication in vitro and showed neutralizing activity in the intestines of mice for at least 10 days after oral administration. These cell-wall-anchored antibody-displaying lactobacilli serve as attractive oral delivery vectors for passive immunization against norovirus infection.
Article
Immunology
Filippo Bianchini, Virginia Crivelli, Morgan E. Abernathy, Concetta Guerra, Martin Palus, Jonathan Muri, Harold Marcotte, Antonio Piralla, Mattia Pedotti, Raoul De Gasparo, Luca Simonelli, Milos Matkovic, Chiara Toscano, Maira Biggiogero, Veronica Calvaruso, Pavel Svoboda, Tomas Cervantes Rincon, Tommaso Fava, Lucie Podesvova, Akanksha A. Shanbhag, Andrea Celoria, Jacopo Sgrignani, Michal Stefanik, Vaclav Honig, Veronika Pranclova, Tereza Michalcikova, Jan Prochazka, Giuditta Guerrini, Dora Mehn, Annalisa Clabbattini, Hassan Abolhassani, David Jarrossay, Mariagrazia Uguccioni, Donata Medaglini, Qiang Pan-Hammarstroem, Luigi Calzolai, Daniel Fernandez, Fausto Baldanti, Alessandra Franzetti-Pellanda, Christian Garzoni, Radislav Sedlacek, Daniel Ruzek, Luca Varani, Andrea Cavalli, Christopher O. Barnes, Davide F. Robbiani
Summary: Using coldspot-guided antibody discovery, neutralizing antibodies to highly conserved viral epitopes were identified. Antibody fp.006 binds the fusion peptide and cross-reacts against coronaviruses. Antibody hr2.016 targets the stem helix and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants. Antibody sd1.040 binds to subdomain 1 and synergizes with antibody rbd.042 for neutralization.
SCIENCE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lidia Cerdan, Beatriz Alvarez, Luis angel Fernandez
Summary: This paper describes an efficient system for the integration of large gene libraries into the E. coli chromosome, generating stably expressed in-frame gene fusions. The system, known as MAIN, preserves the diversity of the gene library and allows for the selection of specific antigen-binding nanobodies.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rosana S. Molina, Gordon Rix, Amanuella A. Mengiste, Beatriz Alvarez, Daeje Seo, Haiqi Chen, Juan E. Hurtado, Qiong Zhang, Jorge Donato Garcia-Garcia, Zachary J. Heins, Patrick J. Almhjell, Frances H. Arnold, Ahmad S. Khalil, Andrew D. Hanson, John E. Dueber, David Schaffer, Fei Chen, Seokhee Kim, Luis Angel Fernandez, Matthew D. Shoulders, Chang C. Liu
Summary: By achieving rapid cycles of mutation, amplification, and selection fully inside living cells, genetic systems have advanced the scale, depth, and overall power of directed evolution, accessing important new areas of protein evolution and engineering.
NATURE REVIEWS METHODS PRIMERS
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Fanglei Zuo, Harold Marcotte, Lennart Hammarstrom, Qiang Pan-Hammarstrom
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
