Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid; NeuNAc) is one of the most important carbohydrates for Streptococcus pneumoniae due of its role as a carbon and energy source, receptor for adhesion and invasion and molecular signal for promotion of biofilm formation, nasopharyngeal carriage and invasion of the lung.
Showing posts with label human health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human health. Show all posts
The role of Helicobacter pylori infection in the development of allergic asthma.
Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in developed countries, with steady increases in asthma prevalence evident, particularly in the last few decades. As genetic factors are unlikely to contribute to the rise in asthma prevalence, changes in lifestyle and exposure to environmental stimuli have been proposed to account for this trend.
A direct PCR approach to accelerate analyses of human-associated microbial communities
Since the composition of the human microbiome is highly variable both within and between individuals, researchers are increasingly reliant on high-throughput molecular approaches to identify linkages between the composition of these communities and human health. While new sequencing technologies have made it increasingly feasible to analyze large numbers of human-associated samples, the extraction of DNA from samples often remains a bottleneck in the process.
A Novel Virulence Strategy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mediated by an Autotransporter with Arginine-Specific Aminopeptidase Activity
The opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a major cause of infections in chronic wounds, burns and the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The P. aeruginosa genome encodes at least three proteins exhibiting the characteristic three domain structure of autotransporters, but much remains to be understood about the functions of these three proteins and their role in pathogenicity.
Clostridium difficile Spore-Macrophage Interactions: Spore Survival
Clostridium difficile is the main cause of nosocomial infections including antibiotic associated diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. During the course of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), C. difficile undergoes sporulation and releases spores to the colonic environment. The elevated relapse rates of CDI suggest that C. difficile spores has a mechanism(s) to efficiently persist in the host colonic environment.
Exploring Bacterial Diversity in Hospital Environments by GS-FLXTitanium Pyrosequencing
Understanding microbial populations in hospital environments is crucial for improving human health. Hospital-acquired infections are an increasing problem in intensive care units (ICU). In this work authors present an exploration of bacterial diversity at inanimate surfaces of the ICU wards of the University Hospital A Coruña (Spain), as an example of confined hospital environment subjected to selective pressure, taking the entrance hall of the hospital, an open and crowded environment, as reference.
Structural and Biochemical Basis for Development of Influenza Virus Inhibitors Targeting the PA Endonuclease
Emerging influenza viruses are a serious threat to human health because of their pandemic potential. A promising target for the development of novel anti-influenza therapeutics is the PA protein, whose endonuclease activity is essential for viral replication. Translation of viral mRNAs by the host ribosome requires mRNA capping for recognition and binding, and the necessary mRNA caps are cleaved or “snatched” from host pre-mRNAs by the PA endonuclease. The structure-based development of inhibitors that target PA endonuclease is now possible with the recent crystal structure of the PA catalytic domain. In this study, authors sought to understand the molecular mechanism of inhibition by several compounds that are known or predicted to block endonuclease-dependent polymerase activity. Using an in vitro endonuclease activity assay, authors show that these compounds block the enzymatic activity of the isolated PA endonuclease domain. Using X-ray crystallography, authors show how these inhibitors coordinate the two-metal endonuclease active site and engage the active site residues. Two structures also reveal an induced-fit mode of inhibitor binding. The structures allow a molecular understanding of the structure-activity relationship of several known influenza inhibitors and the mechanism of drug resistance by a PA mutation. Taken together, study data reveal new strategies for structure-based design and optimization of PA endonuclease inhibitors.
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A hundred-year-old insight into the gut microbiome!
As the National Institutes of Health-funded Human Microbiome Project enters its second phase, and as a major part of this project focuses on the human gut microbiome and its effects on human health, it might help us to travel a century back in time and examine how microbiologists dealt with microbiome-related challenges similar to those of the 21st century using the tools of their time. An article by Arthur I. Kendall, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry in November 1909 (Some observations on the study of the intestinal bacteria J Biol Chem 1909, 6:499-507), offers a visionary insight into many of today's hot research questions.
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Gut microbiota: a potential new territory for drug targeting
The significant involvement of the gut microbiota in human health and disease suggests that manipulation of commensal microbial composition through combinations of antibiotics, probiotics and prebiotics could be a novel therapeutic approach.
Data mining the human gut microbiota for therapeutic targets
It is well known that microbes have an intricate role in human health and disease. However, targeted strategies for modulating human health through the modification of either human-associated microbial communities or associated human-host targets have yet to be realized. New knowledge about the role of microbial communities in the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and their collective genomes, the GIT microbiome, in chronic diseases opens new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.
Anthropology of microbes
In this paper authors describe the need to further integrate the fields of human microbial ecology and anthropology and outline some of the potential goals and benefits of this collaborative work. Interesting and inspiring paper.
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