Sublytic concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus Panton-Valentine leukocidin alter human PMN gene expression and enhance bactericidal capacity.

CA-MRSA infections are often caused by strains encoding PVL, which can cause lysis of PMNs and other myeloid cells in vitro, a function considered widely as the primary means by which PVL might contribute to disease. However, at sublytic concentrations, PVL can function as a PMN agonist. To better understand this phenomenon, we investigated the ability of PVL to alter human PMN function.

Flexicate molecules as a potential new class of antibiotics.

Helicates are α-helical, nonpeptide complexes that bind to DNA and exhibit antimicrobial activity. In the past, enthusiasm for the use of helicates in biological applications was limited, at least in part, by the presence of a racemic mixture of enantiomers or the formation of complexes that are insoluble in aqueous solutions. Recently, Howson et al.

Asbestos activates CH12.LX B-lymphocytes via macrophage signaling.

The impact of asbestos exposure on the development and progression of autoimmunity is becoming increasingly recognized as a public health issue. Epidemiological studies have shown an association between exposure to airborne silicates, such as asbestos, and autoimmunity, but the etiology remains unresolved. B1a B-lymphocytes have been implicated in autoimmune responses in mice, and splenic B1a cell numbers are altered following asbestos exposure.