Phage-Related Ribosomal Protease (Prp) of : In Vitro Michaelis-Menten Kinetics, Screening for Inhibitors, and Crystal Structure of a Covalent Inhibition Product Complex.

Phage-related ribosomal proteases (Prps) are essential for the assembly and maturation of the ribosome in Firmicutes, including the human pathogens , , and . These bacterial proteases cleave off an N-terminal extension of a precursor of ribosomal protein L27, a processing step that is essential for the formation of functional ribosomes. This essential role of Prp in these pathogens has identified this protease as a potential antibiotic target.

Nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) regulation of IL-1β-induced retinal vascular inflammation.

Chronic low-grade retinal inflammation is an essential contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). It is characterized by increased retinal cell expression and secretion of a variety of inflammatory cytokines; among these, IL-1β has the reputation of being a major driver of cytokine-induced inflammation. IL-1β and other cytokines drive inflammatory changes that cause damage to retinal cells, leading to the hallmark vascular lesions of DR; these include increased leukocyte adherence, vascular permeability, and capillary cell death.

Molecular Targets and Strategies for Inhibition of the Bacterial Type III Secretion System (T3SS); Inhibitors Directly Binding to T3SS Components.

The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a virulence apparatus used by many Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria to cause infections. Pathogens utilizing a T3SS are responsible for millions of infections yearly. Since many T3SS knockout strains are incapable of causing systemic infection, the T3SS has emerged as an attractive anti-virulence target for therapeutic design.

Fluorescence Detection of Type III Secretion Using a Glu-CyFur Reporter System in .

Enteropathogenic (EPEC) is a major cause of infantile diarrhea worldwide. EPEC and the closely related murine model of EPEC infection, , utilize a type III secretion system (T3SS) to propagate the infection. Since the T3SS is not essential for the bacteria to survive or propagate, inhibiting the virulence factor with a therapeutic would treat the infection without causing harm to commensal bacteria.

Delivery of Heterologous Proteins, Enzymes, and Antigens via the Bacterial Type III Secretion System.

The Type III Secretion System (T3SS) is a multimeric protein complex composed of over 20 different proteins, utilized by Gram-negative bacteria to infect eukaryotic host cells. The T3SS has been implicated as a virulence factor by which pathogens cause infection and has recently been characterized as a communication tool between bacteria and plant cells in the rhizosphere. The T3SS has been repurposed to be used as a tool for the delivery of non-native or heterologous proteins to eukaryotic cells or the extracellular space for a variety of purposes, including drug discovery and drug delivery.