Publications by authors named "Hongmin Sun"

Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7 is an important intestinal pathogen that causes severe foodborne diseases. We previously demonstrated that the genomic island-encoded regulator LmiA activates the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) genes to promote EHEC O157:H7 adherence and colonization in the host intestine. However, whether LmiA is involved in the regulation of any other biological processes in EHEC O157:H7 remains largely unexplored.

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The field of therapeutic peptides is experiencing a surge, fueled by their advantageous features. These include predictable metabolism, enhanced safety profile, high selectivity, and reduced off-target effects compared with small-molecule drugs. Despite progress in addressing limitations associated with peptide drugs, a significant bottleneck remains: the absence of a large-scale in silico screening method for a given protein target structure.

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Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a foodborne pathogen that infects humans by colonizing the large intestine. Upon reaching the large intestine, EHEC mediates local signal recognition and the transcriptional regulation of virulence genes to promote adherence and colonization in a highly site-specific manner. Two-component systems (TCSs) represent an important strategy used by EHEC to couple external stimuli with the regulation of gene expression, thereby allowing EHEC to rapidly adapt to changing environmental conditions.

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  • Isatropolone A and C, derived from Streptomyces sp. CPCC 204095, are non-benzenoid aromatic compounds with a unique seven-membered ring structure, and Isatropolone A shows strong effectiveness against Leishmania donovani, similar to the existing drug miltefosine, but its low production levels hinder drug development.
  • Researchers identified two SARP regulators, IsaF and IsaJ, involved in the biosynthesis of isatropolones, with IsaF acting as a key activator for the gene cluster responsible for their production, while IsaJ specifically regulates the enzyme IsaS that affects yields.
  • By manipulating the expression of these regulators and optimizing fermentation conditions, scientists achieved a remarkable
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Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common causative agent of urinary tract infection (UTI). UPEC invades bladder epithelial cells (BECs) via fusiform vesicles, escapes into the cytosol, and establishes biofilm-like intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs). Nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (NDK) is secreted by pathogenic bacteria to enhance virulence.

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Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data reveal the complexity and diversity of cellular ecosystems and molecular interactions in various biomedical research. Hence, identifying cell types from large-scale scRNA-seq data using existing annotations is challenging and requires stable and interpretable methods. However, the current cell type identification methods have limited performance, mainly due to the intrinsic heterogeneity among cell populations and extrinsic differences between datasets.

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  • Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is a serious pathogen linked to foodborne illnesses, causing various health issues including diarrhea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome.
  • Unique genomic islands, known as O islands (OIs), in EHEC O157:H7 contain key genes not found in non-pathogenic strains and are vital for the bacteria's traits.
  • This review highlights research on regulatory proteins encoded by these O islands, focusing on their roles in EHEC's virulence, movement, and resistance to acidic environments, which is important for understanding the pathogen's impact.
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Urinary tract infections are primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC infects bladder epithelial cells (BECs) via fusiform vesicles and escapes into the cytosol by disrupting fusiform vesicle membrane using outer membrane phospholipase PldA, and establishes biofilm-like intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) for protection from host immune clearance. Cytosolic UPEC is captured by autophagy to form autophagosomes, then transported to lysosomes, triggering the spontaneous exocytosis of lysosomes.

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serovar Typhimurium (. Typhimurium), an important foodborne pathogen, causes diarrheal illness and gastrointestinal diseases. .

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Excessive or persistent infection is a major contributing factor in impeding chronic wound healing. Wound bed preparations using antiseptics do not necessarily target the entire bacterial spectrum, and the highly proliferating granulation tissue may be sensitive to the cytotoxic effects, impairing tissue repair. Non-thermal gas atmospheric pressure plasmas are partially ionized gases that contain highly reactive particles while the gas phase remains near room temperature, thus having the capability of accessing small irregular cavities and fissures and killing bacteria because of the diffusive nature of gas phase plasma species that are chemically reactive, providing an ideal approach to topical wound disinfection.

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Sansanmycins represent a family of uridyl peptide antibiotics with antimicrobial activity specifically against (including drug-resistant ) and . They target translocase I (MraY) to inhibit bacterial cell wall assembly. Given the unique mechanism of action, sansanmycin has emerged as a potential lead compound for developing new anti-tuberculosis drugs, while the 5'-aminouridine moiety plays a crucial role in the pharmacophore of sansanmycin.

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  • In developing countries like China, individual farmers manage small-scale cultivated land, yet research primarily focuses on large regions rather than addressing their specific needs.
  • A new field-scale index system tailored for these farmers in Northeast China's black soil region has been created, alongside a machine learning model for assessing cultivated land quality.
  • The model demonstrated high accuracy and improved performance compared to previous approaches, and included an analysis to help farmers identify and resolve issues affecting their land.
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The mammalian gastrointestinal tract is a complex environment that hosts a diverse microbial community. To establish infection, bacterial pathogens must be able to compete with the indigenous microbiota for nutrients, as well as sense the host environment and modulate the expression of genes essential for colonization and virulence. Here, we found that enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 imports host- and microbiota-derived L-malate using the DcuABC transporters and converts these substrates into fumarate to fuel anaerobic fumarate respiration during infection, thereby promoting its colonization of the host intestine.

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The osmophilic yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii has attracted increasing attention for its ability to survive and grow in extremely high sugar environments. This trait determines its role in fermentation process and results in contamination in the food industry. However, the behavior of Z.

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  • An important enteropathogen can survive and replicate within host macrophages, potentially leading to severe systemic infections.
  • Lactate, produced during bacterial infections, plays a key role in promoting macrophage M2 polarization, which supports the pathogen's growth.
  • This research reveals the complex interactions between the pathogen and macrophages, enhancing our understanding of how metabolic processes influence host-pathogen dynamics.
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The human blood-brain barrier (BBB) comprises a single layer of brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) protecting the brain from bloodborne pathogens. Meningitis is among the most serious diseases, but the mechanisms by which major meningitis-causing bacterial pathogens cross the BBB to reach the brain remain poorly understood. We found that , group B , and neonatal meningitis commonly exploit a unique vesicle fusion mechanism to hitchhike on transferrin receptor (TfR) transcytosis to cross the BBB and illustrated the details of this process in human BBB model in vitro and mouse model.

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Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination strategies in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods: Based on the societal perspective, the cost-effectiveness of three hepatitis E vaccination strategies-vaccination without screening, screening-based vaccination, and no vaccination-among CHB patients was evaluated using a decision tree-Markov model, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. Values for treatment costs and health utilities were estimated from a prior investigation on disease burden, and values for transition probabilities and vaccination-related costs were obtained from previous studies and government agencies.

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  • Two new cinnamoyl-containing nonribosomal peptides, grisgenomycin A and B, were discovered in specific strains of bacteria through genome mining.
  • These peptides are unique bicyclic decapeptides with a novel carbon-carbon bond linking tryptophan to a cinnamoyl group.
  • Grisgenomycins showed potential antiviral activity against human coronaviruses at low concentrations (micromolar level).
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Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that specifically colonizes and infects the human large intestine. EHEC O157:H7 engages intricate regulatory pathways to detect host intestinal signals and regulate virulence-related gene expression during colonization and infection. However, the overall EHEC O157:H7 virulence regulatory network in the human large intestine remains incompletely understood.

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The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants represents a major threat to public health and requires identification of novel therapeutic agents to address the unmet medical needs. Small molecules impeding viral entry through inhibition of spike protein priming proteases could have potent antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Omicsynin B4, a pseudo-tetrapeptides identified from Streptomyces sp.

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Corn diseases are one of the significant constraints to high-quality corn production, and accurate identification of corn diseases is of great importance for precise disease control. Corn anthracnose and brown spot are typical diseases of corn, and the early symptoms of the two diseases are similar, which can be easily misidentified by the naked eye. In this paper, to address the above problems, a three-dimensional-two-dimensional (3D-2D) hybrid convolutional neural network (CNN) model combining a band selection module is proposed based on hyperspectral image data, which combines band selection, attention mechanism, spatial-spectral feature extraction, and classification into a unified optimization process.

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Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7 is an important human pathogen causing severe diseases, such as hemorrhagic colitis and lethal hemolytic uremic syndrome. The signal-sensing capability of EHEC O157:H7 at specific host colonization sites via different two-component systems (TCSs) is closely related to its pathogenicity during infection. However, the types of systems involved and the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood.

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  • The study investigates how Group B Streptococcus (GBS) status and vaginal cleanliness impact the vaginal microbiome of pregnant women.
  • Researchers collected 160 vaginal swabs, categorizing them based on GBS presence and cleanliness levels, and analyzed the samples using gene sequencing techniques.
  • Results showed significant differences in microbial taxa between GBS-positive and negative groups, indicating that both GBS status and cleanliness influence the vaginal microbiome, which may inform antibiotic treatment decisions for pregnant women.
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  • RpoN, a subunit of RNA polymerase, plays a crucial role in controlling gene expression related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism, bacterial motility, and virulence in Plesiomonas shigelloides, though its effects were previously unclear.
  • RNA sequencing revealed that RpoN regulates about 13.2% of the bacterial transcriptome, affecting various metabolic pathways and significantly reducing the expression of flagella genes in an rpoN deletion strain, which became non-motile.
  • The study concluded that RpoN is essential for the motility and pathogenicity of P. shigelloides, positively influencing the genes associated with type II and type VI secretion systems, while type III secretion system genes
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The objective of this study was to investigate the treatment effects of non-thermal atmospheric gas plasmas (NTAP) on destruction and the recovery (or re-colonization) of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) in biofilms. P.

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