Modified Fluoroquinolones as Antimicrobial Compounds Targeting .

causes the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection and trachoma, an eye infection. Untreated infections can lead to sequelae, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy in women and blindness. We previously enhanced the antichlamydial activity of the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin by grafting a metal chelating moiety onto it.

KSO-mediated coupling of 6-amino-7-aminomethyl-thiazolino-pyridones with aldehydes to construct amyloid affecting pyrimidine-fused thiazolino-2-pyridones.

We herein present the synthesis of diversely functionalized pyrimidine fused thiazolino-2-pyridones KSO-mediated oxidative coupling of 6-amino-7-(aminomethyl)-thiazolino-2-pyridones with aldehydes. The developed protocol is mild, has wide substrate scope, and does not require transition metal catalyst or base. Some of the synthesized compounds have an ability to inhibit the formation of Amyloid-β fibrils associated with Alzheimer's disease, while others bind to mature amyloid-β and α-synuclein fibrils.

A 2-pyridone amide inhibitor of transcriptional activity in .

is a strict intracellular bacterium that causes sexually transmitted infections and eye infections that can lead to life-long sequelae. Treatment options are limited to broad-spectrum antibiotics that disturb the commensal flora and contribute to selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hence, development of novel drugs that specifically target would be beneficial.

Differential role of cytosolic Hsp70s in longevity assurance and protein quality control.

70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70) are essential chaperones of the protein quality control network; vital for cellular fitness and longevity. The four cytosolic Hsp70's in yeast, Ssa1-4, are thought to be functionally redundant but the absence of Ssa1 and Ssa2 causes a severe reduction in cellular reproduction and accelerates replicative aging. In our efforts to identify which Hsp70 activities are most important for longevity assurance, we systematically investigated the capacity of Ssa4 to carry out the different activities performed by Ssa1/2 by overproducing Ssa4 in cells lacking these Hsp70 chaperones.

Methyl sulfonamide substituents improve the pharmacokinetic properties of bicyclic 2-pyridone based inhibitors.

infections are a global health problem and new approaches to treat with drugs of high specificity would be valuable. A library of substituted ring fused 2-pyridones has been synthesized and evaluated for their ability to attenuate infectivity. pharmacokinetic studies were performed, with the best candidates demonstrating that a C8-methylsulfonamide substituent improved pharmacokinetic properties important for oral administration.

Insertional mutagenesis in the zoonotic pathogen Chlamydia caviae.

The ability to introduce targeted genetic modifications in microbial genomes has revolutionized our ability to study the role and mode of action of individual bacterial virulence factors. Although the fastidious lifestyle of obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens poses a technical challenge to such manipulations, the last decade has produced significant advances in our ability to conduct molecular genetic analysis in Chlamydia trachomatis, a major bacterial agent of infertility and blindness. Similar approaches have not been established for the closely related veterinary Chlamydia spp.

Lifespan Control by Redox-Dependent Recruitment of Chaperones to Misfolded Proteins.

Caloric restriction (CR) extends the lifespan of flies, worms, and yeast by counteracting age-related oxidation of H2O2-scavenging peroxiredoxins (Prxs). Here, we show that increased dosage of the major cytosolic Prx in yeast, Tsa1, extends lifespan in an Hsp70 chaperone-dependent and CR-independent manner without increasing H2O2 scavenging or genome stability. We found that Tsa1 and Hsp70 physically interact and that hyperoxidation of Tsa1 by H2O2 is required for the recruitment of the Hsp70 chaperones and the Hsp104 disaggregase to misfolded and aggregated proteins during aging, but not heat stress.

Restriction endonucleases from invasive Neisseria gonorrhoeae cause double-strand breaks and distort mitosis in epithelial cells during infection.

The host epithelium is both a barrier against, and the target for microbial infections. Maintaining regulated cell growth ensures an intact protective layer towards microbial-induced cellular damage. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections disrupt host cell cycle regulation machinery and the infection causes DNA double strand breaks that delay progression through the G2/M phase.

Lactobacillus decelerates cervical epithelial cell cycle progression.

We investigated cell cycle progression in epithelial cervical ME-180 cells during colonization of three different Lactobacillus species utilizing live cell microscopy, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays, and flow cytometry. The colonization of these ME-180 cells by L. rhamnosus and L.

N-Acyl taurines trigger insulin secretion by increasing calcium flux in pancreatic β-cells.

Pancreatic β-cells secrete insulin in response to various stimuli to control blood glucose levels. This insulin release is the result of a complex interplay between signaling, membrane potential and intracellular calcium levels. Various nutritional and hormonal factors are involved in regulating this process.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection causes DNA damage and affects the expression of p21, p27 and p53 in non-tumor epithelial cells.

The constant shedding and renewal of epithelial cells maintain the protection of epithelial barriers. Interference with the processes of host cell-cycle regulation and barrier integrity permits the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae to effectively colonize and invade epithelial cells. Here, we show that a gonococcal infection causes DNA damage in human non-tumor vaginal VK2/E6E7 cells with an increase of 700 DNA strand breaks per cell per hour as detected by an alkaline DNA unwinding assay.

Pathogenic Neisseria hitchhike on the uropod of human neutrophils.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are important components of the human innate immune system and are rapidly recruited at the site of bacterial infection. Despite the effective phagocytic activity of PMNs, Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections are characterized by high survival within PMNs. We reveal a novel type IV pilus-mediated adherence of pathogenic Neisseria to the uropod (the rear) of polarized PMNs.

Adherence of clinically isolated lactobacilli to human cervical cells in competition with Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Lactobacilli are normal inhabitants of our microbiota and are known to protect against pathogens. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a human specific pathogenic bacterium that colonises the urogenital tract where it causes gonorrhoea. In this study we analysed early interactions between lactobacilli and gonococci and investigated how they compete for adherence to human epithelial cervical cells.