Publications by authors named "Matthew Bockman"
The diversity of bacteriophages is likely unparalleled in the biome due to the immense variety of hosts and the multitude of viruses that infect them. Recent efforts have led to description at the genomic level of numerous bacteriophages that infect the Actinobacteria, but relatively little is known about those infecting other prokaryotic phyla, such as the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic α-proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. This species is a common inhabitant of freshwater ecosystems and has been an important model system for the study of photosynthesis.
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- * Traditional delivery methods using engineered viral vectors face challenges, while chemically defined polymers offer a scalable and versatile alternative for delivering nucleic acids with reduced immune response and toxicity.
- * Despite advancements in polymeric gene delivery over the past 40 years, translating these methods into clinical practice remains challenging, necessitating innovative designs and interdisciplinary approaches to enhance effectiveness in gene therapy.
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- Bottlebrush polymers can effectively trap, stabilize, and deliver hydrophobic small molecules, making them valuable for pharmaceutical applications.
- Researchers created a specific type of bottlebrush copolymer that can change its responsiveness to temperature by altering its end groups, allowing for better control over solubility at different temperatures (22-42 °C).
- This study shows that these specialized polymers can significantly enhance the solubility of the antiseizure drug phenytoin compared to traditional linear copolymers, demonstrating their potential for improved drug formulation.
Article Synopsis
- * Unlike other organisms, M. tuberculosis cannot acquire enough biotin from its host, necessitating its own production through a well-studied biosynthetic pathway that has been genetically validated.
- * The review focuses on the enzymes involved in biotin biosynthesis, summarizes previous genetic validation studies, and discusses potential inhibitors and natural products for drug development based on structure and phenotype screening.
The synthesis, absolute stereochemical configuration, complete biological characterization, mechanism of action and resistance, and pharmacokinetic properties of ( S)-(-)-acidomycin are described. Acidomycin possesses promising antitubercular activity against a series of contemporary drug susceptible and drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains (minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) = 0.
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- - Bio-AMS is a compound that targets Mycobacterium tuberculosis by blocking key processes needed for its survival, specifically by inhibiting an enzyme called MtBPL involved in biotin utilization.
- - Mtb can become resistant to Bio-AMS through the overproduction of a sulfatase enzyme (Rv3406) which inactivates it, posing a challenge for treatment.
- - Research led to the creation of new analogues that remain effective against Mtb even when Rv3406 is overexpressed, with one derivative (6) showing strong antimycobacterial activity and no signs of resistance development.
Article Synopsis
- Five new bacteriophages that target the Rhodobacter capsulatus strain YW1 were discovered in stream water near Bloomington, Illinois.
- These bacteriophages have two distinct types of genomes.
- The genomes of these newly isolated bacteriophages are different from those previously identified in other bacteriophages.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), responsible for both latent and symptomatic tuberculosis (TB), remains the second leading cause of mortality among infectious diseases worldwide. Mycobacterial biotin protein ligase (MtBPL) is an essential enzyme in Mtb and regulates lipid metabolism through the post-translational biotinylation of acyl coenzyme A carboxylases. We report the synthesis and evaluation of a systematic series of potent nucleoside-based inhibitors of MtBPL that contain modifications to the ribofuranosyl ring of the nucleoside.
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