Publications by authors named "Regina Lucia Baldini"
There has been a growing interest in bacteriophages as therapeutic agents to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The present work aimed at expanding the microbiological and molecular characterization of lytic phages ZC01 and ZC03 and investigating their efficacy in the control of infection in an invertebrate animal model. These two phages were previously isolated from composting using strain PA14 as the enrichment host and had their genomes sequenced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe AraC-type transcription factor TagK is a new player in the signaling cascade that induces the anti-eukaryotic T6SS of Xanthomonas citri.
Mol Microbiol
November 2022
Type 6 secretion systems (T6SSs) are specialized multiprotein complexes that inject protein effectors into prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic cells. We previously described the role of the T6SS of the phytopathogen Xanthomonas citri pv. citri as an anti-eukaryotic nanoweapon that confers resistance to predation by the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum.
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- In cystic fibrosis, mucus buildup in the lungs creates a low-oxygen environment that facilitates the growth of microorganisms, including the harmful bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.
- Despite P. aeruginosa’s ability to produce inhibitory compounds against A. fumigatus, the fungal response and metabolites in this competitive environment are not well understood.
- The study identified multiple secondary metabolites produced by both organisms during biofilm formation under varying oxygen conditions, revealing complex interactions that influence their growth and persistence in cystic fibrosis patients.
The genus Xanthomonas includes more than 30 phytopathogenic species that infect a wide range of plants and cause severe diseases that greatly impact crop productivity. These bacteria are highly adapted to the soil and plant environment, being found in decaying material, as epiphytes, and colonizing the plant mesophyll. Signal transduction mechanisms involved in the responses of to environmental changes are still poorly characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough bacterial resistance is a worldwide growing concern, the development of bacteriostatic and bactericidal drugs has been decreasing in the last decade. Compounds that modulate the microorganism virulence, without killing it, have been considered promising alternatives to combat bacterial infections. However, most signaling pathways that regulate virulence are complex and not completely understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo-component systems are widespread in bacteria, allowing adaptation to environmental changes. The classical pathway is composed of a histidine kinase that phosphorylates an aspartate residue in the cognate response regulator (RR). RRs lacking the phosphorylatable aspartate also occur, but their function and contribution during host-pathogen interactions are poorly characterized.
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- Macrophages attack bacterial pathogens through an oxidative burst, but some bacteria, like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have developed defense mechanisms, such as the 1-Cys peroxiredoxin LsfA, to survive.
- LsfA helps the bacteria resist hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and its absence leads to increased cytokine production in infected macrophages, indicating heightened immune response due to overactivity of the NF-kB and MAPK pathways.
- In experiments with mice, infection by lsfA mutant strains resulted in higher levels of cytokines and neutrophils in the lungs, along with lower bacterial counts and improved survival, showcasing LsfA's critical role in modulating immune responses and bacterial