Optimized extraction, identification and characterization of the mosquitocidal surface layer protein from a local bacterial isolate Lysinibacillus sphaericus Q001.

Surface layer (S-layer) is an extracellular proteinous layer consisting of two-dimensional lattice. It is typically present on archaea and also found on some bacteria. S-layer proteins from some bacteria are reported to be toxic to mosquito larvae.

Nature of recombinant human serum amyloid A1 in Escherichia coli and its preferable approach for purification.

Serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) is an apolipoprotein which is involved in amyloid A amyloidosis (AA) by forming fibrils. The process of fibrillation is still being explored and holds challenges in recombinant expression and purification of SAA1. This study deals with the preferable approach for the expression and purification of SAA1 which is normally toxic and unstable to express without using any fusion-tag.

Immunomodulating effects of the single bacterial strain therapy EDP1815 on innate and adaptive immune challenge responses - a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The gut microbiome can modulate systemic inflammation and is therefore target for immunomodulation. Immunomodulating effects of EDP1815, a bacterial commensal strain of Prevotella histicola, were studied in healthy participants. Effects on adaptive immunity were evaluated by a neo-antigen challenge with keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH), while effects on innate immunity were evaluated by topical toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist imiquimod.

Structural engineering and truncation of α-amylase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.

Alpha amylases catalyse the hydrolysis of α-1, 4-glycosidic bonds in starch, yielding glucose, maltose, dextrin, and short oligosaccharides, vital to various industrial processes. Structural and functional insights on α-amylase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii were computationally explored to evaluate a catalytic domain and its fusion with a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO). The recombinant proteins' production, characterization, ligand binding studies, and structural analysis of the cloned amylase native full gene (MjAFG), catalytic domain (MjAD) and fusion enzymes (S-MjAD) were thoroughly analysed in this comparative study.

Alternative Endoscopy Reading Paradigms Determine Score Reliability and Effect Size in Ulcerative Colitis.

Objective: Central reading of endoscopy is advocated by regulatory agencies for clinical trials in ulcerative colitis [UC]. It is uncertain whether the local/site reader should be included in the reading paradigm. We explore whether using locally- and centrally-determined endoscopic Mayo subscores [eMS] provide a reliable final assessment and whether the paradigm used has an impact on effect size.

The SPLUNC1-βENaC complex prevents Burkholderia cenocepacia invasion in normal airway epithelia.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are extremely vulnerable to Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) infections. However, the underlying etiology is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that short palate lung and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1)-epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) interactions at the plasma membrane are required to reduce Bcc burden in normal airways.

SPLUNC1 is an allosteric modulator of the epithelial sodium channel.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease with significantly increased mortality. CF airways exhibit ion transport abnormalities, including hyperactivity of the epithelial Na channel (ENaC). Short-palate lung and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1) is a multifunctional innate defense protein that is secreted into the airway lumen.

Evaluation of a SPLUNC1-derived peptide for the treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease.

In cystic fibrosis (CF) lungs, epithelial Na channel (ENaC) hyperactivity causes a reduction in airway surface liquid volume, leading to decreased mucocilliary clearance, chronic bacterial infection, and lung damage. Inhibition of ENaC is an attractive therapeutic option. However, ENaC antagonists have failed clinically because of off-target effects in the kidney.

Short Palate, Lung, and Nasal Epithelial Clone 1 Has Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities against the Burkholderia cepacia Complex.

The opportunistic bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are extremely pathogenic to cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and acquisition of Bcc bacteria is associated with a significant increase in mortality. Treatment of Bcc infections is difficult because the bacteria are multidrug resistant and able to survive in biofilms. Short palate, lung, and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1) is an innate defense protein that is secreted by the upper airways and pharynx.

Francisella philomiragia Infection and Lethality in Mammalian Tissue Culture Cell Models, Galleria mellonella, and BALB/c Mice.

Francisella (F.) philomiragia is a Gram-negative bacterium with a preference for brackish environments that has been implicated in causing bacterial infections in near-drowning victims. The purpose of this study was to characterize the ability of F.

Structural Features Essential to the Antimicrobial Functions of Human SPLUNC1.

SPLUNC1 is an abundantly secreted innate immune protein in the mammalian respiratory tract that exerts bacteriostatic and antibiofilm effects, binds to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and acts as a fluid-spreading surfactant. Here, we unravel the structural elements essential for the surfactant and antimicrobial functions of human SPLUNC1 (short palate lung nasal epithelial clone 1). A unique α-helix (α4) that extends from the body of SPLUNC1 is required for the bacteriostatic, surfactant, and LPS binding activities of this protein.

Pulmonary nocardiosis: a comparative analysis of Nocardia asteroides and non-asteroides species.

Our study compares the risk factors, clinical presentations and outcomes of pulmonary infections caused by Nocardia asteroides and non-asteroides species. We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing pulmonary infections by both species in patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Forty-one patients were identified with pulmonary nocardiosis, with 58.

Azithromycin effectiveness against intracellular infections of Francisella.

Background: Macrolide antibiotics are commonly administered for bacterial respiratory illnesses. Azithromycin (Az) is especially noted for extremely high intracellular concentrations achieved within macrophages which is far greater than the serum concentration. Clinical strains of Type B Francisella (F.

Improved efficacy of a tolerizing DNA vaccine for reversal of hyperglycemia through enhancement of gene expression and localization to intracellular sites.

Insulin is a major target for the autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells during the pathogenesis of type I diabetes. A plasmid DNA vaccine encoding mouse proinsulin II reduced the incidence of diabetes in a mouse model of type I diabetes when administered to hyperglycemic (therapeutic mode) or normoglycemic (prophylactic mode) NOD mice. Therapeutic administration of proinsulin DNA was accompanied by a rapid decrease in the number of insulin-specific IFN-gamma-producing T cells, whereas prophylactic treatment was accompanied by enhanced IFN-gamma-secreting cells and a decrease in insulin autoantibodies.