Comparative systems biology analysis to study the mode of action of the isothiocyanate compound Iberin on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Food is now recognized as a natural resource of novel antimicrobial agents, including those that target the virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens. Iberin, an isothiocyanate compound from horseradish, was recently identified as a quorum-sensing inhibitor (QSI) of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, we used a comparative systems biology approach to unravel the molecular mechanisms of the effects of iberin on QS and virulence factor expression of P.

Comparative genomic analysis of malaria mosquito vector-associated novel pathogen Elizabethkingia anophelis.

Acquisition of Elizabethkingia infections in intensive care units (ICUs) has risen in the past decade. Treatment of Elizabethkingia infections is challenging due to the lack of effective therapeutic regimens, leading to a high mortality rate. Elizabethkingia infections have long been attributed to Elizabethkingia meningoseptica.

Emerging frontiers in detection and control of bacterial biofilms.

Bacteria form surface-attached biofilm communities in nature. In contrast to free-living cells, bacterial cells within biofilms resist sanitizers and antimicrobials. While building biofilms, cells physiologically adapt to sustain the otherwise lethal impacts of a variety of environmental stress conditions.

Identification of five structurally unrelated quorum-sensing inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a natural-derivative database.

Bacteria communicate by means of small signal molecules in a process termed quorum sensing (QS). QS enables bacteria to organize their activities at the population level, including the coordinated secretion of virulence factors. Certain small-molecule compounds, known as quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSIs), have been shown to effectively block QS and subsequently attenuate the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as increasing its susceptibility to both antibiotics and the immune system.

Comparative genomic analysis of rapid evolution of an extreme-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clone.

The emergence of extreme-drug-resistant (EDR) bacterial strains in hospital and nonhospital clinical settings is a big and growing public health threat. Understanding the antibiotic resistance mechanisms at the genomic levels can facilitate the development of next-generation agents. Here, comparative genomics has been employed to analyze the rapid evolution of an EDR Acinetobacter baumannii clone from the intensive care unit (ICU) of Rigshospitalet at Copenhagen.

Bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP regulates antimicrobial peptide resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) is an intracellular second messenger that controls the lifestyles of many bacteria. A high intracellular level of c-di-GMP induces a biofilm lifestyle, whereas a low intracellular level of c-di-GMP stimulates dispersal of biofilms and promotes a planktonic lifestyle. Here, we used the expression of different reporters to show that planktonic cells, biofilm cells, and cells dispersed from biofilms (DCells) had distinct intracellular c-di-GMP levels.