Bacillus bombysepticus, an Entomopathogen in Yellow-Spined Bamboo Locust with Biocontrol Potential.

Ceracris kiangsu (Tsai) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a severe pest of the bamboo Dendrocalamus barbatus Hsuch & D.Z. Li that is widely grown in plantations in Vietnam.

The two-Cys-type TetR repressor GbaA confers resistance under disulfide and electrophile stress in Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus has to cope with oxidative and electrophile stress during host-pathogen interactions. The TetR-family repressor GbaA was shown to sense electrophiles, such as N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) via monothiol mechanisms of the two conserved Cys55 or Cys104 residues in vitro. In this study, we further investigated the regulation and function of the GbaA repressor and its Cys residues in S.

Method for measurement of bacillithiol redox potential changes using the Brx-roGFP2 redox biosensor in .

Recent advances in the design of genetically encoded redox biosensors, such as redox-sensitive GFP (roGFP) have facilitated the real-time imaging of the intracellular redox potential in eukaryotic cells at high sensitivity and at spatiotemporal resolution. To increase the specificity of roGFP2 for the interaction with the glutathione (GSH)/ glutathione disulfide (GSSG) redox couple, roGFP2 has been fused to glutaredoxin (Grx) to construct the Grx-roGFP2 biosensor. We have previously designed the related Brx-roGFP2 redox biosensor for dynamic measurement of the bacillithiol redox potential ( ) in the human pathogen .

The redox-sensing MarR-type repressor HypS controls hypochlorite and antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

MarR-family transcription factors often control antioxidant enzymes, multidrug efflux pumps or virulence factors in bacterial pathogens and confer resistance towards oxidative stress and antibiotics. In this study, we have characterized the function and redox-regulatory mechanism of the MarR-type regulator HypS in Mycobacterium smegmatis. RNA-seq transcriptomics and qRT-PCR analyses of the hypS mutant revealed that hypS is autoregulated and represses transcription of the co-transcribed hypO gene which encodes a multidrug efflux pump.

Utilizing redox-sensitive GFP fusions to detect in vivo redox changes in a genetically engineered prokaryote.

Understanding the in vivo redox biology of cells is a complex albeit important biological problem. Studying redox processes within living cells without physical disruption or chemical modifications is essential in determining the native redox states of cells. In this study, the previously characterized reduction-oxidation sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP2) was used to elucidate the redox changes of the genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain, SHuffle.

Comparative Secretome Analyses of Human and Zoonotic Isolates CC8, CC22, and CC398.

The spread of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) in the community, hospitals and in livestock is mediated by highly diverse virulence factors that include secreted toxins, superantigens, enzymes and surface-associated adhesins allowing host adaptation and colonization. Here, we combined proteogenomics, secretome and phenotype analyses to compare the secreted virulence factors in selected isolates of the dominant human- and livestock-associated genetic lineages CC8, CC22, and CC398. The proteogenomic comparison revealed 2181 core genes and 1306 accessory genes in 18 isolates reflecting the high genome diversity.

Design, synthesis and cytotoxicity of bengamide analogues and their epimers.

Starting from d--d--heptonic acid γ-lactone and amino acids, a number of diastereoisomeric bengamide analogues were synthesized. Optimization of the reaction conditions revealed that microwave irradiation assistance is a powerful method for the preparation of aminolactams, as well as for the coupling reactions of the lactone with aminolactams. Cytotoxic activity evaluation against six cancer cell lines (KB, HepG2, LU1, MCF7, HL60, and Hela) demonstrated that the configuration of C-2' seems to be critical for the cytotoxic activity of compounds (2') and (2').

Synthesis and biological evaluation of febrifugine analogues.

A series of febrifugine analogues were designed and synthesized. Antimalarial activity evaluation of the synthetic compounds indicated that these derivatives had a strong inhibition against both chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Many of them were found to be more active than febrifugine hydrochloride.