Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are opportunistic, multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens increasingly prevalent in clinical settings. Quorum sensing (QS) systems play a crucial role in their pathogenesis, coordinating bacterial populations and enabling interactions within polymicrobial communities. While not the primary QS mechanism in S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present MMPred, a software tool that integrates epitope prediction and sequence alignment algorithms to streamline the computational analysis of molecular mimicry events in autoimmune diseases. Starting with two protein or peptide sets (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
March 2024
are ubiquitous Gram-negative bacteria found in both natural and clinical environments. It is a remarkably adaptable species capable of thriving in various environments, thanks to the plasticity of its genome and a diverse array of genes that encode a wide range of functions. Among these functions, one notable trait is its remarkable ability to resist various antimicrobial agents, primarily through mechanisms that regulate the diffusion across cell membranes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory systemic disease with skin manifestations characterized by erythematous, scaly, itchy and/or painful plaques resulting from hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. Certolizumab pegol [CZP], a PEGylated antigen binding fragment of a humanized monoclonal antibody against TNF-alpha, is approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis present clinical and molecular variability, affecting response to treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe diffusible signal factor family (DSF) of molecules play an important role in regulating intercellular communication, or quorum sensing, in several disease-causing bacteria. These messenger molecules, which are comprised of cis-unsaturated fatty acids, are involved in the regulation of biofilm formation, antibiotic tolerance, virulence and the control of bacterial resistance. We have previously demonstrated how olefinic N-acyl sulfonamide bioisosteric analogues of diffusible signal factor can reduce biofilm formation or enhance antibiotic sensitivity in a number of bacterial strains.
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