Interlaboratory comparison of standardised metabolomics and lipidomics analyses in human and rodent blood using the MxP Quant 500 kit.

Metabolomics and lipidomics are pivotal in understanding phenotypic variations beyond genomics. However, quantification and comparability of mass spectrometry (MS)-derived data are challenging. Standardised assays can enhance data comparability, enabling applications in multi-center epidemiological and clinical studies.

The lipidomics reporting checklist a framework for transparency of lipidomic experiments and repurposing resource data.

The rapid increase in lipidomic studies has led to a collaborative effort within the community to establish standards and criteria for producing, documenting, and disseminating data. Creating a dynamic easy-to-use checklist that condenses key information about lipidomic experiments into common terminology will enhance the field's consistency, comparability, and repeatability. Here, we describe the structure and rationale of the established Lipidomics Minimal Reporting Checklist to increase transparency in lipidomics research.

microbeMASST: a taxonomically informed mass spectrometry search tool for microbial metabolomics data.

microbeMASST, a taxonomically informed mass spectrometry (MS) search tool, tackles limited microbial metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics experiments. Leveraging a curated database of >60,000 microbial monocultures, users can search known and unknown MS/MS spectra and link them to their respective microbial producers via MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Identification of microbe-derived metabolites and relative producers without a priori knowledge will vastly enhance the understanding of microorganisms' role in ecology and human health.

Assessing variations in manual pipetting: An under-investigated requirement of good laboratory practice.

Pipettes are essential tools for biomedical and analytical laboratories, analogous to workstations for computer scientists. Variation in pipetting is a known unknown, as it is generally accepted that variations exist, but thus far, there have been limited studies on the extent of these variations in practice. In this mini-review, we highlight how manual pipetting is a key technique in the laboratory, and, although simple, inaccuracy and imprecision exist.

LipidA-IDER to Explore the Global Lipid A Repertoire of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria.

With the global emergence of drug-resistant bacteria causing difficult-to-treat infections, there is an urgent need for a tool to facilitate studies on key virulence and antimicrobial resistant factors. Mass spectrometry (MS) has contributed substantially to the elucidation of the structure-function relationships of lipid A, the endotoxic component of lipopolysaccharide which also serves as an important protective barrier against antimicrobials. Here, we present LipidA-IDER, an automated structure annotation tool for system-level scale identification of lipid A from high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (MS) data.

The bacterial tyrosine kinase system CpsBCD governs the length of capsule polymers.

Many pathogenic bacteria are encased in a layer of capsular polysaccharide (CPS). This layer is important for virulence by masking surface antigens, preventing opsonophagocytosis, and avoiding mucus entrapment. The bacterial tyrosine kinase (BY-kinase) regulates capsule synthesis and helps bacterial pathogens to survive different host niches.

Draft Genome Sequence of Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. Strain BEI01.

Here, we report the genome sequence of Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. strain BEI01, originally deposited as a member of the Enterobacter cloacae complex. The genome is 4,900,246 bp in size with a GC content of 55.

Targeted Lipidomics of Drosophila melanogaster During Development.

Lipids play critical roles in developmental processes, and alterations in lipid metabolism are linked to a wide range of human diseases, including neurodegeneration, cancer, metabolic diseases, and microbial infections. Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the fruit fly, is a powerful organism for developmental biology and human disease research. We have previously developed a comprehensive biochemical tool, based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), to probe the dynamics of lipid remodeling during D.

Monocyte progenitors give rise to multinucleated giant cells.

The immune response to mycobacteria is characterized by granuloma formation, which features multinucleated giant cells as a unique macrophage type. We previously found that multinucleated giant cells result from Toll-like receptor-induced DNA damage and cell autonomous cell cycle modifications. However, the giant cell progenitor identity remained unclear.

Combination With Tomatidine Improves the Potency of Posaconazole Against .

Azoles such as posaconazole (Posa) are highly potent against . However, when tested in chronic Chagas disease patients, a high rate of relapse after Posa treatment was observed. It appears that inhibition of cytochrome CYP51, the target of azoles, does not deliver sterile cure in monotherapy.

Metabolic Versatility of during Infection and Dormancy.

(), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), is a highly successful intracellular pathogen with the ability to withstand harsh conditions and reside long-term within its host. In the dormant and persistent states, the bacterium tunes its metabolism and is able to resist the actions of antibiotics. One of the main strategies adopts is through its metabolic versatility-it is able to cometabolize a variety of essential nutrients and direct these nutrients simultaneously to multiple metabolic pathways to facilitate the infection of the host.

Mutations in enterobacterial common antigen biosynthesis restore outer membrane barrier function in Escherichia coli tol-pal mutants.

The outer membrane (OM) is an essential component of the Gram-negative bacterial envelope that protects the cells against external threats. To maintain a functional OM, cells require distinct mechanisms to ensure balance of proteins and lipids in the membrane. Mutations in OM biogenesis and/or homeostasis pathways often result in permeability defects, but how molecular changes in the OM affect barrier function is unclear.

Classical Activation of Macrophages Leads to Lipid Droplet Formation Without Fatty Acid Synthesis.

Altered lipid metabolism in macrophages is associated with various important inflammatory conditions. Although lipid metabolism is an important target for therapeutic intervention, the metabolic requirement involved in lipid accumulation during pro-inflammatory activation of macrophages remains incompletely characterized. We show here that macrophage activation with IFNγ results in increased aerobic glycolysis, iNOS-dependent inhibition of respiration, and accumulation of triacylglycerol.

Using Yeast Synthetic Lethality To Inform Drug Combination for Malaria.

Combinatorial chemotherapy is necessary for the treatment of malaria. However, finding a suitable partner drug for a new candidate is challenging. Here we develop an algorithm that identifies all of the gene pairs of that possess orthologues in yeast that have a synthetic lethal interaction but are absent in humans.

Macrophage-Bacteria Interactions-A Lipid-Centric Relationship.

Macrophages are professional phagocytes at the front line of immune defenses against foreign bodies and microbial pathogens. Various bacteria, which are responsible for deadly diseases including tuberculosis and salmonellosis, are capable of hijacking this important immune cell type and thrive intracellularly, either in the cytoplasm or in specialized vacuoles. Tight regulation of cellular metabolism is critical in shaping the macrophage polarization states and immune functions.

Comparative sphingolipidomics of disease-causing trypanosomatids reveal unique lifecycle- and taxonomy-specific lipid chemistries.

Trypanosomatids are parasitic protozoa which cause a spectrum of diseases, including trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, affecting millions of humans and animals worldwide. The surface of most protozoan parasites is heavily decorated with lipids and lipid-anchored molecules, forming protective barriers and acting as virulence factors during infection. Sphingolipids (SP) are major components of eukaryotic biomembranes, which play important roles in structural integrity, energy homeostasis and signaling.

[Study on the Release Process for Lavender Essential Oil Microcapsule by FTIR].

In order to find out the constitute forms of lavenderessential oil-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and the process of release of lavenderessential oilwith temperature changes, we used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method to compare and analyze lavender essential oil (LO), β- cyclodextrin (β-CD) and lavender essential oil microcapsule (LOM), while the infrared spectral changes of release process at different temperatures of the oil in microcapsulewas analyzed, andthe principal component method was further used to explore the physical and chemical stability and release process of LO after it was entrapped by β-CD. The results showed that comparative analysis by infrared spectroscopy, characteristic peaks of LO embedded had redshift peak and its peak shape became wider, which mainly affected by the formation of molecular hydrogen bonds , p-π conjugate phenomenon and the spatial structure of β-CD; in addition, we set temperature range from 25 to 95 ℃, the temperature interval of 10 ℃, and then determined LOM by IR spectrum to test and verify physical and chemical stability and release conditions of LO which was embedded by β-CD. The results demonstrated that, water molecule inLOM hydrate was easily lost and the essential oil component of LOM was in stable physical and chemical properties, and the amount of escaping for LO at 95 ℃ was less than 6.

Lipid metabolism in mycobacteria--Insights using mass spectrometry-based lipidomics.

Diseases including tuberculosis and leprosy are caused by species of the Mycobacterium genus and are a huge burden on global health, aggravated by the emergence of drug resistant strains. Mycobacteria have a high lipid content and complex lipid profile including several unique classes of lipid. Recent years have seen a growth in research focused on lipid structures, metabolism and biological functions driven by advances in mass spectrometry techniques and instrumentation, particularly the use of electrospray ionization.

The fusogenic lipid phosphatidic acid promotes the biogenesis of mitochondrial outer membrane protein Ugo1.

Import and assembly of mitochondrial proteins depend on a complex interplay of proteinaceous translocation machineries. The role of lipids in this process has been studied only marginally and so far no direct role for a specific lipid in mitochondrial protein biogenesis has been shown. Here we analyzed a potential role of phosphatidic acid (PA) in biogenesis of mitochondrial proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Co-option of Membrane Wounding Enables Virus Penetration into Cells.

During cell entry, non-enveloped viruses undergo partial uncoating to expose membrane lytic proteins for gaining access to the cytoplasm. We report that adenovirus uses membrane piercing to induce and hijack cellular wound removal processes that facilitate further membrane disruption and infection. Incoming adenovirus stimulates calcium influx and lysosomal exocytosis, a membrane repair mechanism resulting in release of acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) and degradation of sphingomyelin to ceramide lipids in the plasma membrane.

Match-making for posaconazole through systems thinking.

Currently available drugs for Chagas' disease are limited by toxicity and low efficacy in the chronic stage. Posaconazole, the most advanced new anti-chagasic drug candidate, did not fully confirm its initial potential in a Phase II clinical trial for chronic Chagas' disease. Given that posaconazole is highly active against Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro, and was very well tolerated in clinical trials, it should not be abandoned.

Lipidomics and genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveal lineage-specific trends in mycolic acid biosynthesis.

Mycolic acids (MAs) are α-alkyl, β-hydroxy long-chain fatty acids found in abundance in the cell envelope of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). MAs form an efficient permeability barrier, modulate host innate immune responses, and are the targets of several anti-tuberculosis drugs. Using mass spectrometry, we measured the relative abundance of 80 MA species across 36 clinical isolates of MTBC covering four major phylogenetic lineages.

Lipidomics identifies a requirement for peroxisomal function during influenza virus replication.

Influenza virus acquires a host-derived lipid envelope during budding, yet a convergent view on the role of host lipid metabolism during infection is lacking. Using a mass spectrometry-based lipidomics approach, we provide a systems-scale perspective on membrane lipid dynamics of infected human lung epithelial cells and purified influenza virions. We reveal enrichment of the minor peroxisome-derived ether-linked phosphatidylcholines relative to bulk ester-linked phosphatidylcholines in virions as a unique pathogenicity-dependent signature for influenza not found in other enveloped viruses.