Research, Research Articles
Mitochondria-Associated Membranes (MAMs) are involved in Bax mitochondrial localization and cytochrome c release
Alexandre Légiot1, Claire Céré1, Thibaud Dupoiron1, Mohamed Kaabouni1, Nadine Camougrand1 and Stéphen Manon1
This study investigated the role of Mitochondria-Associated Membranes (MAMs) in the regulation of apoptosis by analyzing the localization and function of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax in yeast, finding that disruption of MAMs by deletion of the MDM34 gene affects Bax's mitochondrial localization and the release of cytochrome c.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in the dental plaque of periodontitis patients and stimulates an inflammatory response in gingival epithelial cells
Cássio Luiz Coutinho Almeida-da-Silva1, Tamer Alpagot2, Ye Zhu1, Sonho Sierra Lee3,4, Brian P. Roberts5, Shu-Chen Hung1, Norina Tang1,2 and David M. Ojcius1
This study found that Chlamydia pneumoniae is present more frequently in the dental plaque of individuals with periodontal disease, can invade human gingival epithelial cells causing inflammatory responses, and may therefore be a contributing factor to periodontal disease and a potential indicator of risk.
Simultaneous profiling of sexually transmitted bacterial pathogens, microbiome, and concordant host response in cervical samples using whole transcriptome sequencing analysis
Catherine M. O’Connell1,#, Hayden Brochu2,#, Jenna Girardi1, Erin Harrell2, Aiden Jones2, Toni Darville1, Arlene C. Seña3 and Xinxia Peng2,4
This study used total RNA sequencing to analyze cervical samples from women at high risk for STIs, revealing that host transcriptional profiles can be linked to microbiome composition and STI infections, with implications for advancing our understanding of PID and identifying potential biomarkers.
Genome-wide analysis of yeast expression data based on a priori generated co-regulation cliques
Siyuan Sima1, Lukas Schmauder1 and Klaus Richter1
The study demonstrates the use of predefined genome-wide expression cliques, derived from extensive microarray data, to effectively analyze and visualize the complete gene expression response across various cellular conditions in yeast.
A humanized yeast-based toolkit for monitoring phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity at both single cell and population levels
Julia María Coronas-Serna1, Teresa Fernández-Acero1, María Molina1 and Víctor J. Cid1
In this study, a humanized yeast system for functional studies on higher eukaryotic Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) was developed by restricting PI3K activity in yeast to specific plasma membrane microdomains, utilizing engineered reporters to monitor activity at a single-cell level and employing novel tools to study the performance of yeast plasma membrane (PM) microdomain-directed PI3K, revealing location-specific effects on yeast growth and endocytosis.
A chemical genetic screen reveals a role for proteostasis in capsule and biofilm formation by Cryptococcus neoformans
François L. Mayer1, Eddy Sánchez-León1, James W. Kronstad1
This study demonstrates that the bipolar disorder drug lithium inhibits the formation of key virulence factors, biofilm, and polysaccharide capsule, in Cryptococcus neoformans by dysregulating the ubiquitin/proteasome system, shedding light on the impact of lithium and providing insights into potential alternative pharmaceutical approaches for combating this fungal pathogen.
Nutritional and meiotic induction of transiently heritable stress resistant states in budding yeast
Heldder Gutierrez1, Bakhtiyar Taghizada1, and Marc D. Meneghini1
This study demonstrates that transient exposures to environmental stresses induce persistent states of elevated stress resistance in yeast cells, termed cellular memory, suggesting a form of epigenetic inheritance, and shows that this phenomenon occurs not only in meiotically produced spores but also in haploid cells subjected to glucose withdrawal, adding new insights into the developmentally and nutritionally induced cellular memory.
Specific mutations in the permease domain of septal protein SepJ differentially affect functions related to multicellularity in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena
Félix Ramos-León1, Sergio Arévalo1, Vicente Mariscal1 and Enrique Flores1
In this study, the multifunctional roles of the SepJ protein in the multicellular function of the Anabaena filament were investigated, revealing that specific amino acids and stretches within the protein are essential for the formation of long filaments, heterocyst differentiation, and intercellular communication, shedding light on the structure and diverse functions of SepJ in the model heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.
Trehalose-6-phosphate promotes fermentation and glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Rebeca L. Vicente1,2, Lucie Spina1, Jose P.L. Gómez1, Sebastien Dejean3, Jean-Luc Parrou1 and Jean Marie François1,4
This study examined the capability of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS1) homologues from various species to complement the phenotypic defects of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae tps1 mutant, resulting in the classification of complementation into different groups based on metabolic patterns and fermentation capacity, shedding light on the role of TPS1 and trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) as critical factors in sugar fermentation and glucose repression.
Investigation of the acetic acid stress response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with mutated H3 residues
August 18, 2023
Yeast cells respond to acetic acid in diverse ways. Here, we have elucidated the deleterious effects of acetic acid on different histone mutants
The coenzyme B12 precursor 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole is a flavin antagonist in Salmonella
August 17, 2023
Here we investigated why 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) inhibits in S. Typhimurium. Briefly, we determined that the structural similarities of the substituted benzene ring of DMB with the isoalloxazine moiety of flavins is responsible for the deleterious effects of this CoB12 precursor.
Yeast gene KTI13 (alias DPH8) operates in the initiation step of diphthamide synthesis on elongation factor 2
August 8, 2023
We show here that apart from its effector role for Elongator-dependent tRNA modification in yeast, Kti13 alias Dph8 also operates in step one of the diphthamide modification pathway.
GFP fusions of Sec-routed extracellular proteins in Staphylococcus aureus reveal surface-associated coagulase in biofilms
June 28, 2023
We show that msfGFP can be used to generate extracellular fluorescent fusion proteins in S. aureus, applicable for proteins that are secreted through the Sec pathway. When fused to coagulase, msfGFP did not hinder the biological function, and the fusion protein localised to the fibrin pseudocapsule surrounding clusters of S. aureus cells.
Atg1, a key regulator of autophagy, functions to promote MAPK activation and cell death upon calcium overload in fission yeast
May 10, 2023
Here, we provide evidence that the fission yeast Atg1 regulates cell death responses upon intracellular calcium load in addition to its role in promoting Pmk1 MAPK.
TL-532, a novel specific Toll-like receptor 3 agonist rationally designed for targeting cancers: discovery process and biological characterization
April 19, 2023
In the present study, we identified a new family of TLR3 agonists that activates myeloid cells, triggers the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in both myeloid and cancer cells, and induces apoptosis specifically in cancer cells.
Acetate modulates the inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus gasseri against the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida glabrata
March 21, 2023
The results herein described advance the design of new anti-Candida therapies based on probiotics, in particular, those based on vaginal lactobacilli species, helping to reduce the significant burden that infections caused by Candida have today in human health.
D-Serine reduces the expression of the cytopathic genotoxin colibactin
March 8, 2023
Sensing and responding to environmental cues and signalling molecules is crucial for bacterial survival. In this study we have identified a D-amino acid that has a strong regulatory effect on the pks genomic island which encodes for biosynthesis genes for the genotoxic compound colibactin.