Microbiology and Immunology最新文献

{"title":"Issue Information – Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Cover photograph</b>: Circular heat map depicting expression patterns of common differentially expressed kinases in both GSE datasets. <i>Microbiol Immunol: 69:326-338</i>. Article link here\u0000 \u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"69 6","pages":"i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1348-0421.13141","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144244364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Competitive Binding of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1 Inhibits Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 Ubiquitination and Suppresses Ferroptosis in Macrophages.","authors":"Yan Zhu, Qingqing Liu, Erdan Lu, Zongyu Li","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13228","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a major factor in causing chronic or acute lung infections in individuals with compromised immune systems. Being the initial line of defense against infections, macrophages use a variety of tactics to fight intracellular bacteria, which are intimately linked to ferroptosis. It is yet unknown, nevertheless, what function ferroptosis serves in PA-infected macrophages. Initially, we established a macrophage infection model with PA to investigate the infection levels and duration using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and fluorescence microscopy and assessed the intracellular quantity of PA by counting colony forming units (CFUs). Subsequently, changes in ferroptosis-related characteristics in macrophages infected with PA were detected through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot analysis, and fluorescence probes. Furthermore, the relationship between PA infection and ferroptosis in macrophages, as well as the specific mechanism regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) protein stability, was validated by constructing NRF2 knockdown cells. Finally, the binding of PA to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) in macrophages was detected using Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and protein thermal stability analysis. Under optimal conditions (multiplicity of infection (MOI) = 15:1, t = 72 h), it was demonstrated that macrophages infected with PA resisted ferroptosis, as confirmed by ferroptosis-related assays. Subsequent construction of NRF2 knockdown cells showed that PA-mediated resistance of macrophage ferroptosis depended on NRF2. Mechanistically, it was proved that PA stabilized NRF2 protein expression by inhibiting ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated protein degradation and competitively binding to KEAP1. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that PA stabilized NRF2 protein expression in macrophages, inducing resistance to ferroptosis through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and competitive binding to KEAP1.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144225916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lytic Transglycosylase Deficiency Increases Susceptibility to β-lactam Antibiotics But Reduces Susceptibility to Vancomycin in Escherichia coli.","authors":"Takahiko Kimura, Kazuya Ishikawa, Ryosuke Nakagawa, Kazuyuki Furuta, Chikara Kaito","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13227","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Staphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive pathogen, vancomycin-resistant strains become susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics, referred to as the \"seesaw effect.\" However, in gram-negative bacteria, the phenomenon is less clear. Here, we analyzed the gene-knockout effects of eight lytic transglycosylases (slt, mltA, mltB, mltC, mltD, mltE, mltF, mltG) on antibiotic sensitivity in Escherichia coli. Knockout of both slt and mltG increased sensitivity to β-lactam antibiotics and reduced sensitivity to vancomycin. The β-lactam antibiotic sensitivity and vancomycin resistance of the slt-knockout mutant were abolished by the introduction of the wild-type slt gene but remained unchanged by the introduction of the mutant slt gene encoding an amino acid substitution variant of the transglycosylase catalytic centre. The double-knockout strain for slt and mltB was more sensitive to ampicillin and more resistant to vancomycin than each single-knockout strain. The double-knockout strain for slt and mltG was more sensitive to ampicillin and more resistant to vancomycin than each single-knockout strain. These results suggest that loss of lytic transglycosylase activity causes β-lactam antibiotic sensitivity and vancomycin resistance in E. coli.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144142926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Minimal Influenza Virus Transmission From Touching Contaminated Floors and Metal Door Levers: Laboratory Study II.","authors":"Yuxuan Fan, Hidekazu Nishimura, Masanori Katsumi, Jie Yang, Soichiro Sakata, Masahiro Kohzuki, Satoru Ebihara","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13226","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Influenza is generally understood to be transmitted through inhaling virus-contaminating aerosol/droplets or contact with virus-contaminated environmental surfaces (or fomites). However, the risk associated with transmission through contact with fomites is hypothetical, lacking solid quantitative evidence. In our previous paper, we demonstrated through a series of experiments that the probability of influenza virus transmission from touching contaminated surfaces of face masks is minimal (Sci Rep 2024, 14, 20211). In the present study, we expanded upon this study by conducting an experimental evaluation of the likelihood of influenza transmission from dried fomites under three specific scenarios: (1) when a floor/table lies within the trajectory of artificial coughs, (2) when stainless-steel door levers are exposed to viral spraying (simulating cough), and (3) when door levers are exposed to viruses on the grasping hand. The fingertips contacting the above fomites formed on the surfaces were washed into a rinsing medium. Subsequently, we evaluated the rinsing medium for viral content using plaque-forming assay to detect the viable viruses and real-time quantitative PCR assay to detect the viral genes. We found that viable viruses were rarely transmitted to fingertips from the above fomites even when the viral loads in the viral fluid contaminating the fomites far exceeded that seen in real life. Consequently, we conclude that the probability of contact transmission of influenza via dried fomites is negligible or minimal under the scenarios studied here.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144102011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Horizontal Gene Transfer Systems for Spread of Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria.","authors":"Jun-Ichi Wachino","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13222","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a significant global threat to public health due to the increasing difficulty in treatment. These bacteria acquire resistance by incorporating various antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through specialized gene transfer mechanisms, allowing them to evade antibiotic attacks. Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are well-established mechanisms that drive the acquisition and dissemination of ARGs in Gram-negative bacteria. In particular, the horizontal transfer of plasmids carrying multiple ARGs is highly problematic, as it can instantly convert susceptible bacteria into multidrug-resistant ones. Transduction, mediated by bacteriophages that package ARG-containing chromosomal DNA from host cells, also plays a crucial role in ARG spread without requiring direct cell-to-cell contact. Recently, a novel horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mechanism involving outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) has been identified as a key player in ARG dissemination. OMVs-nanoscale, spherical structures produced by bacteria during growth-have been found to carry small plasmids and chromosomal DNA fragments containing ARGs from their host bacteria. This newly discovered transfer process, termed \"vesiduction,\" enables intercellular DNA exchange and further contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, mobile genetic elements such as transposons, insertion sequences, and site-specific recombination systems like integrons facilitate rearrangement of ARGs, including their translocation between chromosomes and plasmids. This review explores the molecular mechanisms underlying the HGT of ARGs, with a particular focus on clinically isolated antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144079067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep-Tissue In Vivo Imaging Using Bioluminescence in a Mouse Infection Model and the Path to High Sensitivity With Near-Infrared Luminescence.","authors":"Daiki Yamaguchi, Keita Oki, Yuki Kaya, Yoshiaki Sakairi, Yuji Morita, Go Kamoshida","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The analysis of bacterial infections using animal models has primarily relied on the average evaluation of many individuals at specific time points. Consequently, tracking temporal changes in an infection within the same individual is challenging. InVivo imaging techniques enable the longitudinal assessment of infection in the same individual while reducing the number of animals required. Understanding the dynamics of bacterial infections over time is crucial for elucidating disease mechanisms and developing effective treatment strategies. In this review, we summarize the In Vivo imaging techniques used to detect bacterial colonization in deep tissues in animal models of bacterial infection, along with efforts to enhance their sensitivity. In particular, we introduce a recently developed In Vivo imaging system that employs near-infrared luminescence to achieve high sensitivity and versatility. Furthermore, we discuss strategies for further improving its sensitivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143990382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information – Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Cover photograph</b>: Functions of soluble and membrane-bound C-type lectins against pathogens. A) Soluble C-type lectins are multimerized and inactivate pathogens by agglutinating or coating their surfaces. They also activate complement to kill pathogens and promote phagocytosis by opsonization. B) Membrane-bound C-type lectins are called C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). CLRs take up pathogens via endocytosis and degrade and inactivate them in lysosomes. The degraded antigens are presented on MHC-II, inducing an acquired immune response. C) CLRs associated with ITAM adapter molecules such as FcRg and DAP12 induce various inflammatory responses necessary for host defense. D) CLRs with hemITAM in the cytoplasmic region directly transmit activation signals. E) CLRs with the inhibitory motif ITIM suppress host immune responses. This can either suppress excessive inflammation caused by pathogens or allow pathogens to evade host immunity. F) ITAM has two sides. Many pathogen ligands are multivalent and transmit activation signals through ITAM, but monovalent ligands transmit inhibitory signals. G) Some CLRs capture pathogens on the cell surface and pass them to other pathogen recognition receptors. <i>Microbiol Immunol: 69:257-269</i>. Article link here\u0000 \u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"69 5","pages":"i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1348-0421.13139","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143905076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coculture of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 With Butyrate-Producing Bacteria Promotes Butyrate Production.","authors":"Haruka Yokota, Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiroshi Ohno","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Supplementation with Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1) has been established to enhance the production of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) known for its beneficial effects in alleviating constipation. We hypothesized that BBG9-1 alters gut microbiota such that bacteria that produce butyric acid from lactate and acetate become more abundant. In this study, we sought to determine whether BBG9-1 promotes the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria and thereby enhances butyrate production. BBG9-1 was cocultured with different butyrate-producing bacteria to compare differences in the SCFA production of cocultures and monocultures. We indeed detected significant increases in the production of SCFAs in cocultures compared to monocultures. Moreover, lactate and butyrate production increased in a time-dependent manner in the BBG9-1 and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii ID 6052 coculture. In addition, acetate production in cocultures initially increased until 16 h, followed by a decline between 20 and 24 h, and a subsequent significant increase at 48 h. Comparatively, lactate and acetate production in the BBG9-1 and Anaerostipes caccae JCM 13470^T coculture peaked at 16 h and declined thereafter, and butyrate production increased in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, lactate, acetate, and butyrate production in the BBG9-1 and Roseburia hominis JCM 17582^T coculture increased in a time-dependent manner. These findings indicate that butyrate-producing bacteria increase butyrate production by utilizing BBG9-1-produced lactate and acetate. Thus, the butyrate-mediated physiological activity of BBG9-1 could be attributed to an indirect enhancement of butyrate production.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144018650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"GAS-J, a User-Friendly Browser Application for Genome Assembly, emm-Typing, MLST Typing, and Virulence Factor Gene Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes.","authors":"Norihiko Takemoto, Kohei Ogura, Yuan Gao, Rumi Okuno, Masaya Yamaguchi, Yujiro Hirose, Masayuki Ono, Shigetada Kawabata, Tadayoshi Ikebe, Takashi Hamabata, Tohru Miyoshi-Akiyama","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.13223","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes are usually classified using emm and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Recently, whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been employed for emm typing and MLST analysis. WGS data provides additional information on the presence of virulence factor genes. To enable researchers unfamiliar with bioinformatics to analyze WGS data of S. pyogenes, we opened an online tool named GAS-J, which automatically outputs emm types, sequence types (STs), carriage of virulence factor genes, and phylogenetic trees. The tool accepts raw short-read data as inputs, since it includes the velvet assembler. In all isolates, the emm typing results from this tool were identical to those obtained by conventional PCR and Sanger sequencing, even in cases where isolates had pseudo-emm (emm-like) genes. STs are determined by performing a BLAST search using seven alleles as references. To detect S. pyogenes virulence factor genes, we prepared a new data set containing 620 related proteins. Users may choose which isolates to include in SNP-based phylogenetic tree from a pool of 406 isolates with epidemiological data. The data set includes isolates whose symptoms (STSS or non-STSS) were diagnosed based on the STSS criteria of the Japan Communicable Disease Prevention Law. GAS-J application is available at http://gasj.ncgm.go.jp. The data of isolates are going to be updated in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144001879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptome Profiling and Viral−Human Interactome Insights Into HBV-Driven Oncogenic Alterations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma","authors":"Anilkumar I. Ananthakrishnan,&nbsp;Althaf Mahin,&nbsp;Thottethodi Subrahmanya Keshava Prasad,&nbsp;Chandran S. Abhinand","doi":"10.1111/1348-0421.13219","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1348-0421.13219","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the primary form of liver cancer that poses a significant global health concern due to its increasing incidence rates and diverse etiology. Chronic infection induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a prominent etiological factor influencing the development of HCC. Although recent advances in multi-omics approaches have facilitated extensive exploration of HCC molecular characteristics, translating the characteristics of subtypes into clinical applications has been challenging due to parameters like limited sample size and complex classifiers for early detection. In the present study, we performed transcriptomics profiling of HBV-infected HCC patient tissue data to gather comprehensive insights into the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying HBV-associated HCC, specifically, viral protein interactions that influence the expression of oncogenes. The 1059 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified across two GEO data sets revealed upregulation of cell cycle and mitosis-related genes, alongside downregulation of genes involved in fatty acid degradation and cytochrome P450 activity. CDK1 and CDC20 which are part of the top cluster and hub gene from interactome analysis were identified as potential markers for HBV-positive HCC through gene expression pattern and overall survival analysis. Additionally, 19 DEGs showing significance in HCC development were identified as interacting partners with HBV proteins. Among them, the interaction of HBsAg with ALB and SHBG and their downregulation correlates to the lower testosterone levels identified in HBV and HCC patients. Together, the study enhances the understanding of the heterogeneity and molecular pathogenesis of HBV-positive HCC.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":18679,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"69 6","pages":"326-338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144012751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}