AMB Express最新文献

{"title":"Comparative evaluation of live attenuated and killed tachyzoites as vaccine candidates for toxoplasmosis.","authors":"Eman E El Shanawany, Eman H Abdel-Rahman, Waleed A Nemr, Soad E Hassan, Noha M F Hassan, Hassan M Desouky, Rabab Zalat, Amany Ebrahim Nofal, Raafat M Shaapan, Salwa Sami Younis","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01889-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01889-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12246356/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144599096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Monitoring complete ammonia oxidizers bacteria: relevant players for nitrogen removal from wastewater.","authors":"Javier Duque, Leire Besga-Oyanarte, Miguel De Celis, Susana Serrano, José Luis Alonso, Antonio Santos, Lucía Arregui","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01878-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01878-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>COMAMMOX (Complete Ammonia Oxidizers) bacteria seem to play an important role in nitrification, being able to directly transform ammonia into nitrates. Due to the relevance of this process in WWTPs, different approaches were used in this work to monitor COMAMMOX bacteria, as well as other microorganisms involved in the biological removal of nitrogen occurring in the bioreactor of a full-scale WWTP. This facility operates with low dissolved oxygen concentrations and prolonged sludge retention times. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of COMAMMOX bacteria showing their distribution within the activated sludge flocs. Primers targeting the amoA gene, which encodes the A subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase enzyme, were employed as genetic markers in PCR techniques to simultaneously detect and amplify both COMAMMOX clades A and B, as well as specifically clade A, clade B, or various COMAMMOX Nitrospira species (Ca. N. nitrosa, Ca. N. inopinata, and Ca. N. nitrificans). Using digital PCR, a set of these primers enabled the estimation of the proportion of amoA COMAMMOX genes versus other nitrifiers (AOB, AOA and NOB). The data obtained not only confirmed the presence of COMAMMOX bacteria, but also their abundance, comparable to that of NOB and AOB. The 16S rRNA gene-based meta-taxonomy analysis gave complementary data about the microbial diversity and community composition within the samples. The results also highlight the biases of each technology used as monitoring tools, which must be accurate for the effective management of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and for exploiting the potential of COMAMMOX bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227399/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144558810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic evidence for causal links between diet, gut microbiota, and hepatobiliary cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.","authors":"Runze Huang, Xin Jin, Qinyu Liu, Xuanci Bai, Yibin Wu, Yixiu Wang, Xigan He, Ziting Jiang, Lu Wang, Weiping Zhu","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01910-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01910-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay among dietary habits, gut microbiota, and hepatobiliary cancers, yet the causal relationships remain unclear. Here, we conducted a comprehensive two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genetic instruments from large European cohorts to assess causality among 88 dietary components, 1080 microbiota traits, liver cancer (500 cases, 314,193 controls), and biliary tract cancer (1207 cases, 314,193 controls). We identified significant causal associations of 17 dietary and 101 microbial traits with hepatobiliary cancer risk, while 11 dietary and 70 microbiota traits showed evidence of reverse causality, indicating potential disease-driven alterations. Importantly, a two-step MR mediation analysis revealed that 43 microbial taxa and 6 metabolic pathways significantly mediated dietary influences on hepatobiliary cancer risk; notably, Mollicutes RF9 mediated 31% of the protective effect exerted by zinc on biliary tract cancer. These findings provide genetic evidence delineating gut microbiota as key intermediaries connecting dietary intake to hepatobiliary cancers, highlighting microbiome-targeted dietary strategies as potential preventive interventions. Further research is required to confirm these causal mechanisms and facilitate the development of targeted prevention and therapeutic approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"100"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227403/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144558809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mastoparan-S from Sphodromantis viridis exhibits antimicrobial activity by disrupting bacterial membranes.","authors":"Jonggwan Park, Seulbi Lee, Da Dam Kang, Jun Hee Oh, Hyeongsun Kim, Yoonkyung Park","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01908-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01908-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance underscores the urgent need for alternative treatments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered viable substitutes for conventional antibiotics due to their broad-spectrum activity and unique mechanisms of action. AMPs are an integral component of the innate immune system in invertebrates. Mastoparan-S, a 14-amino acid AMP originally identified in the praying mantis Sphodromantis viridis reportedly exhibits antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungi. In this study, the antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of chemically-synthesized mastoparan-S are evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Mastoparan-S exhibits potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, without inducing cytotoxicity or hemolytic activity in RAW264.7 or HaCaT cells. Mastoparan-S effectively inhibits biofilm formation by S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Mechanistically, mastopran-S kills bacteria by disrupting the bacterial membrane. Collectively, these findings suggest that mastoparan-S is a potential therapeutic agent for treating S. aureus and P. aeruginosa infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"99"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12229353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144551724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining miR-196a, miR-196b and NF-κBIα gene expression in colitis mice model.","authors":"Zahra Rafiezadeh, Shima Aboutalebian, Azar Baradaran, Laleh Hoveida, Seyed Hossein Hejazi","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01869-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01869-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bifidobacterium bifidum (B. bifidum) anti-inflammatory characteristics and ability to modify the gut microbiota make it a promising treatment option for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The present study investigated the modulatory effects of B. bifidum on the expression of miR-196a, miR-196b, and NF-κBIα genes in a DSS-induced IBD mice model. Thirty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to five experimental groups (G1-G5). The induction of colitis used 3% DSS in drinking water for 8 days. The Disease Activity Index (DAI) was monitored, and mice were euthanized for further analysis on the 22nd day. The mice were gavaged with 2 × 10⁹ CFU/ml of B. bifidum per day. Histological grading of the colon tissues was done, and the levels of cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were measured using ELISA. At the gene level, the expression of miR-196a, miR-196b, and NF-κBIα was analyzed by RT-PCR. Weight gain from days 11 to 17 in G3 and G4 with B. bifidum treatment pointed out its therapeutic benefits. Colon length, weight, and spleen weight were significantly decreased in G2 compared to G1 (P ≥ 0.0001). Histopathological examination revealed severe mucosal damage in G2, reduced inflammation in G3, fewer deep wounds in G4, and significant healing in G5. B. bifidum, especially in G5, significantly reduced IL-6 and TNF-α levels (P ≥ 0.0002). Gene expression analysis showed decreases in miR-196a and NF-κBIα and an increase in miR-196b, with G5 showing the most changes (P ≥ 0.0001). In conclusion, B. bifidum demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects in the DSS-induced IBD model by modulating miRNA expression and reducing key inflammatory cytokines.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"98"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12229394/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144551697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gut microbiota, plasma metabolites, and venous thromboembolism: a Mendelian randomization study.","authors":"Peng-Fei Cheng, Jin-Xi Wang, Ju-Shan Wu, Guang-Ming Li","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01903-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01903-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emerging evidence links gut microbiota (GM) to venous thromboembolism (VTE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE), but causal insights are limited. Using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), we assessed causal effects of 211 GM taxa and 489 plasma metabolites on VTE/DVT/PE. Genetic instruments (single nucleotide polymorphism) for GM and metabolites were leveraged to infer causality, complemented by mediation and pathway analyses. Sixteen GM taxa (e.g., protective Firmicutes, Clostridia; risk-enhancing Bacteroidetes, Desulfovibrionaceae) and 40 metabolites showed causal associations with VTE/DVT/PE. Reverse MR identified 11 GM changes secondary to thrombosis. No pleiotropy or heterogeneity was detected. Ten metabolite-mediated pathways (e.g., arginine biosynthesis) bridged GM to thrombosis, suggesting GM-metabolite interactions as potential biomarkers for thrombotic risk stratification and prognosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"97"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12181570/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lactobacillus johnsonii HL79 mitigate plateau environment-induced hippocampal dysfunction in mice.","authors":"Baoxing Gan, Xufei Zhang, Jinge Xin, Lixiao Duan, Ning Sun, Yu Chen, Junqi Zeng, Yueying Lian, Hao Li, Hesong Wang, Xueqin Ni, Hailin Ma","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01898-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01898-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plateau environment represents a common terrestrial characterized by multistress conditions including hypobaric hypoxia, low temperature, and intense radiation, yet sustain over 100 million permanent or transient inhabitants. While this extreme environment exerts profound impacts on cerebral architecture and gut microbiota homeostasis, precipitating cognitive deficits and microbiome-derived intestinal pathologies, the mechanistic interplay between plateau environment adaptation and microbial dynamics remains contentious. Here, we employ a microbiota-gut-brain axis framework to investigate whether probiotic intervention can ameliorate hippocampal impairments induced by simulated plateau environment exposure (3500-4000 m) in mice. Through simulated plateau environment exposure experiments, we revealed that extreme high-altitude conditions induced hippocampal memory dysfunction in mice, exacerbated oxidative stress damage in hippocampal tissues, and altered synaptic plasticity-related biomarkers including CREB transcription factor, BDNF protein levels, and electrophysiological power spectra. Administration of HL79 alleviated these burdens, including memory dysfunction and tissue damage, though complete reversal was not achieved. Combined hippocampal transcriptomic analyses suggested that HL79's beneficial effects primarily involved modulation of lipid-related gene expression in the hippocampus, consistent with prior reports of plateau environmental impacts on gene expression. Serum metabolomic results further reinforced this inference that differential metabolites regulated by HL79 are mainly enriched in bile secretion, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and PPAR signaling pathways, though the precise regulatory mechanisms require further elucidation. This research provides a novel microbiota-gut-brain axis-based regulatory strategy for adaptation to extreme plateau environments and offers new evidence for understanding the relationship between gut microbiota and plateau environment adaptation at high elevations.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"96"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12179028/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anticancer, antimicrobial and molecular docking analysis of newly synthesized iodoquinazoline derivatives.","authors":"Khaled M Aboshanab, Amr S Bishr, Siti Azma Jusoh, Mohammad Y Alshahrani, Khondaker Miraz Rahman, Ahmed M Alafeefy","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01899-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01899-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 4-anilinoquinazoline sulfonamide derivatives in medicinal chemistry are well-known antitumor backbones via different mechanisms. Herein, we reported the synthesis of five new 2,4-disubstituted-6-iodoquinazoline derivatives coded compounds 3a-e. The respective compounds were examined for their antiproliferative, antimicrobial, and carbonic anhydrase XII (CAXII) inhibitory activity against four cancerous cell lines. Compound 3c was proven to be the most effective as an anticancer. It stopped the growth of the four used tumor cell lines at concentrations ranging from 4.0 to 8.0 µM as compared to the reference doxorubicin (2.3-3.25 µM). Compound 3b, was able to stop the proliferation of the tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ between 6.0 and 9.0 µM. The five compounds exhibited both broad-spectrum and antifungal action; however, their antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria were superior to those of Gram-negative. Compound 3c showed the strongest antibacterial and antifungal activities, followed by compound 3b. In conclusion, the 4-substituted-anilino derivatives equipped with sulfonamide at position 4 of the quinazoline nucleus are suitable antitumor lead compounds. Moreover, the 4-methoxyphenyl substituent at position-2 has a better impact on activity than unsubstituted or even other substituents. The lab results are aligned with molecular docking analysis of the respective compounds against the potential targets, including CAXII, human thymidylate synthase (hTS), and human thymidine kinase (hTK), for the anticancer activities and DHFR of E. coli and S. aureus for the antibacterial properties. Compounds 3c and 3b are highly recommended for preclinical and clinical evaluation as anticancer and/or antibacterial agents for potential use in humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"95"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12177125/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Engineered Prx-LCA2 fusion protein restores oxidative skin damage via enhanced intracellular peroxidase delivery.","authors":"Di Liu, Yafen Zhan, Jiaqi Qu, Hongping Qiao, Na Li, Yeli Zhang, Xiaoying Wu","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01906-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01906-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study developed a novel antioxidant fusion protein Prx-LCA2 by conjugating peroxidase Prx with the LCA2 carrier derived from Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin, aiming to achieve efficient intracellular delivery for oxidative damage remediation. The fusion protein Prx-LCA2 was successfully expressed in E. coli and purified. Fluorescence labeling demonstrated efficient cellular internalization of the fusion protein. In vitro, H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in A431 cells was alleviated by Prx-LCA2 treatment, as evidenced by increased cell viability, reduced ROS levels, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and decreased levels of MDA and PCG. In vivo, H₂O₂-induced skin oxidative damage in mice was significantly ameliorated by Prx-LCA2 treatment, including improvement in antioxidant enzyme activities and reduction in oxidative damage markers (MDA, PCG and 8-OHdG). Additionally, Prx-LCA2 increased HYP content in the skin, indicating improved collagen integrity. Histological analysis of mouse skin further confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of Prx-LCA2. The enterotoxin-derived carrier system exhibited excellent biosafety profile with no observed cytotoxicity or skin irritation. This microbial-based protein engineering strategy provides a promising platform for transdermal delivery of antioxidant therapeutics.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"94"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12177121/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production and optimization of polyglutamic acid from Bacillus licheniformis: effect of low levels of gamma radiation.","authors":"Riham M Youssef, Reham Samir, Ola M Gomaa, Hala N ElHifnawi, Mohamed A Ramadan","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01897-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01897-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polyglutamic acid (PGA), has several beneficial characteristics and advantageous uses. The microbial biopolymer is released from a variety of organisms, particularly Bacillus species. Soil samples from various sectors of Egypt were gathered and evaluated for the production of PGA. According to the current study results, isolate (L) was the most powerful producer and was identified by 16S rRNA as Bacillus licheniformis. A multi-factorial Plackett-Burman layout was used to optimize PGA bacterial synthesis. Mass spectrometry, thin-layer chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and amino acid analysis were employed to characterize the product. It was also investigated how the produced polymer was affected by low gamma irradiation doses. In comparison to Bacillus subtilis (ATCC6633), Bacillus licheniformis showed an over 33% inclination in PGA yield under optimal conditions. FTIR spectra demonstrated that PGA functional groups were successfully unchanged after exposure to low levels of gamma radiation similar to the doses given to cancer patients under radiotherapy. Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) showed 2 phase weight loss for gamma irradiated PGA, emphasizing that the polymer showed thermal stability after exposure to gamma radiation. These results were confirmed by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Finally, the isolated Bacillus licheniformis strain can be considered as a prospective source of PGA for future industrial and medicinal uses. Additionally, this could be a promising result for the use of PGA as a drug carrier for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"93"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12176725/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}