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Meng C, Chen G, Liu Y, Wen D, Cui J, Dong L, Yang Z, Meng H, Gao Y, Feng J, Cui X, Wu C. miR-4687-5p Affects Intracellular Survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis through Its Regulation of NRAMP1 Expression in A549 Cells. Microorganisms 2024; 12:227. [PMID: 38276212 PMCID: PMC10818500 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), as one of the leading causes of death, poses a serious predicament to the world. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. It has been reported that the expression of miRNAs changes upon mycobacterial infection; the screening and identification of miRNAs regulating the expression of genes could benefit our understanding of TB pathogenesis and generate effective strategies for its control and prevention. In this study, luciferase assays showed that miR-4687-5p is bound to the 3'-untranslated region of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1). Additionally, we found a significant increase in miR-4687-5p expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected A549 cells. Concomitantly, we detected a reduced level of NRAMP1 expression, suggesting that NRAMP1 is one of the targets of miR-4687-5p. Infection experiments evidenced that the transfection of miR-4687-5p induced a decrease in NRAMP1 expression and increased intracellular Mtb loads post-infection, indicating that miR-4687-5p promotes the intracellular survival of Mtb through its downregulation of the NRAMP1 protein level. We also found that the transfection of miR-4687-5p induced increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation post-infection with Mtb. The results presented in our study suggest that miR-4687-5p may be indicative of the susceptibility of Mtb infection to humans and could act as a potential therapeutic target for tuberculosis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Meng
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- The Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Guangxin Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Yue Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Da Wen
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jia Cui
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- The Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Li Dong
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Zhiqiang Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Hangting Meng
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Yuanting Gao
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jiao Feng
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Xiaogang Cui
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- The Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Changxin Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Cell Biology of Shanxi Province, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanxi University, 92 Wucheng Road, Taiyuan 030006, China; (C.M.); (G.C.); (Y.L.); (D.W.); (J.C.); (L.D.); (Z.Y.); (H.M.); (Y.G.); (J.F.)
- The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- The Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease of Shanxi Province, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
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Alfei S. Shifting from Ammonium to Phosphonium Salts: A Promising Strategy to Develop Next-Generation Weapons against Biofilms. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:80. [PMID: 38258091 PMCID: PMC10819902 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16010080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Since they are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat, infections sustained by multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, emerging especially in nosocomial environments, are an increasing global public health concern, translating into high mortality and healthcare costs. In addition to having acquired intrinsic abilities to resist available antibiotic treatments, MDR bacteria can transmit genetic material encoding for resistance to non-mutated bacteria, thus strongly decreasing the number of available effective antibiotics. Moreover, several pathogens develop resistance by forming biofilms (BFs), a safe and antibiotic-resistant home for microorganisms. BFs are made of well-organized bacterial communities, encased and protected in a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix, which impedes antibiotics' ability to reach bacteria, thus causing them to lose efficacy. By adhering to living or abiotic surfaces in healthcare settings, especially in intensive care units where immunocompromised older patients with several comorbidities are hospitalized BFs cause the onset of difficult-to-eradicate infections. In this context, recent studies have demonstrated that quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), acting as membrane disruptors and initially with a low tendency to develop resistance, have demonstrated anti-BF potentialities. However, a paucity of innovation in this space has driven the emergence of QAC resistance. More recently, quaternary phosphonium salts (QPSs), including tri-phenyl alkyl phosphonium derivatives, achievable by easy one-step reactions and well known as intermediates of the Wittig reaction, have shown promising anti-BF effects in vitro. Here, after an overview of pathogen resistance, BFs, and QACs, we have reviewed the QPSs developed and assayed to this end, so far. Finally, the synthetic strategies used to prepare QPSs have also been provided and discussed to spur the synthesis of novel compounds of this class. We think that the extension of the knowledge about these materials by this review could be a successful approach to finding effective weapons for treating chronic infections and device-associated diseases sustained by BF-producing MDR bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Alfei
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, Viale Cembrano, 4, 16148 Genova, Italy
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Liu X, Li H, Li S, Yuan J, Pang Y. Maintenance and recall of memory T cell populations against tuberculosis: Implications for vaccine design. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1100741. [PMID: 37063832 PMCID: PMC10102482 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1100741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the widespread use of standardised drug regimens, advanced diagnostics, and Mycobacterium bovis Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines, the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic remains uncontrollable. To address this challenge, improved vaccines are urgently required that can elicit persistent immunologic memory, the hallmark of successful vaccines. Nonetheless, the processes underlying the induction and maintenance of immunologic memory are not entirely understood. Clarifying how memory T cells (Tm cells) are created and survive long term may be a crucial step towards the development of effective T cell–targeted vaccines. Here, we review research findings on the memory T cell response, which involves mobilization of several distinct Tm cell subsets that are required for efficient host suppression of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) activity. We also summaries current knowledge related to the T cell response-based host barrier against Mtb infection and discuss advantages and disadvantages of novel TB vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yu Pang
- *Correspondence: Jinfeng Yuan, ; Yu Pang,
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Zhou YX, Cao XY, Peng C. Antimicrobial activity of natural products against MDR bacteria: A scientometric visualization analysis. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1000974. [PMID: 36225591 PMCID: PMC9548655 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1000974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: A growing number of studies have demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of natural products against multidrug-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to apply scientometric method to explore the current status and future trends in this field. Methods: All relevant original articles and reviews for the period 1997–2021 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer, a scientometric software, and an online bibliometric analysis platform were used to conduct visualization study. Results: A total of 1,267 papers were included, including 1,005 original articles and 262 reviews. The United States and India made the largest contribution in this field. The University of Dschang from Cameroon produced the most publications. Coutinho HDM, Kuete V, and Gibbons S were key researchers, as they published a great many articles and were co-cited in numerous publications. Frontiers in Microbiology and Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy were the most influential journals with the highest number of publications and co-citations, respectively. “Medicinal plants”, “methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus”, “biofilm”, “minimum inhibitory concentration”, and “efflux pumps” were the most frequently used keywords, so these terms are presumed to be the current hot topics. All the included keywords could be roughly divided into four major themes, of which the theme of “natural product development approach” had attracted much attention in recent years. Furthermore, “Pseudomonas aeruginosa”, “nanoparticles”, “green synthesis”, “antimicrobial peptides”, “antibiofilm”, “biosynthetic gene clusters”, and “molecular dynamics simulation” had the latest average appearance year, indicating that these topics may become the research hot spots in the coming years. Conclusion: This study performed a scientometric analysis of the antibacterial activity of natural products against multidrug-resistant bacteria from a holistic perspective. It is hoped to provide novel and useful data for scientific research, and help researchers to explore this field more intuitively and effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Xi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Characteristic Chinese Medicine Resources in Southwest China, College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Library, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Characteristic Chinese Medicine Resources in Southwest China, College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Characteristic Chinese Medicine Resources in Southwest China, College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Cheng Peng,
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