A systematic analysis of hypermucoviscosity and capsule reveals distinct and overlapping genes that impact Klebsiella pneumoniae fitness

Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKp) is a distinct pathotype that causes invasive community-acquired infections in healthy individuals. Hypermucoviscosity (hmv) is a major phenotype associated with hvKp characterized by copious capsule production and poor sedimentation. Dissecting the individual functions of CPS production and hmv in hvKp has been hindered by the conflation of these two properties. Although hmv requires capsular polysaccharide (CPS) biosynthesis, other cellular factors may also be required and some fitness phenotypes ascribed to CPS may be distinctly attributed to hmv. To address this challenge, we systematically identified genes that impact capsule and hmv. We generated a condensed, ordered transposon library in hypervirulent strain KPPR1, then evaluated the CPS production and hmv phenotypes of the 3,733 transposon mutants, representing 72% of all open reading frames in the genome. We employed forward and reverse genetic screens to evaluate effects of novel and known genes on CPS biosynthesis and hmv. These screens expand our understanding of core genes that coordinate CPS biosynthesis and hmv, as well as identify central metabolism genes that distinctly impact CPS biosynthesis or hmv, specifically those related to purine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism and the TCA cycle. Six representative mutants, with varying effect on CPS biosynthesis and hmv, were evaluated for their impact on CPS thickness, serum resistance, host cell association, and fitness in a murine model of disseminating pneumonia. Altogether, these data demonstrate that hmv requires both CPS biosynthesis and other cellular factors, and that hmv and CPS may serve distinct functions during pathogenesis. The integration of hmv and CPS to the metabolic status of the cell suggests that hvKp may require certain nutrients to specifically cause deep tissue infections.     

Caring for US Children: Barriers to Effective Treatment in Children with the Disease of Obesity

In 2020, impediments to pediatric obesity (PO) treatment remain pervasive, even though these barriers are clearly documented in medical literature. Providers must invest considerable resources to overcome these barriers to care. Notable barriers include gaps in medical education, misperceptions of the disease, weight bias and stigma, exclusion of coverage in health plans, and thus an unsustainable financial framework. Hence, this review offers an updated social‐ecological framework of accessibility to care, wherein each barrier to care or variable is interdependent on the other and each is critical to creating forward momentum. The sum of all these variables is instrumental to overall smooth function, configured as a wheel. To treat PO effectively, all variables must be adequately addressed by stakeholders throughout the health care system in order to holistically comprehend and appreciate undertakings to advance the burgeoning field of PO medicine.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Novel Thiazolocarbazoles. Part II1

Novel thiazolocarbazole derivatives have been synthesized via the corresponding imino-1,2,3-dithiazoles. In vitro antitumor activity of these polyheterocyclic compounds was studied.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Novel Thiazolocarbazoles

Novel thiazolocarbazole derivatives 4 and 5 have been synthesized via the corresponding imino-1,2,3-dithiazoles 3. In vitro antitumor activity of these polyheterocyclic compounds was studied and the results show that 2-cyano derivatives exhibit a medium in vitro antiproliferative effect.     

Mouse arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2 (Nat2) expression during embryogenesis: a potential marker for the developing neuroendocrine system

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) genes in humans and in rodents encode polymorphic drug metabolizing enzymes. Human NAT1 (and the murine equivalent mouse Nat2) is found early in embryonic development and is likely to have an endogenous role. We report the detailed expression of the murine gene (Nat2) and encoded protein in mouse embryos, using a transgenic mouse model bearing a lacZ transgene inserted into the coding region of mouse Nat2. In mouse embryos, the transgene was expressed in sensory epithelia, epithelial placodes giving rise to visceral sensory neurons, the developing pituitary gland, sympathetic chain and urogenital ridge. In Nat2^+/+ mice, the presence and activity of Nat2 protein was detected in these tissues and their adult counterparts. Altered expression of the human orthologue in breast tumours, in which there is endocrine signalling, suggests that human NAT1 should be considered as a potential biomarker for neuroendocrine tissues and tumours.     

Quorum-sensing inhibitory compounds from extremophilic microorganisms isolated from a hypersaline cyanobacterial mat

In this study, extremely halophilic and moderately thermophilic microorganisms from a hypersaline microbial mat were screened for their ability to produce antibacterial, antidiatom, antialgal, and quorum-sensing (QS) inhibitory compounds. Five bacterial strains belonging to the genera Marinobacter and Halomonas and one archaeal strain belonging to the genus Haloterrigena were isolated from a microbial mat. The strains were able to grow at a maximum salinity of 22–25 % and a maximum temperature of 45–60 °C. Hexanes, dichloromethane, and butanol extracts from the strains inhibited the growth of at least one out of nine human pathogens. Only butanol extracts of supernatants of Halomonas sp. SK-1 inhibited growth of the microalga Dunaliella salina. Most extracts from isolates inhibited QS of the acyl homoserine lactone producer and reporter Chromobacterium violaceum CV017. Purification of QS inhibitory dichloromethane extracts of Marinobacter sp. SK-3 resulted in isolation of four related diketopiperazines (DKPs): cyclo(l-Pro-l-Phe), cyclo(l-Pro-l-Leu), cyclo(l-Pro-l-isoLeu), and cyclo(l-Pro-d-Phe). QS inhibitory properties of these DKPs were tested using C. violaceum CV017 and Escherichia coli-based QS reporters (pSB401 and pSB1075) deficient in AHL production. Cyclo(l-Pro-l-Phe) and cyclo(l-Pro-l-isoLeu) inhibited QS-dependent production of violacein by C. violaceum CV017. Cyclo(l-Pro-l-Phe), cyclo(l-Pro-l-Leu), and cyclo(l-Pro-l-isoLeu) reduced QS-dependent luminescence of the reporter E. coli pSB401 induced by 3-oxo-C6-HSL. Our study demonstrated the ability of halophilic and moderately thermophilic strains from a hypersaline microbial mat to produce biotechnologically relevant compounds that could be used as antifouling agents.     

Characterization of Novel CSF Tau and ptau Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42, tau and p181tau are widely accepted biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Numerous studies show that CSF tau and p181tau levels are elevated in mild-to-moderate AD compared to age-matched controls. In addition, these increases might predict preclinical AD in cognitively normal elderly. Despite their importance as biomarkers, the molecular nature of CSF tau and ptau is not known. In the current study, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography was used to enrich and concentrate tau prior to western-blot analysis. Multiple N-terminal and mid-domain fragments of tau were detected in pooled CSF with apparent sizes ranging from <20 kDa to ~40 kDa. The pattern of tau fragments in AD and control samples were similar. In contrast, full-length tau and C-terminal-containing fragments were not detected. To quantify levels, five tau ELISAs and three ptau ELISAs were developed to detect different overlapping regions of the protein. The discriminatory potential of each assay was determined using 20 AD and 20 age-matched control CSF samples. Of the tau ELISAs, the two assays specific for tau containing N-terminal sequences, amino acids 9-198 (numbering based on tau 441) and 9-163, exhibited the most significant differences between AD and control samples. In contrast, CSF tau was not detected with an ELISA specific for a more C-terminal region (amino acids 159-335). Significant discrimination was also observed with ptau assays measuring amino acids 159-p181 and 159-p231. Interestingly, the discriminatory potential of p181 was reduced when measured in the context of tau species containing amino acids 9-p181. Taken together, these results demonstrate that tau in CSF occurs as a series of fragments and that discrimination of AD from control is dependent on the subset of tau species measured. These assays provide novel tools to investigate CSF tau and ptau as biomarkers for other neurodegenerative diseases.     

Frizzled-5 Receptor Is Involved in Neuronal Polarity and Morphogenesis of Hippocampal Neurons

The Wnt signaling pathway plays important roles during different stages of neuronal development, including neuronal polarization and dendritic and axonal outgrowth. However, little is known about the identity of the Frizzled receptors mediating these processes. In the present study, we investigated the role of Frizzled-5 (Fzd5) on neuronal development in cultured Sprague-Dawley rat hippocampal neurons. We found that Fzd5 is expressed early in cultured neurons on actin-rich structures localized at minor neurites and axonal growth cones. At 4 DIV, Fzd5 polarizes towards the axon, where its expression is detected mainly at the peripheral zone of axonal growth cones, with no obvious staining at dendrites; suggesting a role of Fzd5 in neuronal polarization. Overexpression of Fzd5 during the acquisition of neuronal polarity induces mislocalization of the receptor and a loss of polarized axonal markers. Fzd5 knock-down leads to loss of axonal proteins, suggesting an impaired neuronal polarity. In contrast, overexpression of Fzd5 in neurons that are already polarized did not alter polarity, but decreased the total length of axons and increased total dendrite length and arborization. Fzd5 activated JNK in HEK293 cells and the effects triggered by Fzd5 overexpression in neurons were partially prevented by inhibition of JNK, suggesting that a non-canonical Wnt signaling mechanism might be involved. Our results suggest that, Fzd5 has a role in the establishment of neuronal polarity, and in the morphogenesis of neuronal processes, in part through the activation of the non-canonical Wnt mechanism involving JNK.