Svornostia abyssi gen. nov., sp. nov. isolated from the world's deepest silver-uranium mine currently devoted to the extraction of radon-saturated water.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, aerobic, motile bacterium, J379T, was isolated from radioactive water spring C1, located in a former silver-uranium mine in the Czech Republic. This slow-growing strain exhibited optimal growth at 24-28 °C on solid media with <1 % salt concentration and alkaline pH 8-10. The only respiratory quinone found in strain J379T was MK-7(H4). C18 : 1 ω9c (60.9 %), C18 : 0 (9.4 %), C16 : 0 and alcohol-C18 : 0 (both 6.2 %) were found to be the major fatty acids. The peptidoglycan contained directly cross-linked meso-diaminopimelic acid. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the core-genome analysis revealed that strain J379T forms a separate phylogenetic lineage within the recently amended order Solirubrobacterales. A comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences between strain J379T and other members of the order Solirubrobacterales showed <96 % similarity. This analysis revealed that the closest type strains were Parviterribacter kavangonensis D16/0 /H6T (95.2 %), Capillimicrobium parvum 0166_1T (94.9 %) and Conexibacter arvalis KV-962T (94.5 %). Whole-genome analysis showed that the closest type strain was Baekduia soli BR7-21T with an average nucleotide identity of 78 %, average amino acid identity of 63.2 % and percentage of conserved proteins of 48.2 %. The G+C content of the J379T genomic DNA was 71.7 mol%. Based on the phylogenetic and phylogenomic data, as well as its physiological characteristics, strain J379T is proposed to represent a type strain (DSM 113746T=CCM 9300T) of Svornostia abyssi gen. nov. sp. nov. within the family Baekduiaceae.

Solicola gregarius gen. nov., sp. nov., a soil actinobacterium isolated after enhanced cultivation with Micrococcus luteus culture supernatant.

An actinobacterial strain, designated A5X3R13T, was isolated from a compost soil suspension supplemented with extracellular material from a Micrococcus luteus-culture supernatant. The strain was cultured on tenfold-diluted reasoner's 2A agar. The cells were ovoid-to-rod shaped, non-motile, Gram-stain-positive, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive and had a width of 0.5 µm and a length of 0.8-1.2 µm. The results of both 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic and whole-genome analyses indicate that A5X3R13T forms a distinct lineage within the family Nocardioidaceae (order Propionibacteriales). On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, A5X3R13T was closely related to Aeromicrobium terrae CC-CFT486T (96.2 %), Nocardioides iriomotensis IR27-S3T (96.2 %), Nocardioides guangzhouensis 130T (95.6 %), Marmoricola caldifontis YIM 730233T (95.5 %), Aeromicrobium alkaliterrae KSL-107T (95.4 %), Aeromicrobium choanae 9H-4T (95.4 %), Aeromicrobium panaciterrae Gsoil 161T (95.3 %), and Nocardioides jensenii NBRC 14755T (95.2 %). The genome had a length of 4 915 757 bp, and its DNA G+C content was 68.5 mol %. The main fatty acids were 10-methyl C17 : 0, C16 : 0, C15 : 0, C18 : 0, C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The main polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and two unidentified phospholipids. MK-9(H4) was the predominant respiratory quinone. The peptidoglycan type was A3γ (A41.1) and contained alanine, glycine, glutamic acid and ll-diaminopimelic acid in a molar ratio of 1.2 : 0.9 : 1.0 : 0.8. On the basis of the results of the phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses and comparisons with other members of the family Nocardioidaceae, strain A5X3R13T is proposed to represent a novel species within a novel genus, for which the name Solicola gregarius gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is A5X3R13T (=DSM 112953T=NCCB 100840T).

Arthrobacter polaris sp. nov., a new cold-adapted member of the family Micrococcaceae isolated from Antarctic fellfield soil.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-positive and non-spore-forming strain, designated C1-1T, was isolated from a fellfield soil sample collected from frost-sorted polygons on Jane Col, Signy Island, Maritime Antarctic. Cells with a size of 0.65-0.9×1.2-1.7 µm have a flagellar motile apparatus and exhibit a rod-coccus growth cycle. Optimal growth conditions were observed at 15-20 °C, pH 7.0 and NaCl concentration up to 0.5 % (w/v) in the medium. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of C1-1T showed the highest pairwise similarity of 98.77 % to Arthrobacter glacialis NBRC 113092T. Phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA and whole-genome sequences revealed that strain C1-1T belongs to the genus Arthrobacter and is most closely related to members of the 'Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus group'. The G+C content of genomic DNA was 58.95 mol%. The original and orthologous average nucleotide identities between strain C1-1T and A. glacialis NBRC 113092T were 77.15 % and 77.38 %, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain C1-1T and A. glacialis NBRC 113092T was 21.6 %. The polar lipid profile was composed mainly of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified glycolipid. The predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 (75 %) and anteiso-C17 : 0 (15.2 %). Menaquinone MK-9(H2) (86.4 %) was the major respiratory quinone in strain C1-1T. The peptidoglycan type was determined as A3α (l-Lys-l-Ala3; A11.6). Based on all described phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, we propose that strain C1-1T (=DSM 112353T=CCM 9148T) is the type strain of a novel species Arthrobacter polaris sp. nov.

Pedomonas mirosovicensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from soil with the aid of Micrococcus luteus culture supernatant containing resuscitation-promoting factor.

An orange-golden iridescent culture, designated A1X5R2T, was isolated from a compost soil suspension which was amended with Micrococcus luteus NCTC 2665T culture supernatant. The cells were non-motile, Gram-stain-negative, 0.4-0.5 µm wide and 0.7-1.4 µm long. The 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic and whole-genome analyses revealed that strain A1X5R2T forms a distinct lineage within the family Sphingosinicellaceae and is closely related to members of the genus Sphingoaurantiacus (S. capsulatus, 93.04 % similarity, and S. polygranulatus, 92.77 %). The organism grew at 22-47 °C (optimal at 37 °C), salinity <3 % (optimal at 1.5 %) and at pH 7. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10, but a small quantity of ubiquinone-9 was also detected The major polyamine was homospermidine, but a small quantity of putrescine was also detected. The strain contained C18  :  1ω7c, C16 : 0, C16 : 1 ω7c and C18 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The main polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingoglycolipid, diphosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified phospholipids and three unidentified amino lipids. The DNA G+C content was 64.9 mol%. According to the results of phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, as well as its physiological characteristics, strain A2X5R2T represents the type species of a novel genus within the family Sphingosinicellaceae. The name Pedomonas mirosovicensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain being A1X5R2T (=NCCB 100839T=DSM 112829T).

Antibody Conjugated PLGA Nanocarriers and Superparmagnetic Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of Oxaliplatin to Cells from Colorectal Carcinoma.

Anti-CD133 monoclonal antibody (Ab)-conjugated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanocarriers, for the targeted delivery of oxaliplatin (OXA) and superparamagnetic nanoparticles (IO-OA) to colorectal cancer cells (CaCo-2), were designed, synthesized, characterized, and evaluated in this study. The co-encapsulation of OXA and IO-OA was achieved in two types of polymeric carriers, namely, PLGA and poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLGA-PEG) by double emulsion. PLGA_IO-OA_OXA and PEGylated PLGA_IO-OA_OXA nanoparticles displayed a comparable mean diameter of 207 ± 70 nm and 185 ± 119 nm, respectively. The concentration of the released OXA from the PEGylated PLGA_IO-OA_OXA increased very rapidly, reaching ~100% release after only 2 h, while the PLGA_IO-OA_OXA displayed a slower and sustained drug release. Therefore, for a controlled OXA release, non-PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles were more convenient. Interestingly, preservation of the superparamagnetic behavior of the IO-OA, without magnetic hysteresis all along the dissolution process, was observed. The non-PEGylated nanoparticles (PLGA_OXA, PLGA_IO-OA_OXA) were selected for the anti-CD133 Ab conjugation. The affinity of Ab-coated nanoparticles for CD133-positive cells was examined using fluorescence microscopy in CaCo-2 cells, which was followed by a viability assay.

Antimicrobial Properties of Palladium and Platinum Nanoparticles: A New Tool for Combating Food-Borne Pathogens.

Although some metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly used in the food processing plants as nanomaterials for food packaging, or as coatings on the food handling equipment, little is known about antimicrobial properties of palladium (PdNPs) and platinum (PtNPs) nanoparticles and their potential use in the food industry. In this study, common food-borne pathogens Salmonella enterica Infantis, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were tested. Both NPs reduced viable cells with the log10 CFU reduction of 0.3-2.4 (PdNPs) and 0.8-2.0 (PtNPs), average inhibitory rates of 55.2-99% for PdNPs and of 83.8-99% for PtNPs. However, both NPs seemed to be less effective for biofilm formation and its reduction. The most effective concentrations were evaluated to be 22.25-44.5 mg/L for PdNPs and 50.5-101 mg/L for PtNPs. Furthermore, the interactions of tested NPs with bacterial cell were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM visualization confirmed that NPs entered bacteria and caused direct damage of the cell walls, which resulted in bacterial disruption. The in vitro cytotoxicity of individual NPs was determined in primary human renal tubular epithelial cells (HRTECs), human keratinocytes (HaCat), human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), human epithelial kidney cells (HEK 293), and primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). Due to their antimicrobial properties on bacterial cells and no acute cytotoxicity, both types of NPs could potentially fight food-borne pathogens.

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine, Rhamnolipids, and Usnic Acid-Novel Approaches to Fight Food-Borne Pathogens.

In the food industry, the increasing antimicrobial resistance of food-borne pathogens to conventional sanitizers poses the risk of food contamination and a decrease in product quality and safety. Therefore, we explored alternative antimicrobials N-Acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), rhamnolipids (RLs), and usnic acid (UA) as a novel approach to prevent biofilm formation and reduce existing biofilms formed by important food-borne pathogens (three strains of Salmonella enterica and two strains of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus). Their effectiveness was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations needed for inhibition of bacterial growth, biofilm formation, metabolic activity, and biofilm reduction. Transmission electron microscopy and confocal scanning laser microscopy followed by image analysis were used to visualize and quantify the impact of tested substances on both planktonic and biofilm-associated cells. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the substances was determined as a half-maximal inhibitory concentration in five different cell lines. The results indicate relatively low cytotoxic effects of NAC in comparison to RLs and UA. In addition, NAC inhibited bacterial growth for all strains, while RLs showed overall lower inhibition and UA inhibited only the growth of Gram-positive bacteria. Even though tested substances did not remove the biofilms, NAC represents a promising tool in biofilm prevention.

The effect of gold and silver nanoparticles, chitosan and their combinations on bacterial biofilms of food-borne pathogens.

The antimicrobial activity of gold and silver nanoparticles (AuNPs, AgNPs), chitosan (CS) and their combinations was established by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration for planktonic (MICPC80) and biofilm growth (MICBC80), for biofilm formation (MICBF80), metabolic activity (MICBM80) and reduction (MICBR80), and for the metabolic activity of preformed biofilm (MICMPB80). Biofilms were quantified in microtitre plates by crystal violet staining and metabolic activity was evaluated by the MTT assay. Chitosan effectively suppressed biofilm formation (0.31-5 mg ml-1) in all the tested strains, except Salmonella enterica Infantis (0.16-2.5 mg ml-1) where CS and its combination with AgNPs induced biofilm formation. Nanoparticles inhibited biofilm growth only when the highest concentrations were used. Even though AuNPs, AgNPs and CS were not able to remove biofilm mass, they reduced its metabolic activity by at least 80%. The combinations of nanoparticles with CS did not show any significant positive synergistic effect on the tested target properties.

Pseudogemmobacter bohemicus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel taxon from the Rhodobacteraceae family isolated from heavy-metal-contaminated sludge.

The creamy white to beige, aerobic, non-motile, ovoid to rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative strain, Cd-10T, was isolated from heavy-metal-contaminated sludge from a decantation basin of a heavy metal processing factory based on its ability to tolerate CdCl2 in the cultivation medium. In the reconstruction of its phylogeny based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain Cd-10T clustered with species of the genera Gemmobacter, Xinfangfangia, Tabrizicola and Rhodobacter within the family Rhodobacteraceae. Its 16S rRNA gene sequence exhibited 96.32 % pairwise similarity to the type strain of Xinfangfangia soli, 95.3 % to that of Gemmobacter intermedius, followed by Tabrizicola fusiformis (95.10 %), Rhodobacter sediminis (94.88 %), Gemmobacter nectariphilus and Rhodobacter capsulatus (both 94.81 %). The major respiratory quinone was Q-10 accompanied by Q-9, the fatty acid profile consisted predominantly of C18 : 1ω7c, C18 : 0, C16 : 0 and C16 : 1ω7c, the major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and diphosphatidylglycerol. An analysis of the percentage of conserved proteins deduced from draft or complete genomic sequences of strain Cd-10T and representatives of its closest relatives suggested that strain Cd-10T is a member of a novel genus within the Rhodobacteraceae family for which we propose the name Pseudogemmobacter. Strain Cd-10T (=DSM 103618T=NCCB 100645T) is the type strain of Pseudogemmobacter bohemicus gen. nov., sp. nov., the type species of the genus Pseudogemmobacter gen. nov.

Structure of the immature retroviral capsid at 8 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy.

The assembly of retroviruses such as HIV-1 is driven by oligomerization of their major structural protein, Gag. Gag is a multidomain polyprotein including three conserved folded domains: MA (matrix), CA (capsid) and NC (nucleocapsid). Assembly of an infectious virion proceeds in two stages. In the first stage, Gag oligomerization into a hexameric protein lattice leads to the formation of an incomplete, roughly spherical protein shell that buds through the plasma membrane of the infected cell to release an enveloped immature virus particle. In the second stage, cleavage of Gag by the viral protease leads to rearrangement of the particle interior, converting the non-infectious immature virus particle into a mature infectious virion. The immature Gag shell acts as the pivotal intermediate in assembly and is a potential target for anti-retroviral drugs both in inhibiting virus assembly and in disrupting virus maturation. However, detailed structural information on the immature Gag shell has not previously been available. For this reason it is unclear what protein conformations and interfaces mediate the interactions between domains and therefore the assembly of retrovirus particles, and what structural transitions are associated with retrovirus maturation. Here we solve the structure of the immature retroviral Gag shell from Mason-Pfizer monkey virus by combining cryo-electron microscopy and tomography. The 8-Å resolution structure permits the derivation of a pseudo-atomic model of CA in the immature retrovirus, which defines the protein interfaces mediating retrovirus assembly. We show that transition of an immature retrovirus into its mature infectious form involves marked rotations and translations of CA domains, that the roles of the amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal domains of CA in assembling the immature and mature hexameric lattices are exchanged, and that the CA interactions that stabilize the immature and mature viruses are almost completely distinct.

Nucleic Acid Binding by Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CA Promotes Virus Assembly and Genome Packaging.

UNLABELLED: The Gag polyprotein of retroviruses drives immature virus assembly by forming hexameric protein lattices. The assembly is primarily mediated by protein-protein interactions between capsid (CA) domains and by interactions between nucleocapsid (NC) domains and RNA. Specific interactions between NC and the viral RNA are required for genome packaging. Previously reported cryoelectron microscopy analysis of immature Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) particles suggested that a basic region (residues RKK) in CA may serve as an additional binding site for nucleic acids. Here, we have introduced mutations into the RKK region in both bacterial and proviral M-PMV vectors and have assessed their impact on M-PMV assembly, structure, RNA binding, budding/release, nuclear trafficking, and infectivity using in vitro and in vivo systems. Our data indicate that the RKK region binds and structures nucleic acid that serves to promote virus particle assembly in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the RKK region appears to be important for recruitment of viral genomic RNA into Gag particles, and this function could be linked to changes in nuclear trafficking. Together these observations suggest that in M-PMV, direct interactions between CA and nucleic acid play important functions in the late stages of the viral life cycle. IMPORTANCE: Assembly of retrovirus particles is driven by the Gag polyprotein, which can self-assemble to form virus particles and interact with RNA to recruit the viral genome into the particles. Generally, the capsid domains of Gag contribute to essential protein-protein interactions during assembly, while the nucleocapsid domain interacts with RNA. The interactions between the nucleocapsid domain and RNA are important both for identifying the genome and for self-assembly of Gag molecules. Here, we show that a region of basic residues in the capsid protein of the betaretrovirus Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) contributes to interaction of Gag with nucleic acid. This interaction appears to provide a critical scaffolding function that promotes assembly of virus particles in the cytoplasm. It is also crucial for packaging the viral genome and thus for infectivity. These data indicate that, surprisingly, interactions between the capsid domain and RNA play an important role in the assembly of M-PMV.

Ultrasensitive and reproducible SERS platform of coupled Ag grating with multibranched Au nanoparticles.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is an extremely sensitive analytical technique that is capable of identifying the vibration signatures of target molecules up to single-molecule sensitivity. In this work, the ultrahigh sensitivity of SERS has been achieved through the immobilization of sharp-edges specific nanoparticles - so-called gold multibranched NPs (AuMs) on the silver grating surface through the biphenyl dithiol. This approach allows combining the extremely high SERS enhancement factor (better than that in the case of AuMs immobilized on the flat Ag film) with perfect reproducibility of Raman signals. The grating was created on the polymer substrate using the excimer laser modification and further metal deposition and has an "active" area 5 × 10 mm2, enabling the macroscale SERS substrate preparation. The wet-chemistry synthesized AuMs were then immobilized on the grating surface and the produced structure allows SERS measurements with a portable Raman spectrophotometer. The prepared structures were checked using the AFM, UV-Vis, and Raman spectroscopy techniques.

The biofilm matrix of Campylobacter jejuni determined by fluorescence lectin-binding analysis.

Campylobacter jejuni is responsible for the most common bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis. Despite its fastidious growth, it can survive harsh conditions through biofilm formation. In this work, fluorescence lectin-binding analysis was used to determine the glycoconjugates present in the biofilm matrix of two well-described strains. Screening of 72 lectins revealed strain-specific patterns with six lectins interacting with the biofilm matrix of both strains. The most common sugar moiety contained galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine. Several lectins interacted with N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid, probably originated from the capsular polysaccharides, lipooligosaccharides and N-glycans of C. jejuni. In addition, glycoconjugates containing mannose and fucose were detected within the biofilm, which have not previously been found in the C. jejuni envelope. Detection of thioflavin T and curcumin highlighted the presence of amyloids in the cell envelope without association with specific cell appendages. The lectins ECA, GS-I, HMA and LEA constitute a reliable cocktail to detect the biofilm matrix of C. jejuni.

Role of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus CA-NC spacer peptide-like domain in assembly of immature particles.

UNLABELLED: The hexameric lattice of an immature retroviral particle consists of Gag polyprotein, which is the precursor of all viral structural proteins. Lentiviral and alpharetroviral Gag proteins contain a peptide sequence called the spacer peptide (SP), which is localized between the capsid (CA) and nucleocapsid (NC) domains. SP plays a critical role in intermolecular interactions during the assembly of immature particles of several retroviruses. Published models of supramolecular structures of immature particles suggest that in lentiviruses and alpharetroviruses, SP adopts a rod-like six-helix bundle organization. In contrast, Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV), a betaretrovirus that assembles in the cytoplasm, does not contain a distinct SP sequence, and the CA-NC connecting region is not organized into a clear rod-like structure. Nevertheless, the CA-NC junction comprises a sequence critical for assembly of immature M-PMV particles. In the present work, we characterized this region, called the SP-like domain, in detail. We provide biochemical data confirming the critical role of the M-PMV SP-like domain in immature particle assembly, release, processing, and infectivity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that, in contrast to the SP regions of other retroviruses, a short SP-like domain-derived peptide (SPLP) does not form a purely helical structure in aqueous or helix-promoting solution. Using 8-Å cryo-electron microscopy density maps of immature M-PMV particles, we prepared computational models of the SP-like domain and indicate the structural features required for M-PMV immature particle assembly. IMPORTANCE: Retroviruses such as HIV-1 are of great medical importance. Using Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) as a model retrovirus, we provide biochemical and structural data confirming the general relevance of a short segment of the structural polyprotein Gag for retrovirus assembly and infectivity. Although this segment is critical for assembly of immature particles of lentiviruses, alpharetroviruses, and betaretroviruses, the organization of this domain is strikingly different. A previously published electron microscopic structure of an immature M-PMV particle allowed us to model this important region into the electron density map. The data presented here help explain the different packing of the Gag segments of various retroviruses, such as HIV, Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), and M-PMV. Such knowledge contributes to understanding the importance of this region and its structural flexibility among retroviral species. The region might play a key role in Gag-Gag interactions, leading to different morphological pathways of immature particle assembly.

Engineered retroviral virus-like particles for receptor targeting.

Retroviral gag proteins, as well as fragments minimally containing the capsid (CA) and nucleocapsid (NC) subunits of Gag, are able to spontaneously assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs). This occurs in mammalian and bacterial cells as well as in in vitro systems. In every circumstance, nucleic acids are incorporated into the forming particles. Here, we took advantage of an in vitro system for the generation of non-enveloped Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) VLPs derived from a self-assembling CA-NC subunit of Gag. These VLPs were modified through N-terminal extension of CA-NC with short oligopeptides that, after the assembly process, were exposed on the surface of VLPs. The employed N-terminal modifications allowed specific interaction with target cells expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen. Using this system, we were able to incorporate selected siRNA into forming VLPs and deliver it into the cytosol of target cells. In comparison with other viral vectors designed for targeted transgene delivery, this M-PMV VLP system represents the lowest risk of generating virus-associated pathology, as the VLPs do not contain any viral coding sequences and are formed in a cell-free system.

Magnetic Yeast Glucan Particles for Antibody-Free Separation of Viable Macrophages from Drosophila melanogaster.

Currently available methods for cell separation are generally based on fluorescent labeling using either endogenously expressed fluorescent markers or the binding of antibodies or antibody mimetics to surface antigenic epitopes. However, such modification of the target cells represents potential contamination by non-native proteins, which may affect further cell response and be outright undesirable in applications, such as cell expansion for diagnostic or therapeutic applications, including immunotherapy. We present a label- and antibody-free method for separating macrophages from living Drosophila based on their ability to preferentially phagocytose whole yeast glucan particles (GPs). Using a novel deswelling entrapment approach based on spray drying, we have successfully fabricated yeast glucan particles with the previously unachievable content of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles while retaining their surface features responsible for phagocytosis. We demonstrate that magnetic yeast glucan particles enable macrophage separation at comparable yields to fluorescence-activated cell sorting without compromising their viability or affecting their normal function and gene expression. The use of magnetic yeast glucan particles is broadly applicable to situations where viable macrophages separated from living organisms are subsequently used for analyses, such as gene expression, metabolomics, proteomics, single-cell transcriptomics, or enzymatic activity analysis.

PLGA-based nanocarriers for combined delivery of colchicine and purpurin 18 in cancer therapy: Multimodal approach employing cancer cell spheroids.

Improving the anticancer efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs and photosensitizers requires innovative multifunctional nanoplatforms. This study introduces a chemo- and phototherapeutic drug delivery system (DDS) based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), both PEGylated and non-PEGylated, with a mean size of 200 ± 75 nm. Colchicine (Colch) and purpurin18 (P18) were co-encapsulated into these NPs, and their in vitro drug release profiles were investigated. The anticancer potential of these systems was evaluated across various cell lines (i.e., CaCo-2, PC-3, MCF-7, and MRC-5 cells), demonstrating enhanced NP uptake by cancer cells compared to free drugs. Co-administration of Colch and P18 in 2D and 3D cell line models exhibited a synergistic effect, harnessing both chemotherapeutic and photodynamic effects, leading to higher cancer cell elimination efficacy. This newly developed multifunctional DDS presents a promising platform for combined chemo- and photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment.

In vitro assembly of virus-like particles of a gammaretrovirus, the murine leukemia virus XMRV.

Immature retroviral particles are assembled by self-association of the structural polyprotein precursor Gag. During maturation the Gag polyprotein is proteolytically cleaved, yielding mature structural proteins, matrix (MA), capsid (CA), and nucleocapsid (NC), that reassemble into a mature viral particle. Proteolytic cleavage causes the N terminus of CA to fold back to form a ß-hairpin, anchored by an internal salt bridge between the N-terminal proline and the inner aspartate. Using an in vitro assembly system of capsid-nucleocapsid protein (CANC), we studied the formation of virus-like particles (VLP) of a gammaretrovirus, the xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus (XMRV). We show here that, unlike other retroviruses, XMRV CA and CANC do not assemble tubular particles characteristic of mature assembly. The prevention of ß-hairpin formation by the deletion of either the N-terminal proline or 10 initial amino acids enabled the assembly of ΔProCANC or Δ10CANC into immature-like spherical particles. Detailed three-dimensional (3D) structural analysis of these particles revealed that below a disordered N-terminal CA layer, the C terminus of CA assembles a typical immature lattice, which is linked by rod-like densities with the RNP.

Polymer-Antimicrobial Peptide Constructs with Tailored Drug-Release Behavior.

Microbial resistance is one of the main problems of modern medicine. Recently, antimicrobial peptides have been recognized as a novel approach to overcome the microbial resistance issue, nevertheless, their low stability, toxicity, and potential immunogenic response in biological systems have limited their clinical application. Herein, we present the design, synthesis, and preliminary biological evaluation of polymer-antibacterial peptide constructs. The antimicrobial GKWMKLLKKILK-NH2 oligopeptide (PEP) derived from halictine, honey bee venom, was bound to a polymer carrier via various biodegradable spacers employing the pH-sensitive or enzymatically-driven release and reactivation of the PEP's antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial properties of the polymer-PEP constructs were assessed by a determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations, followed by fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. The PEP exerted antibacterial activity against both, gram-positive and negative bacteria, via disruption of the bacterial cell wall mechanism. Importantly, PEP partly retained its antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Acinetobacter baumanii even though it was bound to the polymer carrier. Indeed, to observe antibacterial activity similar to the free PEP, the peptide has to be released from the polymer carrier in response to a pH decrease. Enzymatically-driven release and reactivation of the PEP antimicrobial activity were recognized as less effective when compared to the pH-sensitive release of PEP.

Targeting the Virus Capsid as a Tool to Fight RNA Viruses.

Several strategies have been developed to fight viral infections, not only in humans but also in animals and plants. Some of them are based on the development of efficient vaccines, to target the virus by developed antibodies, others focus on finding antiviral compounds with activities that inhibit selected virus replication steps. Currently, there is an increasing number of antiviral drugs on the market; however, some have unpleasant side effects, are toxic to cells, or the viruses quickly develop resistance to them. As the current situation shows, the combination of multiple antiviral strategies or the combination of the use of various compounds within one strategy is very important. The most desirable are combinations of drugs that inhibit different steps in the virus life cycle. This is an important issue especially for RNA viruses, which replicate their genomes using error-prone RNA polymerases and rapidly develop mutants resistant to applied antiviral compounds. Here, we focus on compounds targeting viral structural capsid proteins, thereby inhibiting virus assembly or disassembly, virus binding to cellular receptors, or acting by inhibiting other virus replication mechanisms. This review is an update of existing papers on a similar topic, by focusing on the most recent advances in the rapidly evolving research of compounds targeting capsid proteins of RNA viruses.