In situ captured antibacterial action of membrane-incising peptide lamellae.

Developing unique mechanisms of action are essential to combat the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance. Supramolecular assemblies combining the improved biostability of non-natural compounds with the complex membrane-attacking mechanisms of natural peptides are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. However, for such compounds the direct visual insight on antibacterial action is still lacking. Here we employ a design strategy focusing on an inducible assembly mechanism and utilized electron microscopy (EM) to follow the formation of supramolecular structures of lysine-rich heterochiral ß3-peptides, termed lamellin-2K and lamellin-3K, triggered by bacterial cell surface lipopolysaccharides. Combined molecular dynamics simulations, EM and bacterial assays confirmed that the phosphate-induced conformational change on these lamellins led to the formation of striped lamellae capable of incising the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria thereby exerting antibacterial activity. Our findings also provide a mechanistic link for membrane-targeting agents depicting the antibiotic mechanism derived from the in-situ formation of active supramolecules.

The respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein vaccine attenuates the severity of respiratory syncytial virus-associated disease in breakthrough infections in adults ≥60 years of age.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious pathogen causing acute respiratory infections (ARIs). Symptoms range from mild upper respiratory tract infections to potentially life-threatening lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD). In adults ≥60 years old, vaccine efficacy of a candidate vaccine for older adults (RSVPreF3 OA) was 71.7% against RSV-ARI and 82.6% against RSV-LRTD (AReSVi-006/NCT04886596). We present the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from the same trial at the end of the first RSV season in the northern hemisphere (April 2022). Methods: In this phase 3 trial, adults aged ≥60 years were randomized (1:1) to receive one dose of RSVPreF3 OA vaccine or placebo. PROs were assessed using InFLUenza Patient-Reported Outcome (FLU-PRO), Short Form-12 (SF-12), and EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires. Peak FLU-PRO Chest/Respiratory scores during the first 7 days from ARI episode onset were compared using a Wilcoxon test. Least squares mean (LSMean) of SF-12 physical functioning (PF) and EQ-5D health utility scores were estimated using mixed effects models. Results: In the RSVPreF3 OA group (N = 12,466), 27 first RSV-ARI episodes were observed versus 95 in the Placebo group (N = 12,494). Median peak FLU-PRO Chest/Respiratory scores were lower in RSVPreF3 OA (1.07) versus Placebo group (1.86); p = 0.0258. LSMean group differences for the PF and EQ-5D health utility score were 7.00 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -9.86, 23.85; p = 0.4125) and 0.0786 (95% CI: -0.0340, 0.1913; p = 0.1695). Conclusions: The RSVPreF3 OA vaccine, in addition to preventing infection, attenuated the severity of RSV-associated symptoms in breakthrough infections, with trends of reduced impact on PF and health utility.

dNTPpoolDB: a manually curated database of experimentally determined dNTP pools and pool changes in biological samples.

Stimulated by the growing interest in the role of dNTP pools in physiological and malignant processes, we established dNTPpoolDB, the database that offers access to quantitative data on dNTP pools from a wide range of species, experimental and developmental conditions (https://dntppool.org/). The database includes measured absolute or relative cellular levels of the four canonical building blocks of DNA and of exotic dNTPs, as well. In addition to the measured quantity, dNTPpoolDB contains ample information on sample source, dNTP quantitation methods and experimental conditions including any treatments and genetic manipulations. Functions such as the advanced search offering multiple choices from custom-built controlled vocabularies in 15 categories in parallel, the pairwise comparison of any chosen pools, and control-treatment correlations provide users with the possibility to quickly recognize and graphically analyse changes in the dNTP pools in function of a chosen parameter. Unbalanced dNTP pools, as well as the balanced accumulation or depletion of all four dNTPs result in genomic instability. Accordingly, key roles of dNTP pool homeostasis have been demonstrated in cancer progression, development, ageing and viral infections among others. dNTPpoolDB is designated to promote research in these fields and fills a longstanding gap in genome metabolism research.

Insertion stability of poly(ethylene glycol)-cholesteryl-based lipid anchors in liposome membranes.

Liposomes consist of a hydrophilic core surrounded by a phospholipid (PL) bilayer. In human blood, the half-life of such artificial vesicles is limited. To prolong their stability in the circulation, liposomal bilayers can be modified by inserting poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules using either PL or sterols as membrane anchors. This establishes a hydrophilic steric barrier, reducing the adsorption of serum proteins, recognition and elimination by cells of the immune system. In addition, targeting ligands (such as antibodies) are frequently coupled to the distal end of the PEG chains to direct the vesicles (then called 'immuno-liposomes') to specific cell types, such as tumor cells. To our knowledge, experiments on the stability of ligand anchoring have so far only been conducted with PL-based PEGs and not with sterol-based PEGs after insertion via the sterol-based post-insertion technique (SPIT). Therefore, our study examines the insertion stability of PEG-cholesteryl ester (Chol-PEG) molecules with PEG chains of 1000, 1500 and 2000Da molecular mass which have been inserted into the membranes of liposomes using SPIT. For this study we used different acceptor media and multiple analytical techniques, including pulsed-field-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR), free-flow electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography and ultracentrifugation. The obtained data consistently showed that a higher molar mass of PEG chains positively correlates with higher release from the liposome membranes. Furthermore, we could detect and quantify the migration of Chol-PEG molecules from radioactively double-labeled surface-modified liposomes to negatively charged acceptor liposomes via free-flow electrophoresis. Insertion of Chol-PEG molecules into the membrane of preformed liposomes using SPIT is an essential step for the functionalization of liposomes with the aim of specific targeting. For the first time, we present a kinetic analysis of this insertion process using PFG-NMR, showing that insertion into the liposomal membranes takes place within 90s for Chol-PEG1000 molecules.