TCS01 Two-Component System Influenced the Virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Regulating PcpA.

Streptococcus pneumoniae relies on two-component systems (TCSs) to regulate the processes of pathogenicity, osmotic pressure, chemotaxis, and energy metabolism. The TCS01 system of S. pneumoniae is composed of HK01 (histidine kinase) and RR01 (response regulator). Previous studies have reported that an rr01 mutant reduced the pneumococcal virulence in rat pneumonia, bacteremia, a nasopharyngeal model, and infective endocarditis. However, the mechanism of TCS01 (HK/RR01) regulating pneumococcal virulence remains unclear. Here, pneumococcal mutant strains Δrr01, Δhk01, and Δrr01&hk01 were constructed, and bacterial adhesion and invasion to A549 cells were compared. RNA sequencing was performed in D39 wild-type and Δrr01 strains, and transcript profile changes were analyzed. Differentially expressed virulence genes in the Δrr01 strain were screened out and identified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Our results showed that pneumococcal mutant strains exhibited attenuated adhesion and invasion to A549 cells and differential transcript profiles. Results of qRT-PCR identification showed that the differential virulence genes screened out were downregulated. Among those changed virulence genes in the Δrr01 strain, the downregulated expression level of choline binding protein pcpA was the most obvious. Complementation of rr01 and overexpression of pcpA in the Δrr01 strain partially restored both pneumococcal adhesion and invasion, and rr01 complementation made the expression of pcpA upregulated. These findings revealed that rr01 influenced pneumococcal virulence by regulating pcpA.

Negative Regulation of SIRT1 by IRF9 Involved in Hyperlipidemia Acute Pancreatitis Associated with Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9) acts as a negative regulator of sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) to participate in many diseases. However, the role of SIRT1 and IRF9 in hyperlipidemia acute pancreatitis associated with kidney injury is unclear. AIMS: To explore the function of SIRT1 and IRF9 in hyperlipidemia acute pancreatitis associated with kidney injury and provide theoretical guidance for disease diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Model rats were established by intraperitoneal injection of 20% L-arginine. Apoptosis of kidney tissue was determined by TUNEL staining. Expressions of IRF9, SIRT1, p53, and acetylated p53 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay was carried out to validate the regulation of IRF9 on SIRT1. RESULTS: Pancreatic and renal injury was more serious, and apoptosis of kidney epithelial cells increased in acute pancreatitis (AP) and hyperlipidemia acute pancreatitis (HLAP) group. IRF9, p53, and acetylated p53 were up-regulated, and SIRT1 was down-regulated in AP and HLAP group (p < 0.05). Down-regulation of SIRT1 was negatively correlated with up-regulation of IRF9 in AP and HLAP group (p < 0.05). Pancreatic and renal injury and kidney epithelial cells apoptosis in HLAP group were more obvious than AP group (p < 0.05). The up-regulation of IRF9 and down-regulation of SIRT1 in HLAP group were more than AP group (p < 0.05). The promoter activity of SIRT1 was repressed by IRF9. CONCLUSION: In pancreatitis associated with kidney injury, IRF9 was a negative regulator of SIRT1, down-regulated the expression of SIRT1, increased acetylated p53, and promoted renal cell apoptosis. Hyperlipidemia further aggravated pancreatic and renal injury and renal cell apoptosis.

A novel function of IRF9 in acute pancreatitis by modulating cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and suppressing SIRT1-p53.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease caused by the abnormal activation of pancreatic enzymes in the pancreas, with a considerably high morbidity and mortality. However, the etiological factor and pathogenesis of AP are still unclear. This study was aimed to explore the role and mechanism of interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9) in the occurrence of AP and to provide experimental and theoretical foundation for AP diagnosis and treatment. AP model in vitro was established by caerulein-induced group. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was designed and constructed to silence IRF9 gene. After siRNA transfected and caerulein treated successfully, the expression levels of IRF9, SIRT1, and acetylated p53 (Ac-p53) were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The apoptosis, proliferation, and migration of AR42J cells were checked by flow cytometry, MTT, and transwell assay. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was implemented to validate the regulatory effect of IRF9 on SIRT1. Here, our study showed that the expression of IRF9 and Ac-p53 was increased, SIRT1 was decreased, and cell apoptosis, proliferation, and migration of AR42J cells were increased after caerulein induced. IRF9 gene silencing upregulated SIRT1, downregulated Ac-p53, and inhibited cell apoptosis, proliferation, and migration. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay showed that IRF9 could negatively regulate SIRT1. The potential mechanism was that IRF9 could modulate cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and bind the promoter of SIRT1 to repress SIRT1-p53. It hinted that IRF9 showed a novel function in AP by modulating cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and suppressing SIRT1-p53. IRF9 might be a good potential treatment target for AP.

Structural insights into the substrate specificity of a 6-phospho-ß-glucosidase BglA-2 from Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4.

The 6-phospho-ß-glucosidase BglA-2 (EC 3.2.1.86) from glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH-1) catalyzes the hydrolysis of ß-1,4-linked cellobiose 6-phosphate (cellobiose-6'P) to yield glucose and glucose 6-phosphate. Both reaction products are further metabolized by the energy-generating glycolytic pathway. Here, we present the first crystal structures of the apo and complex forms of BglA-2 with thiocellobiose-6'P (a non-metabolizable analog of cellobiose-6'P) at 2.0 and 2.4 Å resolution, respectively. Similar to other GH-1 enzymes, the overall structure of BglA-2 from Streptococcus pneumoniae adopts a typical (ß/α)8 TIM-barrel, with the active site located at the center of the convex surface of the ß-barrel. Structural analyses, in combination with enzymatic data obtained from site-directed mutant proteins, suggest that three aromatic residues, Tyr(126), Tyr(303), and Trp(338), at subsite +1 of BglA-2 determine substrate specificity with respect to 1,4-linked 6-phospho-ß-glucosides. Moreover, three additional residues, Ser(424), Lys(430), and Tyr(432) of BglA-2, were found to play important roles in the hydrolytic selectivity toward phosphorylated rather than non-phosphorylated compounds. Comparative structural analysis suggests that a tryptophan versus a methionine/alanine residue at subsite -1 may contribute to the catalytic and substrate selectivity with respect to structurally similar 6-phospho-ß-galactosidases and 6-phospho-ß-glucosidases assigned to the GH-1 family.

Structural basis for the substrate specificity of a novel ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase StrH protein from Streptococcus pneumoniae R6.

The ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.52) from glycoside hydrolase family 20 (GH20) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the ß-N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) group from the nonreducing end of various glycoconjugates. The putative surface-exposed N-acetylhexosaminidase StrH/Spr0057 from Streptococcus pneumoniae R6 was proved to contribute to the virulence by removal of ß(1,2)-linked NAG on host defense molecules following the cleavage of sialic acid and galactose by neuraminidase and ß-galactosidase, respectively. StrH is the only reported GH20 enzyme that contains a tandem repeat of two 53% sequence-identical catalytic domains (designated as GH20-1 and GH20-2, respectively). Here, we present the 2.1 Å crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of StrH (residues Glu-175 to Lys-642) complexed with NAG. It adopts an overall structure similar to other GH20 enzymes: a (ß/α)(8) TIM barrel with the active site residing at the center of the ß-barrel convex side. The kinetic investigation using 4-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-ß-d-glucosaminide as the substrate demonstrated that GH20-1 had an enzymatic activity (k(cat)/K(m)) of one-fourth compared with GH20-2. The lower activity of GH20-1 could be attributed to the substitution of active site Cys-469 of GH20-1 to the counterpart Tyr-903 of GH20-2. A complex model of NAGß(1,2)Man at the active site of GH20-1 combined with activity assays of the corresponding site-directed mutants characterized two key residues Trp-443 and Tyr-482 at subsite +1 of GH20-1 (Trp-876 and Tyr-914 of GH20-2) that might determine the ß(1,2) substrate specificity. Taken together, these findings shed light on the mechanism of catalytic specificity toward the ß(1,2)-linked ß-N-acetylglucosides.

Structural and enzymatic characterization of the streptococcal ATP/diadenosine polyphosphate and phosphodiester hydrolase Spr1479/SapH.

Spr1479 from Streptococcus pneumoniae R6 is a 33-kDa hypothetical protein of unknown function. Here, we determined the crystal structures of its apo-form at 1.90 Å and complex forms with inorganic phosphate and AMP at 2.30 and 2.20 Å, respectively. The core structure of Spr1479 adopts a four-layer αßßα-sandwich fold, with Fe(3+) and Mn(2+) coordinated at the binuclear center of the active site (similar to metallophosphoesterases). Enzymatic assays showed that, in addition to phosphodiesterase activity for bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate, Spr1479 has hydrolase activity for diadenosine polyphosphate (Ap(n)A) and ATP. Residues that coordinate with the two metals are indispensable for both activities. By contrast, the streptococcus-specific residue Trp-67, which binds to phosphate in the two complex structures, is indispensable for the ATP/Ap(n)A hydrolase activity only. Moreover, the AMP-binding pocket is conserved exclusively in all streptococci. Therefore, we named the protein SapH for streptococcal ATP/Ap(n)A and phosphodiester hydrolase.

Multiple immune function impairments in diabetic patients and their effects on COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, poses a significant threat to public health worldwide, and diabetes is considered a risk factor for the rapid progression and poor prognosis of COVID-19. Limited immune function is a clinical feature of COVID-19 patients, and diabetes patients have defects in innate and adaptive immune functions, which may be an important reason for the rapid progression and poor prognosis of COVID-19 in patients with diabetes. We review the possible multiple effects of immune impairment in diabetic patients on the immune responses to COVID-19 to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic patients with COVID-19.

Activation of AMPK restored impaired autophagy and inhibited inflammation reaction by up-regulating SIRT1 in acute pancreatitis.

AIMS: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory disorder with high incidence and mortality. AMPK-SIRT1 pathway is involved in a variety of diseases, but its role in AP remains elusive. This study was aimed to explore the role of AMPK-SIRT1 pathway in AP. MAIN METHODS: AP models in vivo and vitro were constructed by intraperitoneal administration of L-arginine and caerulein-stimulated respectively. Rat serum amylase, IL-6 and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. The expression levels of AMPK, SIRT1, Beclin-1, LC3 and p62 were determined by qRT-PCR and western blot. The number of autophagosome was checked by transmission electron microscope. KEY FINDINGS: Compared with NC rats, serum amylase, IL-6 and TNF-α were increased in AP rats. The expressions of AMPK and SIRT1 were decreased, while Beclin-1, LC3II/Iratio and p62 were markedly increased in AP rats. After activation of AMPK by metformin, expressions of p-AMPKα, SIRT1 were significantly raised, while expressions of Beclin-1, LC3 II/I, p62, TNF-α, IL-6 were reduced, and the number of autophagosome was decreased significantly in caerulein-stimulated AR42J cells. The inhibition of AMPK by compound C obtained opposite results. SIGNIFICANCE: During AP occurrence, p-AMPK and SIRT1 were down-regulated, leading to the accumulation of p62, increase of autophagic vacuoles, damage of autophagy, and the occurrence of inflammation. It hinted that activation of AMPK restored impaired autophagy and inhibited inflammation reaction by up-regulating SIRT1. Our findings might provide important theoretical basis for explaining the pathogenesis of AP and investigating therapeutic target to treat and prevent AP.

An effective immobilized haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA from Rhodococcus rhodochrous by adsorption, crosslink and PEGylation on meso-cellular foam.

Haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA catalyzes the hydrolysis of halogenated compounds by cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond. However, DhaA suffers from poor environmental stability and difficult recovery, which significantly increase the cost of DhaA. Here, an effective enzyme immobilization strategy was developed to overcome the disadvantages of DhaA. DhaA was physically absorbed with amine-functionalized meso-cellular foam (MCF). The MCF-absorbed DhaA (MD) was intermolecularly crosslinked with 8-arm PEG N­hydroxysuccinimide ester and then PEGylated by maleimide-thiol chemistry. DhaA from Rhodococcus rhodochrous was absorbed at a loading capacity of 100 mg/g in MD. The bulk crystallinity and morphology of MCF were largely maintained. The immobilized DhaA (MD-P1-P2) showed a lower Michaelis constant (Km, 0.588 mM) than DhaA (0.905 mM), along with an extremely low leaching ratio of DhaA (1.1%) from MCF. MD-P1-P2 exhibited a high stability in the extreme environmental conditions, as reflected by the remaining activity of 99.8% in 40% (v/v) DMSO for 5 h, 87.3% in 3 M urea solution for 1 h, 25.9% at pH 3.0, and 51.8% at room temperature for 30 days. Thus, our study was expected to develop an effective immobilized DhaA for practical application.

In vitro and in vivo investigation of the novel Dex-bHb as oxygen carriers.

The development of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) is a persistent and urgent need in biomedicine. As a potential HBOCs, Dextran-hemoglobin (Dex-bHb) has been developed over the past years. The novel Dex-bHb, whose thiol group of Cys-93(ß) was reversibly protected, was produced and the characteristics were evaluated in our previous study. Herein, blood compatibility was characterized in terms of the red blood cell aggregation and hemolysis rate in vitro, and Dex-bHb showed no obvious effects. After intravenous administration of Dex-bHb to golden Syrian hamsters with hemorrhages shock, it showed mean arterial pressure recovery, blood flow increase and the organ protection from serious hemorrhage injury. Consequently, Dex-bHb is hopeful to be a safe and available blood substitute.

Conjugation with 20 kDa dextran decreases the autoxidation rate of bovine hemoglobin.

Haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) is highly susceptible to autoxidation that renders a series of tissue and cellular toxicities. HBOC is prepared by chemical modification of haemoglobin (Hb), which typically increases the autoxidation rate of Hb. Thus, it is necessary to decrease the autoxidation of HBOC. In the present study, two dextran-bHb conjugates (dex20-bHb and dex40-bHb) were prepared by conjugation with 20 kDa or 40 kDa dextrans, where the thiol group of Cys-93(ß) was reversibly protected. The autoxidation rate of bHb was decreased by conjugation with 20 kDa dextran and maintained by conjugation with 40 kDa dextran. In order to understand the low autoxidation rate of dex20-bHb, the effects of aldehyde modification and dextran on the autoxidation rate of dex20-bHb were investigated. The high oxygen affinity, high tetramer stability and dextran itself were found to decrease the autoxidation rate of dex20-bHb. The conjugated dextran had a predominant effect on decreasing the autoxidation rate of bHb, which was particularly promising for the potential development of safe HBOCs. Conjugation with dextran is of general significance to decrease the oxidation process of the heme-containing proteins, such as Hb and myoglobin.

PEGylation with the thiosuccinimido butylamine linker significantly increases the stability of haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA.

Haloalkane dehalogenase (HLD) can catalyze the hydrolytic dehalogenation of halogenated compounds. However, HLD suffers from the poor stability to resist the environmental stress. PEGylation is an effective approach to enhance the stability of enzymes. The linker is an important stabilization factor of PEGylation. Thus, the linkers of the PEGylated HLD were optimized to improve the stability of HLD in the present study. The PEGylated haloalkane dehalogenase DhaAs with methylamine (Ml), carbamate (Cm) and thiosuccinimido butylamine (Tb) linkers were prepared, respectively. The effects of the Ml, Cm and Tb linkers on the stability of the PEGylated DhaAs were investigated under different environmental stresses. Among the three linkers, the Tb linker showed the highest efficacy to improve the stability of the PEGylated DhaA. The Tb linker significantly increased the thermal stability of the PEGylated DhaA by slowing its structural unfolding, and the pH stability of the PEGylated DhaA by slowing the protonation process. In addition, the PEGylated DhaA with the Tb linker showed the maximum resistance to high ionic strength (1M NaCl) and organic solvent (40% DMSO). PEGylation with the Tb linker is of general interest to effectively improve the stability of proteins, particularly the protein with poor stability.

[Toxicity and bioactivity of several alternative nematocides against Ditylenchus destructor].

By the methods of fumigation and contact assay, this paper determined the toxicity of four kinds of soil fumigants and six kinds of non-fumigants against Ditylenchus destructor. In the meantime, the bioactivity of the agents was evaluated by the corrected mortality rate of D. destructor after treated with the LC50 dose of each agent for different time. The LC50 values of soil fumigants dazomet, 1, 3-dichloropropene, metham-sodium, and chloropicrin were 0.49, 0.89, 0.91, and 3.60 mg x L(-1), and those of non-fumigants emamectin benzoate, abamectin, ethoprophos, fosthiazate, aldicarb, and carbosulfan were 31.2, 48.1, 224.3, 288.4, 632.3, and 823.9 mg x L(-1), respectively. The corrected mortality rate increased with treating time. After treated with LC50 dose, the inhibitory effects of dazomet, 1,3-dichloropropene, abamectin, and emamectin benzoate kept on a higher level at the time, and the corrected mortality rate did not decline after breaking away from the treatment, but the D. destructor recovered when exposed to natural state after treated with ethoprophos and aldicarb for 48h. It was suggested that dazomet, 1,3-dichloropropene, abamectin, and emamectin benzoate were the potential alternative nematicides used for the control of D. destructor.