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Search results for: ANTIMICROBIALS, BIOFILMS, FUNGI, DNA, ENZYMES
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Folding‐upon‐repair DNA nanoswitches for monitoring DNA repair enzymes activity
PublicationWe demonstrate here a new class of DNA‐based nanoswitches that, upon enzymatic repair, could undergo a conformational change mechanism leading to a change in fluorescent signal. Such folding‐upon‐repair DNA nanoswitches are synthetic DNA sequences containing O6‐methyl‐guanine (O6‐MeG) nucleobases and labelled with a fluorophore/quencher optical pair. The nanoswitches are rationally designed so that only upon enzymatic demethylation...
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Typing of Scopulariopsis and Microascus fungi by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)
PublicationOBJECTIVES Scopulariopsis species and their teleomorphs of the genus Microascus are commonly isolated from soil, decaying plant material and indoor environments. Moreover, certain Scopulariopsis and Microascus species are recognised as opportunistic human pathogens. Although most species can be identified by detailed morphological study, phenotypic characters appear to overlap in several cases and morphology seems to be insufficient...
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Endogenous oxidative DNA base modifications analysed with repair enzymes and GC/MS technique
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Inhibitors of amino acids biosynthesis as antifungal agents
PublicationFungal microorganisms, including the human pathogenic yeast and filamentous fungi, are able to synthesize all proteinogenic amino acids, including nine that are essential for humans. A number of enzymes catalyzing particular steps of human-essential amino acid biosynthesis are fungi specific. Numerous studies have shown that auxotrophic mutants of human pathogenic fungi impaired in biosynthesis of particular amino acids exhibit...
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Molecular targets for antifungals in amino acid and protein biosynthetic pathways
PublicationFungi cause death of over 1.5 million people every year, while cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in the world. Mycoses vary greatly in severity, there are long-term skin (ringworm), nail or hair infections (tinea capitis), recurrent like vaginal candidiasis or severe, life-threatening systemic, multiorgan infections. In the last few years, increasing importance is attached to the health and economic problems...
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Enzymes of the lysine biosynthetic pathway as targets for antifungals ?
PublicationSystemic infections caused by human pathogenic fungi in immunocompromized patients continue to be one of the important clinical problems. Limited availability of safe and efficacious antifungal chemotherapeutics and emerging resistance to existing drugs stimulates search for novel molecular targets for antifungals. The α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) of L-lysine biosynthesis is unique in fungi and thus has been so far considered...
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A new assay based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of homocitrate synthase gene fragments for Candida species identification
PublicationCandida sp. have been responsible for an increasing number of infections, especially in patients with immunodeficiency. Species specific differentiation of the Candida sp. is difficult in routine diagnosis. This identification can have a highly significant association in therapy and prophylaxis. This work has shown a new application of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (t-RFLP) method in molecular identification...
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The use of a one-step PCR method for the identification of Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes infection of pets
PublicationIntroduction: Dermatophytes are a closely related group of keratinophilic fungi. They encompass important etiological agents of superficial fungal infections. These fungi are able to invade keratinized tissues of humans and animals, causing dermatophytosis (ringworm) of hair, nails or skin. The aim: Traditional diagnostics of ringworm is based on morphological identification of cultured fungi and is time-consuming. Materials and methods:...
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PCR and real-time PCR assays to detect fungi of Alternaria alternata species
PublicationFungi of the Alternaria genus are mostly associated with allergic diseases. However, with a growing number of immunocompromised patients, these fungi, with A. alternata being the most prevalent one, are increasingly recognized as etiological agents of infections (phaeohyphomycoses) in humans. Nowadays, identification of Alternaria spp. requires their pure culture and is solely based on morphological criteria. Clinically, Alternaria...
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Homocitrate synthase gene as a new molecular target in diagnostics of Candida spp. infections
PublicationNew potential molecular target which will be investigated during this research (homocitrate synthase gen) is the innovative target other than ribosomal DNA. This gene encodes enzyme present only in fungi and some Archaea what significantly increases specificity. It also reduces risk of contamination or influence of other factors (reaction with other DNA present in sample derived from bacteria or host cells) what excludes false...
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Novel application of terminal restriction fragments length polymorphism method (t-RFLP) for identification of six clinically important Candida sp.
PublicationTerminal restriction fragments length polymorphism method (t-RFLP) is a modified classical RFLP method. The main difference is based on carrying out PCR using a fluorescently labeled primer or primers. The result of such modification is that after digestion of amplicons only terminal fragments of PCR product (containing fluorescent dye) are visualized. T-RFLP method has found application in environmental microbiology and epidemiology....
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Specific detection of Alternaria alternata by PCR and real-time PCR
PublicationFungi of Alternaria genus are cosmopolitan organisms, which spores can be found in the air, soil, water, clothing and food. They commonly occur as saprotrophs on the plant remains, contributing to the decomposition of organic matter. Additionally, they are components of the normal human and animal skin flora. Alternaria spp. are also known human allergens, causing hay fever and allergic reactions that can lead to the development...
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Chromatographic analyses of Lavandula angustifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis extracts and their biological effects in mammalian cells and cell-free systems
PublicationKnowledge of biological properties of natural compounds allows to understand their therapeutic value, efficacy and security. We investigated: composition of Lavandula angustifolia (LA) and Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) extracts, their antioxidant capacity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, their DNA-protective potential against DNA damage induced in hamster V79 cells by several genotoxins or in plasmid DNA by Fe2+ ions and activity...
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The extended version of restriction analysis approach for the examination of the ability of low-molecular-weight compounds to modify DNA in a cell-free system
PublicationOne of the primary requirements in toxicology is the assessment of ability of chemicals to induce DNA covalent modification. There are several well-established methods used for this purpose such as 32P-Postlabeling or HPLC-MS. However, all of these approaches have difficult to overcome limitations, which prevents their use in genotoxin screening. Here, we describe the simple protocol exploiting specificity of restriction enzymes...
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PCR detection of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis
PublicationScopulariopsis brevicaulis is known as a most common etiological factor of the mould toenail infections. There are also reports indicating that S. brevicaulis could cause organ and disseminated infections. Nowadays microscopic observations from the direct sample and culture are crucial for the appropriate recognition of the infection. In this paper is presented a PCR-based method for S. brevicaulis detection. The specificity of...
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Molecular detection of Candida krusei
PublicationThe species identification of fungi belonging to genus Candida is an important issue as this genus becomes the emerging problem of nosocomial infections. As Candida krusei presents intrinsicresistance to the fluconazole that is the drug of the first choice in case of invasive candidiasis the PCR identifying the DNA of C. krusei was elaborated. The analytical sensitivity of the assay on spiked blood samples was estimated at 3-5...
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Synthesis of phosphono and phosphate derivatives of hydroxyimino-D-alditols as new potential antifungal agents
PublicationIn search for new effective we antyfungals we focus on two enzymes involved in biosynthesis of the fungal cell wall. The first enzyme is glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlmS), which catalyzes transformation of D-fructose-6-phosphate (Fru-6P) to D-glucosamine-6-phodphate (GlcN-6P) in the chitin biosynthesis pathway. The second enzyme is phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) repored to play a crucial role in biosynthesis of many mannosylated structures,...
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Optimized 5-hour multiplex PCR test for the detection of tinea unguium: performance in a routine PCR laboratory
PublicationWe recently reported the development of a 5-hour multiplex PCR test for the detection of tinea unguium and the optimization of this test by the inclusion of an inhibition control. Here we report the performance of this procedure as used in a routine clinical laboratory as compared to conventional microscopy and culture-based techniques performed in a mycology reference laboratory. We found in processing 109 samples that 22 (20.2%)...
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Targeting yeast topoisomerase II by imidazo and triazoloacridinone derivatives resulting in their antifungal activity
PublicationFungal pathogens are considered as serious factors for deadly diseases and are a case of medical concern. Invasive fungal infections also complicate the clinical course of COVID-19, leading to a significant increase in mortality. Furthermore, fungal strains' multidrug resistance has increased the demand for antifungals with a different mechanism of action. The present study aimed to identify antifungal compounds targeting yeast...
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Increased concentration of Taq DNA polymerase as a solution for GC-rich templates from clinical and environmental samples
PublicationDNA polymerase is an enzyme which plays crucial role in replication and DNA repair. It found application in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) where catalyses process of in vitro DNA synthesis. To meet the demands posed by mod- ern diagnostic, molecular biology or genetic engineering it is necessary to improve DNA polymerases to obtain new or better features useful in these fields. So far implemented modifications in majority are...
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Bee Pollen and Bee Bread as a Source of Bacteria Producing Antimicrobials
PublicationThe principal objective of the study was the isolation and identification of bacteria that are present in mature bee bread (BB) and dried (ready for selling and consumption) bee pollen (BP). Obtained isolates were screened for their potential to inhibit select human pathogenic bacteria and their ability to produce enzymes of particular industrial importance. Four and five samples of BP and BB, respectively, were used for the study....
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Możliwości zastosowań, potencjalne źródła oraz ewolucja technologiczna sposobu otrzymywania trehalozy ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem enzymu syntazy trehalozy [EC 5.4.99.16]
PublicationJedna z wiodących gałęzi współczesnej biotechnologii opiera się na produkcji białek – przede wszystkim enzymów. Są one powszechnie wykorzystywane: od przemysłu chemicznego poprzez przemysł spożywczy aż po medycynę i życie codzienne (czy ktoś wyobraża sobie w dzisiejszych czasach proszek do prania „bez enzymu”). Przed rozwojem nowoczesnych metod biologii molekularnej i inżynierii genetycznej pozyskiwano interesujące substancje z...
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Fusion of Taq DNA polymerase with single-stranded DNA binding-like protein of Nanoarchaeum equitans—Expression and characterization
PublicationDNA polymerases are present in all organisms and are important enzymes that synthesise DNA molecules. They are used in various fields of science, predominantly as essential components for in vitro DNA syntheses, known as PCR. Modern diagnostics, molecular biology and genetic engineering need DNA polymerases which demonstrate improved performance. This study was aimed at obtaining a new NeqSSB-TaqS fusion DNA polymerase from the...
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Fungal Typin Methods
PublicationThe broad application of the molecular techniques in mycoses diagnosis is related to increase of infections caused by fungi in many countries. The oldest typing methods relaying on fenotypic observation, physiological and biochemical examination have had very limited importance from decades. Novadays, the molecular biology methods took their place. Most of the genotyping methods have been devoleped to be applied for typing of bacteria...
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DNA restriction analysis as a supportive tool in mechanistic studies carried out by 32P-postlabelling
PublicationNumerous antitumor and carcinogenic compounds are able to modify DNA by forming covalent bonds with its constituents, while some anticarcinogenic compounds are known to prevent such a modification. All these processes are of vital biological import_ance, though deeper inside into factors influencing formation of DNA adducts is difficult due to the low level of their occurrence. 32P-Postlabelling approach ensures very sensitive...
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Molecular Targets for Anticandidal Chemotherapy
PublicationA relatively small number of anticandidal chemotherapeutics used in clinical practice is at least in part consequence of a limited number of their molecular targets: ergosterol in the membrane, lanosterol demethylase, b(1!3) glucan synthase, and DNA/RNA biosynthesis. Much more potential novel targets have been revealed by the comparative genomic studies identifying essential genes unique for Candida albicans or resulted from recognition...
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Cyanogenic Compounds and Estrogen Disruptors
PublicationBalanced diet consists largely of plants containing cyanogenic compounds in the form of the more common cyanogenic glycosides and sometimes lipids. Maize, wheat, rye, apples, barley, oats, sugar cane and yet many other plants consumed by humans contain cyanogenic compounds. However the risk of poisoning is negligible as it is very easy to remove the toxic HCN by grinding and drying in air or soaking in water and an additional...
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Covalent DNA modification by products of myrosinase catalysed glucosinolate degradation in cell-free system
PublicationThe bioactive phytochemicals found in Brassica vegetables belonging to glucosinolates (GLS) and especially the products of their degradation isothiocyanates (ITC) and indoles are regarded as the most promising cancer chemopreventive compounds. These secondary metabolites constitute defence system repelling or preventing the development of agrophages attacking brassica plants. The antibiological properties of these compounds suggest...
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Novel DNA-binding protein from Nanoarchaeum equitans Kin4-M binds all kinds of nucleic acids
PublicationNanoarchaeum equitans is the only known representative of Archaea phylum Nanoarchaeota and stands out as one of the tiniest known living organism. What is more it has smallest genome, which is only 490.885 base pairs long. It is also one of the most compact genomes. According to predictions about 95% of the DNA encodes proteins or stable RNA. Nanoarchaeum equitans lacks genes for most vital metabolic pathways including lipid, cofactor,...
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Molecular Strategy for Survival at a Critical High Temperature in Eschierichia coli
PublicationThe molecular mechanism supporting survival at a critical high temperature (CHT) in Escherichia coli was investigated. Genome-wide screening with a single-gene knockout library provided a list of genes indispensable for growth at 47°C, called thermotolerant genes. Genes for which expression was affected by exposure to CHT were identified by DNA chip analysis. Unexpectedly, the former contents did not overlap with the latter except...
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Catalytic Mechanism of Non-Target DNA Cleavage in CRISPR-Cas9 Revealed by Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics
PublicationCRISPR-Cas9 is a cutting-edge genome editing technology, which uses the endonuclease Cas9 to introduce mutations at desired sites of the genome. This revolutionary tool is promising to treat a myriad of human genetic diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular basis of DNA cleavage, which is a fundamental step for genome editing, has not been established. Here, quantum–classical molecular dynamics (MD) and free energy methods are used...
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Genetic and Epigenetic Aspects of Atopic Dermatitis
PublicationAtopic dermatitis is a heterogeneous disease, in which the pathogenesis is associated with mutations in genes encoding epidermal structural proteins, barrier enzymes, and their inhibitors; the role of genes regulating innate and adaptive immune responses and environmental factors inducing the disease is also noted. Recent studies point to the key role of epigenetic changes in the development of the disease. Epigenetic modifications...
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Isolation of Bacteriocin-producing Staphylococcus spp. Strains from Human Skin Wounds, Soft Tissue Infections and Bovine Mastitis
PublicationA collection of 206 Staphylococcus spp. isolates was investigated for their ability to produce compounds exhibiting antistaphylococcal activity. This group included Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus strains recovered from bovine mastitis (n = 158) and human skin wounds and soft tissues infections (n = 48). Production of substances with antimicrobial activity was observed in six strains. Five...
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An MTA-phosphorylase gene discovered in the metagenomic library derived from Antarctic top soil during screening for lipolytic active clones confers strong pink fluorescence in the presence of rhodamine B.
PublicationIn this work, we present the construction of a metagenomic library in Escherichiacoli using the pUC19 vector and environmental DNA directly isolated fromAntarctic topsoil and screened for lipolytic enzymes. Unexpectedly, the screeningon agar supplemented with olive oil and rhodamine B revealed one unusual pinkfluorescent clone (PINKuv) out of 85 000 clones. This clone harbored a plasmid,pPINKuv, which has an insert of 8317 bp that...
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Identification and molecular modeling of a novel lipase from an Antarctic soil metagenomic library.
PublicationIn this work, we present the construction of a metagenomic library in Escherichia coli using pUC19 vector and environmental DNA directly isolated from Antarctic topsoil and screened for lipolytic enzymes. The screening on agar supplemented with olive oil and rhodamine B revealed one clone with lipolytic activity (Lip1) out of 11,000 E. coli clones. This clone harbored a plasmid, pLip1, which has an insert of 4722 bp that has been...
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Effect of Ethanol Extracts of Propolis (EEPs) against Staphylococcal Biofilm—Microscopic Studies
PublicationStaphylococci growing in the form of biofilm exhibit high resistance to a plethora of antibiotics. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEPs) on S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 biofilm using fluorescent microscopy. Propidium iodide (PI) and SYTO 9 were used for differentiation of live and dead cells, and calcofluor white was used to stain the extracellular matrix, the self-produced extracellular...
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IFI16 Impacts Metabolic Reprogramming during Human Cytomegalovirus Infection
PublicationCellular lipid metabolism plays a pivotal role in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, as increased lipogenesis in HCMV-infected cells favors the envelopment of newly synthesized viral particles. As all cells are equipped with restriction factors (RFs) able to exert a protective effect against invading pathogens, we asked whether a similar defense mechanism would also be in place to preserve the metabolic compartment from HCMV...
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Electrochemistry meets enzymes: Investigation of the biotransformation pathway of C-1311 based on electrochemical simulation in comparison to in vitro methods.
PublicationThe knowledge of the metabolic pathways and the biotransformation of new drugs is one of the major challenges in pharmaceutical research. It is crucial for elucidation of degradation routes of the new biologically active compounds, especially in the area of possible toxicity. Conventional in vitro drug metabolism studies are based on incubating drug candidate with e.g. hepatocytes or, most importantly, liver cell microsomes and...
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Genetic and biochemical characterization of yeasts isolated from Antarctic soil samples
PublicationThe Polish Arctowski Station is situated in the maritime Antarctic on the western shore ot' Admiralty Bay and encompasses terrestrial habitats which are not perma-nently covered by ice, in contrast to morę than 90% of the island's surface area. Over the past several decades, stud-ies exploring the soils of those habitats have revealed a considerable diversity of bacteria, filamentous fungi, and, to a lesser extent, yeasts; however,...
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Bioaccumulation of Metals in Tissues of Marine Animals, Part I: the Role and Impact of Heavy Metals on Organisms
PublicationHeavy metals contribute to the anthropogenic contamination of marine ecosystems. Some of them are essential to the life processes of organisms; others are toxic, even at low concentrations. They penetrate organisms via food, respiratory pathways or the skin. The extent to which metals penetrate organisms is measured by the bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factors and also by their transport between organisms at different trophic...
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A novel cold-active beta-D-galactosidase from the Paracoccus sp. 32d - gene cloning, purification and characterization
PublicationBeta-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing beta-D-galactose residues in beta-D-galactosides. Cold-active beta-D-galactosidases have recently become a focus of attention of researchers and dairy product manufactures owing to theirs ability to: (I) eliminate of lactose from refrigerated milk for people afflicted with lactose intolerance, (II) convert lactose to glucose and galactose which...