A comparison of the surface nanostructure from two different types of gram-negative cells: Escherichia coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Bacteria have been studied using different microscopy methods for many years. Recently, the developments of high-speed atomic force microscopy have opened the doors to study bacteria in new ways due to the fact that it uses much less force on the sample while imaging. This makes the high-speed atomic force microscope an indispensable technique for imaging the surface of living bacterial cells because it allows for the high-resolution visualization of surface proteins in their natural condition without disrupting the cell or the activity of the proteins. Previous work examining living cells of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 demonstrated that the surface of these bacteria was covered with a net-like structure that is mainly composed of porin molecules. However, it was unclear whether or not this feature was unique to other living bacteria. In this study we used the high-speed atomic force microscope to examine the surface of living cells of Escherichia coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides to compare their structure with that of M. magneticum. Our research clearly demonstrated that both of these types of cells have an outer surface that is covered in a network of nanometer-sized holes similar to M. magneticum. The diameter of the holes was 8.0 ± 1.5 nm for E. coli and 6.6 ± 1.1 nm for R. sphaeroides. The results in this paper confirm that this type of outer surface structure exists in other types of bacteria and it is not unique to Magnetospirillum.     

PET Imaging of Bacterial Infections with Fluorine‐18‐Labeled Maltohexaose

A positron emission tomography (PET) tracer composed of ¹⁸F‐labeled maltohexaose (MH¹⁸F) can image bacteria in vivo with a sensitivity and specificity that are orders of magnitude higher than those of fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸FDG). MH¹⁸F can detect early‐stage infections composed of as few as 10⁵ E. coli colony‐forming units (CFUs), and can identify drug resistance in bacteria in vivo. MH¹⁸F has the potential to improve the diagnosis of bacterial infections given its unique combination of high specificity and sensitivity for bacteria.     

Cationic Lipid-based Intracellular Delivery of Bacterial Effectors for Rewiring Malignant Cell Signaling

The abundance of bacterial effectors have inspired us to explore their potential in rewiring malignant cell signaling. Their incapability for entering cells, however, hinders such application. Herein we developed a cationic lipid-based high throughput library screening platform for effective intracellular delivery of bacterial effectors. As the misregulated MAPK signaling is a hallmark of many types of cancer, we turned to the Shigella effector OspF which irreversibly inactivates ERK, the terminal component of MAPK cascade. We created a function-based screening assay to obtain AMPA-O16B lipid nanoparticles for effective OspF intracellular delivery, which inhibited the malignant MAPK signaling and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the optimized lipid nanoparticle formulation can deliver OspF to modulate the immunosuppressive responses in macrophages. Our work is a general strategy to explore the therapeutic potentials of naturally evolved bacterial effectors.     

Surface Design for Immobilization of an Antimicrobial Peptide Mimic for Efficient Anti-Biofouling

Microbial surface attachment negatively impacts a wide range of devices from water purification membranes to biomedical implants. Mimics of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constituted from poly(N-substituted glycine) „peptoids“ are of great interest as they resist proteolysis and can inhibit a wide spectrum of microbes. We investigate how terminal modification of a peptoid AMP-mimic and its surface immobilization affect antimicrobial activity. We also demonstrate a convenient surface modification strategy for enabling alkyne–azide „click“ coupling on amino-functionalized surfaces. Our results verified that the N- and C-terminal peptoid structures are not required for antimicrobial activity. Moreover, our peptoid immobilization density and choice of PEG tether resulted in a „volumetric“ spatial separation between AMPs that, compared to past studies, enabled the highest AMP surface activity relative to bacterial attachment. Our analysis suggests the importance of spatial flexibility for membrane activity and that AMP separation may be a controlling parameter for optimizing surface anti-biofouling.     

Covalently Immobilized Battacin Lipopeptide Gels with Activity against Bacterial Biofilms

Novel antibiotic treatments are in increasing demand to tackle life-threatening infections from bacterial pathogens. In this study, we report the use of a potent battacin lipopeptide as an antimicrobial gel to inhibit planktonic and mature biofilms of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial gels were made by covalently linking the N-terminal cysteine containing lipopeptide (GZ3.163) onto the polyethylene glycol polymer matrix and initiating gelation using thiol-ene click chemistry. The gels were prepared both in methanol and in water and were characterised using rheology, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial and antibiofilm analyses revealed that the gels prepared in methanol have better antibacterial and antibiofilm activity. Additionally, a minimum peptide content of 0.5 wt% (relative to polymer content) is required to successfully inhibit the planktonic bacterial growth and disperse mature biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The antibacterial activity of these lipopeptide gels is mediated by a contact kill mechanism of action. The gels are non-haemolytic against mouse red blood cells and are non-cytotoxic against human dermal fibroblasts. Findings from this study show that battacin lipopeptide gels have the potential to be developed as novel topical antibacterial agents to combat skin infections, particularly caused by S. aureus.     

Genome Mining of Oxidation Modules in trans‐Acyltransferase Polyketide Synthases Reveals a Culturable Source for Lobatamides

Bacterial trans‐acyltransferase polyketide synthases (trans‐AT PKSs) are multimodular megaenzymes that biosynthesize many bioactive natural products. They contain a remarkable range of domains and module types that introduce different substituents into growing polyketide chains. As one such modification, we recently reported Baeyer–Villiger‐type oxygen insertion into nascent polyketide backbones, thereby generating malonyl thioester intermediates. In this work, genome mining focusing on architecturally diverse oxidation modules in trans‐AT PKSs led us to the culturable plant symbiont Gynuella sunshinyii, which harbors two distinct modules in one orphan PKS. The PKS product was revealed to be lobatamide A, a potent cytotoxin previously only known from a marine tunicate. Biochemical studies show that one module generates glycolyl thioester intermediates, while the other is proposed to be involved in oxime formation. The data suggest varied roles of oxygenation modules in the biosynthesis of polyketide scaffolds and support the importance of trans‐AT PKSs in the specialized metabolism of symbiotic bacteria.     

趋药性人工蜂群算法训练神经网络研究

本文设计了一种复合人工蜂群算法,将细菌觅食优化算法中的趋药性行为引入到人工蜂群算法中,使得引领蜂和观察蜂进行局部探查时像细菌觅食时那样翻转到有利的方向上进行游动;另一方面,让蜜蜂尝试在所有维度产生扰动并择优选择,这两种策略大大增强了人工蜂群算法的局部探查能力.将此算法应用于训练人工神经网络,实验表明改进后的算法性能比人...     

BC/CoNi2S4@PPy柔性复合电极材料的制备及电化学性能

本文采用溶剂热、原位聚合和真空抽滤相结合的方法制备了用于超级电容器的细菌纤维素/镍钴硫化物/聚吡咯(BC/CoNi2S4@PPy)柔性电极材料,通过X 射线衍射、场发射扫描电镜、红外光谱、氮气吸脱附、拉伸强度和接触角表征了材料的形貌结构、组成、机械性能和亲水性,并采用循环伏安法和恒电流充放电测试了复合材料的电化学性能....