SciTrends
SciTrends is a cutting-edge platform dedicated to keeping professionals, researchers, and enthusiasts abreast of the latest developments in the scientific realm. Focused on biological, chemical, physical, life sciences, engineering, and technology, Sci-Trends serves as a centralized hub for accessing timely and relevant information from diverse scientific disciplines.
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Structural and functional characterization of TgGSK3, a druggable kinase in Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium species are apicomplexan parasites of significant medical and veterinary importance. Although current therapeutic options for toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis demonstrate notable efficacy, their clinical efficacy is often limited by suboptimal efficacy and frequent adverse effects. Moreover, therapeutic alternatives remain limited or nonexistent, particularly for cryptosporidiosis, for which nitazoxanide is currently the only approved medication to treat diarrhea in adults and children older than 1 year of age. To identify alternative therapeutic options for addressing these health challenges, we performed a phenotypic screening of an FDA-approved drug repurposing library against Toxoplasma. This screening identifies LY2090314 as a potent inhibitor of T. gondii and Cryptosporidium growth in…
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Toxoplasma gondii chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF controls parasite division and gene expression
Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic apicomplexan parasite that relies on highly orchestrated gene expression programs to coordinate its cell cycle progression. Although epigenetic mechanisms are recognized as pivotal drivers of developmental gene regulation in parasitic life cycles, the contributions of chromatin remodeling complexes to these processes remain largely unexplored. In this study, we focus on two core ATPase subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and investigate their roles in parasite biology and gene regulation. Our findings reveal that these SWI/SNF ATPases work coordinately, occupying the promoters of many tachyzoite-specific genes. Their deletion causes diminished chromatin accessibility and transcriptional reprogramming, downregulating…
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Unraveling the complexities of ApiAP2 regulation in Plasmodium falciparum
The regulation of gene expression in Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, relies on precise transcriptional control. Malaria parasites encode a limited repertoire of sequence-specific transcriptional regulators dominated by the apicomplexan APETALA 2 (ApiAP2) protein family. ApiAP2 DNA-binding proteins play critical roles at all stages of the parasite life cycle. Recent studies have provided mechanistic insight into the functional roles of many ApiAP2 proteins. Two major areas that have advanced significantly are the identification of ApiAP2-containing protein complexes and the role of ApiAP2 proteins in malaria parasite sexual development. In this review, we present recent advances on the functional biology of…
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Enzymatically enhanced ultrastructure expansion microscopy unlocks expansion of in vitro Toxoplasma gondii cysts
Expansion microscopy (ExM) is an innovative approach to achieve super-resolution images without using super-resolution microscopes, based on the physical expansion of the sample. The advent of ExM has unlocked the detail of super-resolution images for a broader scientific circle, lowering the cost and entry skill requirements for the field. One of its branches, ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM), has become popular among research groups studying apicomplexan parasites, including the acute stage of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Here, we show that the chronic cyst-forming stage of Toxoplasma, however, resists U-ExM expansion, impeding precise protein localization. We then solve the in vitro cyst’s resistance to denaturation required for successful…
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The three Plasmodium falciparum Aurora-related kinases display distinct temporal and spatial associations with mitotic structures in asexual blood stage parasites and gametocytes
Aurora kinases are crucial regulators of mitotic cell cycle progression in eukaryotes. The protozoan malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates via schizogony, a specialized mode of cell division characterized by consecutive asynchronous rounds of nuclear division by closed mitosis followed by a single cytokinesis event producing dozens of daughter cells. P. falciparum encodes three Aurora-related kinases (PfARKs) that have been reported essential for parasite proliferation, but their roles in regulating schizogony have not yet been explored in great detail. Here, we engineered transgenic parasite lines expressing GFP-tagged PfARK1–3 to provide a systematic analysis of their expression timing and subcellular localization throughout…
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Defying the odds: Determinants of the antimicrobial response of Salmonella Typhi and their interplay
Typhoid fever is brought on by Salmonella Typhi, an invasive serovar of S. enterica subspecies enterica that infects healthy human hosts. The use of traditional antibiotics to treat typhoid fever has continuously been hampered by the advent of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In Salmonella, extrachromosomal DNA can be acquired through horizontal gene transfer or changes in the genomic DNA can result in antibiotic resistance (AMR).
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Rapid Dot-Blot Immunoassay for Detecting Multiple Salmonella enterica Serotypes
S. Thompson, also known as Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Thompson, is a serious hazard to public health and food quality. Zero tolerance in food control is necessary for the foodborne pathogen.
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Serum cytokine profile of neonatal broiler chickens infected with Salmonella Typhimurium
Infection with Salmonella occurs, the avian immune system reacts by releasing cytokines and chemokines. It was our hypothesis that the immunological status of neonatal broilers challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) would be different from that of the uninfected group.
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Synergistic activity of Limosilactobacillus reuteri KUB-AC5 and water-based plants against Salmonella challenge in a human in vitro gut model
A synbiotic is a mixture of living microorganisms and particular substrates that the host microorganisms specifically use to their advantage, improving the host’s health. In mice and chicken models, prior research has shown that L. reuteri KUB-AC5 provides protection against Salmonella infection.
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Interrogating Salmonella Typhi biofilm formation and dynamics to understand antimicrobial resistance
Globally, illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhi biofilms are increasing. Since drug resistance has emerged, antibiotics have not been able to effectively combat the S. Typhi biofilm. Thus, it is imperative to conduct a thorough analysis of the S. Typhi biofilm in order to comprehend its surface charge value, composition, and production dynamics.