Therapeutics and Prevention
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA More Robust Gut Microbiota in Calorie-Restricted Mice Is Associated with Attenuated Intestinal Injury Caused by the Chemotherapy Drug CyclophosphamideImproving the gut microbiota via calorie restriction is beneficial for human health. Our findings showed differential responses between calorie-restricted mice and ad libitum-fed mice. Compared with the ad libitum-fed mice, the calorie-restricted mice were less susceptible to cyclophosphamide side effects otherwise observed on the gut integrity and its microbiota. These results show the potential benefits of...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNovel Intersubunit Interaction Critical for HIV-1 Core Assembly Defines a Potentially Targetable Inhibitor Binding PocketPrecise assembly and disassembly of the HIV-1 capsid core are key to the success of viral replication. The forces that govern capsid core formation and dissociation involve intricate interactions between pentamers and hexamers formed by HIV-1 CA. We identified one particular interaction between E28 of one CA and K30′ of the adjacent CA that appears more frequently in pentamers than in hexamers and that is important for capsid assembly....
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDesign of Nanoparticulate Group 2 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Stem Antigens That Activate Unmutated Ancestor B Cell Receptors of Broadly Neutralizing Antibody LineagesCurrent influenza vaccines are primarily strain specific, requiring annual updates, and offer minimal protection against drifted seasonal or pandemic strains. The highly conserved stem region of hemagglutinin (HA) of group 2 influenza A virus subtypes is a promising target for vaccine elicitation of broad cross-group protection against divergent strains. We used structure-guided protein engineering employing multiple protein...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDual β-Lactam Combinations Highly Active against Mycobacterium abscessus Complex In VitroThe emergence of chronic MABC infections among immunocompromised populations and their inherent and acquired resistance to effective antibiotic therapy have created clinical challenges in advancing patients for transplant surgery and treating those with disease. There is an urgent need for new treatment regimens, and the repurposing of existing antibiotics provides a rapid strategy to advance a laboratory finding to patient care. Our...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDidehydro-Cortistatin A Inhibits HIV-1 by Specifically Binding to the Unstructured Basic Region of TatTat activates virus production, and limited Tat transactivation correlates with HIV-1 latency. The Tat inhibitor dCA locks HIV in persistent latency. This drug class enables block-and-lock functional cure approaches, aimed at reducing residual viremia during therapy and limiting viral rebound. dCA may also have additional therapeutic benefits since Tat is also neurotoxic. Unfortunately, Tat inhibitors are not clinically available. We...
Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionCommensal Bacteria: Not Just Innocent BystandersNeisseria gonorrhoeae is quickly becoming untreatable due to its acquisition of resistance to multiple antimicrobials. It is vital that we begin to understand the mechanisms by which this is occurring.
Minireview | Therapeutics and PreventionRepurposing Estrogen Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Infectious DiseaseThe concept of repurposing previously approved medications to the treatment of new indications by taking advantage of off-target effects has gained traction in recent years, particularly in areas of medicine that do not offer large profits to pharmaceutical firms. As infectious disease discovery research has declined among large pharmaceutical companies, the potential payoff of repurposing has become attractive.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSynergistic Lethality of a Binary Inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis KasACell wall biosynthesis inhibitors have proven highly effective for treating tuberculosis (TB). We discovered and validated members of the indazole sulfonamide class of small molecules as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis KasA—a key component for biosynthesis of the mycolic acid layer of the bacterium’s cell wall and the same pathway as that inhibited by the...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDeciphering the Evolution of Cephalosporin Resistance to Ceftolozane-Tazobactam in Pseudomonas aeruginosaThe presence of β-lactamases (e.g., PDC-3) that have naturally evolved and acquired the ability to break down β-lactam antibiotics (e.g., ceftazidime and ceftolozane) leads to highly resistant and potentially lethal Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We show that wild-type PDC-3 β-lactamase forms an acyl enzyme complex with ceftazidime, but it cannot accommodate the...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAntibodies against the Majority Subunit (PilA) of the Type IV Pilus of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Disperse Moraxella catarrhalis from a Dual-Species BiofilmMiddle ear infections (or otitis media [OM]) are highly prevalent among children worldwide and present a tremendous socioeconomic challenge for health care systems. More importantly, this disease diminishes the quality of life of young children. OM is often chronic and recurrent, due to the presence of highly antibiotic-resistant communities of bacteria (called biofilms) that persist within the middle ear space. To combat these...