| 1. |
- Altay, Özlem, et al.
(author)
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Combined Metabolic Activators Accelerates Recovery in Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19
- 2021
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In: Advanced Science. - : Wiley. - 2198-3844. ; 8:17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- COVID-19 is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities, including the deficiencies in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and glutathione metabolism. Here it is investigated if administration of a mixture of combined metabolic activators (CMAs) consisting of glutathione and NAD+ precursors can restore metabolic function and thus aid the recovery of COVID-19 patients. CMAs include l-serine, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, nicotinamide riboside, and l-carnitine tartrate, salt form of l-carnitine. Placebo-controlled, open-label phase 2 study and double-blinded phase 3 clinical trials are conducted to investigate the time of symptom-free recovery on ambulatory patients using CMAs. The results of both studies show that the time to complete recovery is significantly shorter in the CMA group (6.6 vs 9.3 d) in phase 2 and (5.7 vs 9.2 d) in phase 3 trials compared to placebo group. A comprehensive analysis of the plasma metabolome and proteome reveals major metabolic changes. Plasma levels of proteins and metabolites associated with inflammation and antioxidant metabolism are significantly improved in patients treated with CMAs as compared to placebo. The results show that treating patients infected with COVID-19 with CMAs lead to a more rapid symptom-free recovery, suggesting a role for such a therapeutic regime in the treatment of infections leading to respiratory problems.
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| 2. |
- Altay, Özlem, et al.
(author)
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Current Status of COVID-19 Therapies and Drug Repositioning Applications
- 2020
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In: Iscience. - : Elsevier BV. - 2589-0042. ; 23:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The rapid and global spread of a new human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has produced an immediate urgency to discover promising targets for the treatment of COVID-19. Drug repositioning is an attractive approach that can facilitate the drug discovery process by repurposing existing pharmaceuticals to treat illnesses other than their primary indications. Here, we review current information concerning the global health issue of COVID-19 including promising approved drugs and ongoing clinical trials for prospective treatment options. In addition, we describe computational approaches to be used in drug repurposing and highlight examples of in silico studies of drug development efforts against SARS-CoV-2.
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| 3. |
- Altay, Özlem, et al.
(author)
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Revealing the Metabolic Alterations during Biofilm Development of Burkholderia cenocepacia Based on Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling
- 2021
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In: Metabolites. - : MDPI AG. - 2218-1989 .- 2218-1989. ; 11:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Burkholderia cenocepacia is among the important pathogens isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It has attracted considerable attention because of its capacity to evade host immune defenses during chronic infection. Advances in systems biology methodologies have led to the emergence of methods that integrate experimental transcriptomics data and genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs). Here, we integrated transcriptomics data of bacterial cells grown on exponential and biofilm conditions into a manually curated GEM of B. cenocepacia. We observed substantial differences in pathway response to different growth conditions and alternative pathway susceptibility to extracellular nutrient availability. For instance, we found that blockage of the reactions was vital through the lipid biosynthesis pathways in the exponential phase and the absence of microenvironmental lysine and tryptophan are essential for survival. During biofilm development, bacteria mostly had conserved lipid metabolism but altered pathway activities associated with several amino acids and pentose phosphate pathways. Furthermore, conversion of serine to pyruvate and 2,5-dioxopentanoate synthesis are also identified as potential targets for metabolic remodeling during biofilm development. Altogether, our integrative systems biology analysis revealed the interactions between the bacteria and its microenvironment and enabled the discovery of antimicrobial targets for biofilm-related diseases.
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| 4. |
- Altay, Özlem, et al.
(author)
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Systems biology perspective for studying the gut microbiota in human physiology and liver diseases
- 2019
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In: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 49:November, s. 363-373
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The advancement in high-throughput sequencing technologies and systems biology approaches have revolutionized our understanding of biological systems and opened a new path to investigate unacknowledged biological phenomena. In parallel, the field of human microbiome research has greatly evolved and the relative contribution of the gut microbiome to health and disease have been systematically explored. This review provides an overview of the network-based and translational systems biology-based studies focusing on the function and composition of gut microbiota. We also discussed the association between the gut microbiome and the overall human physiology, as well as hepatic diseases and other metabolic disorders.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Anfelt, Josefine, et al.
(author)
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Genetic and nutrient modulation of acetyl-CoA levels in Synechocystis for n-butanol production
- 2015
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In: Microbial Cell Factories. - : BioMed Central. - 1475-2859 .- 1475-2859. ; 14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: There is a strong interest in using photosynthetic cyanobacteria as production hosts for biofuels and chemicals. Recent work has shown the benefit of pathway engineering, enzyme tolerance, and co-factor usage for improving yields of fermentation products. Results: An n-butanol pathway was inserted into a Synechocystis mutant deficient in polyhydroxybutyrate synthesis. We found that nitrogen starvation increased specific butanol productivity up to threefold, but cessation of cell growth limited total n-butanol titers. Metabolite profiling showed that acetyl-CoA increased twofold during nitrogen starvation. Introduction of a phosphoketolase increased acetyl-CoA levels sixfold at nitrogen replete conditions and increased butanol titers from 22 to 37 mg/L at day 8. Flux balance analysis of photoautotrophic metabolism showed that a Calvin-Benson-Bassham-Phosphoketolase pathway had higher theoretical butanol productivity than CBB-Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas and a reduced butanol ATP demand. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that phosphoketolase overexpression and modulation of nitrogen levels are two attractive routes toward increased production of acetyl-CoA derived products in cyanobacteria and could be implemented with complementary metabolic engineering strategies.
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| 7. |
- Arif, Muhammad, et al.
(author)
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INetModels 2.0: An interactive visualization and database of multi-omics data
- 2021
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In: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 49:W1, s. W271-W276
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is essential to reveal the associations between various omics data for a comprehensive understanding of the altered biological process in human wellness and disease. To date, very few studies have focused on collecting and exhibiting multi-omics associations in a single database. Here, we present iNetModels, an interactive database and visualization platform of Multi-Omics Biological Networks (MOBNs). This platform describes the associations between the clinical chemistry, anthropometric parameters, plasma proteomics, plasma metabolomics, as well as metagenomics for oral and gut microbiome obtained from the same individuals. Moreover, iNetModels includes tissue- and cancer-specific Gene Co-expression Networks (GCNs) for exploring the connections between the specific genes. This platform allows the user to interactively explore a single feature's association with other omics data and customize its particular context (e.g. male/female specific). The users can also register their data for sharing and visualization of the MOBNs and GCNs. Moreover, iNetModels allows users who do not have a bioinformatics background to facilitate human wellness and disease research. iNetModels can be accessed freely at https://inetmodels.com without any limitation.
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| 8. |
- Azimi, Alireza, et al.
(author)
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Targeting CDK2 overcomes melanoma resistance against BRAF and Hsp90 inhibitors
- 2018
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In: Molecular Systems Biology. - : EMBO. - 1744-4292. ; 14:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Novel therapies are undergoing clinical trials, for example, the Hsp90 inhibitor, XL888, in combination with BRAF inhibitors for the treatment of therapy-resistant melanomas. Unfortunately, our data show that this combination elicits a heterogeneous response in a panel of melanoma cell lines including PDX-derived models. We sought to understand the mechanisms underlying the differential responses and suggest a patient stratification strategy. Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) identified the protein targets of XL888 in a pair of sensitive and unresponsive cell lines. Unbiased proteomics and phosphoproteomics analyses identified CDK2 as a driver of resistance to both BRAF and Hsp90 inhibitors and its expression is regulated by the transcription factor MITF upon XL888 treatment. The CDK2 inhibitor, dinaciclib, attenuated resistance to both classes of inhibitors and combinations thereof. Notably, we found that MITF expression correlates with CDK2 upregulation in patients; thus, dinaciclib would warrant consideration for treatment of patients unresponsive to BRAF-MEK and/or Hsp90 inhibitors and/or harboring MITF amplification/overexpression.
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| 9. |
- Begum, Neelu, et al.
(author)
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Integrative functional analysis uncovers metabolic differences between Candida species
- 2022
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Nature. - 2399-3642. ; 5:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metabolic differences between Candida species are uncovered using the BioFung database alongside genomic and metabolic analysis. Candida species are a dominant constituent of the human mycobiome and associated with the development of several diseases. Understanding the Candida species metabolism could provide key insights into their ability to cause pathogenesis. Here, we have developed the BioFung database, providing an efficient annotation of protein-encoding genes. Along, with BioFung, using carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZymes) analysis, we have uncovered core and accessory features across Candida species demonstrating plasticity, adaption to the environment and acquired features. We show a greater importance of amino acid metabolism, as functional analysis revealed that all Candida species can employ amino acid metabolism. However, metabolomics revealed that only a specific cluster of species (AGAu species-C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. auris) utilised amino acid metabolism including arginine, cysteine, and methionine metabolism potentially improving their competitive fitness in pathogenesis. We further identified critical metabolic pathways in the AGAu cluster with biomarkers and anti-fungal target potential in the CAZyme profile, polyamine, choline and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways. This study, combining genomic analysis, and validation with gene expression and metabolomics, highlights the metabolic diversity with AGAu species that underlies their remarkable ability to dominate they mycobiome and cause disease.
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| 10. |
- Benfeitas, Rui, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of heterogeneous redox responses in hepatocellular carcinoma patients using network analysis
- 2019
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In: Ebiomedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 40, s. 471-487
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Redox metabolism is often considered a potential target for cancer treatment, but a systematic examination of redox responses in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is missing. Methods: Here, we employed systems biology and biological network analyses to reveal key roles of genes associated with redox metabolism in HCC by integrating multi-omics data. Findings: We found that several redox genes, including 25 novel potential prognostic genes, are significantly co-expressed with liver-specific genes and genes associated with immunity and inflammation. Based on an integrative analysis, we found that HCC tumors display antagonistic behaviors in redox responses. The two HCC groups are associated with altered fatty acid, amino acid, drug and hormone metabolism, differentiation, proliferation, and NADPH-independent vs - dependent antioxidant defenses. Redox behavior varies with known tumor subtypes and progression, affecting patient survival. These antagonistic responses are also displayed at the protein and metabolite level and were validated in several independent cohorts. We finally showed the differential redox behavior using mice transcriptomics in HCC and noncancerous tissues and associated with hypoxic features of the two redox gene groups. Interpretation: Our integrative approaches highlighted mechanistic differences among tumors and allowed the identification of a survival signature and several potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of HCC.
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