| 1. |
- Pandit, Santosh, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Precontrolled Alignment of Graphite Nanoplatelets in Polymeric Composites Prevents Bacterial Attachment
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene coatings composed of vertical spikes are shown to mitigate bacterial attachment. Such coatings present hydrophobic edges of graphene, which penetrate the lipid bilayers causing physical disruption of bacterial cells. However, manufacturing of such surfaces on a scale required for antibacterial applications is currently not feasible. This study explores whether graphite can be used as a cheaper alternative to graphene coatings. To examine this, composites of graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) are extruded in controlled conditions to obtain controlled orientation of GNP flakes within the polymer matrix. Flakes are exposed by etching the surface of GNP–LDPE nanocomposites and antibacterial activity is evaluated. GNP nanoflakes on the extruded samples interact with bacterial cell membranes, physically damaging the cells. Bactericidal activity is observed dependent on orientation and nanoflakes density. Composites with high density of GNP (≥15%) present two key advantages: i) they decrease bacterial viability by a factor of 99.9999%, which is 10 000-fold improvement on the current benchmark, and ii) prevent bacterial colonization, thus drastically reducing the numbers of dead cells on the surface. The latter is a key advantage for longer-term biomedical applications, since these surfaces will not have to be cleaned or replaced for longer periods.
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| 2. |
- Bonne Kohler, Julie, et al.
(författare)
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Importance of protein Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation for bacterial pathogenesis
- 2020
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - : Wiley. - 1873-3468 .- 0014-5793. ; 594:15, s. 2339-2369
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protein phosphorylation regulates a large variety of biological processes in all living cells. In pathogenic bacteria, the study of serine, threonine, and tyrosine (Ser/Thr/Tyr) phosphorylation has shed light on the course of infectious diseases, from adherence to host cells to pathogen virulence, replication, and persistence. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based phosphoproteomics has provided global maps of Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphosites in bacterial pathogens. Despite recent developments, a quantitative and dynamic view of phosphorylation events that occur during bacterial pathogenesis is currently lacking. Temporal, spatial, and subpopulation resolution of phosphorylation data is required to identify key regulatory nodes underlying bacterial pathogenesis. Herein, we discuss how technological improvements in sample handling, MS instrumentation, data processing, and machine learning should improve bacterial phosphoproteomic datasets and the information extracted from them. Such information is expected to significantly extend the current knowledge of Ser/Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in pathogenic bacteria and should ultimately contribute to the design of novel strategies to combat bacterial infections.
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| 3. |
- Pandit, Santosh, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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The Exo-Polysaccharide Component of Extracellular Matrix is Essential for the Viscoelastic Properties of Bacillus subtilis Biofilms
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 21:18, s. 1-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacteria are known to form biofilms on various surfaces. Biofilms are multicellular aggregates, held together by an extracellular matrix, which is composed of biological polymers. Three principal components of the biofilm matrix are exopolysaccharides (EPS), proteins, and nucleic acids. The biofilm matrix is essential for biofilms to remain organized under mechanical stress. Thanks to their polymeric nature, biofilms exhibit both elastic and viscous mechanical characteristics; therefore, an accurate mechanical description needs to take into account their viscoelastic nature. Their viscoelastic properties, including during their growth dynamics, are crucial for biofilm survival in many environments, particularly during infection processes. How changes in the composition of the biofilm matrix affect viscoelasticity has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we used interfacial rheology to study the contribution of the EPS component of the matrix to viscoelasticity of Bacillus subtilis biofilms. Two strategies were used to specifically deplete the EPS component of the biofilm matrix, namely (i) treatment with sub-lethal doses of vitamin C and (ii) seamless inactivation of the eps operon responsible for biosynthesis of the EPS. In both cases, the obtained results suggest that the EPS component of the matrix is essential for maintaining the viscoelastic properties of bacterial biofilms during their growth. If the EPS component of the matrix is depleted, the mechanical stability of biofilms is compromised and the biofilms become more susceptible to eradication by mechanical stress.
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| 4. |
- Shi, Lei, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Evolutionary Analysis of the Bacillus subtilis Genome Reveals New Genes Involved in Sporulation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Molecular biology and evolution. - : Oxford University Press. - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 37:6, s. 1667-1678
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacilli can form dormant, highly resistant, and metabolically inactive spores to cope with extreme environmental challenges. In this study, we examined the evolutionary age of Bacillus subtilis sporulation genes using the approach known as genomic phylostratigraphy. We found that B. subtilis sporulation genes cluster in several groups that emerged at distant evolutionary time-points, suggesting that the sporulation process underwent several stages of expansion. Next, we asked whether such evolutionary stratification of the genome could be used to predict involvement in sporulation of presently uncharacterized genes (y-genes). We individually inactivated a representative sample of uncharacterized genes that arose during the same evolutionary periods as the known sporulation genes and tested the resulting strains for sporulation phenotypes. Sporulation was significantly affected in 16 out of 37 (43%) tested strains. In addition to expanding the knowledge base on B. subtilis sporulation, our findings suggest that evolutionary age could be used to help with genome mining.
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