Mycobacterium avium is a major causative agent of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, which poses therapeutic challenges owing to its intrinsic drug resistance and the need for prolonged multidrug regimens. In this study, we identified two novel nucleoside analogs, MCCB-04-35 and MCCB-04-37, as potential therapeutic candidates against M. avium infection. Both compounds exhibited significant bacteriostatic activity in vitro and in infected macrophages, with minimal cytotoxicity. Time-kill kinetics and MIC assays confirmed their potent inhibitory effects, particularly against slow-growing mycobacteria. Checkerboard synergy testing revealed additive to synergistic interactions with clinically used antibiotics such as clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin. In a mouse model of chronic lung infection, both compounds significantly reduced pulmonary bacterial burden, inflammatory cytokine levels, and histopathological damage. Transcriptomic analysis of treated M. avium revealed the downregulation of key metabolic pathways, including oxidative phosphorylation and nitrogen metabolism, indicating disruption of intracellular energy homeostasis. These findings suggest that MCCB-04-35 and MCCB-04-37 exert antimicrobial effects through metabolic interference and may serve as effective therapeutic agents either alone or in combination for treating M. avium infections.IMPORTANCEPulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is notoriously difficult to treat due to intrinsic antibiotic resistance and the need for prolonged multidrug therapy, often poorly tolerated with suboptimal outcomes. The identification of new therapeutic candidates with novel mechanisms of action is urgently needed. Here, we report two novel nucleoside analogs, MCCB-04-35 and MCCB-04-37, exhibiting strong anti-mycobacterial activity against M. avium both in vitro and in vivo, with minimal cytotoxicity. These compounds showed additive to synergistic effects when combined with existing antibiotics such as clarithromycin. In a mouse model of chronic lung infection, they significantly reduced bacterial burden, inflammation, and tissue damage. Transcriptomic profiling revealed downregulation of metabolic pathways essential for bacterial energy production, suggesting a unique mechanism of antimicrobial action. Our findings provide promising leads for the development of more effective treatments for MAC pulmonary disease, either as monotherapy or in combination with current drugs.

Cell-surface glycans, primarily present as glycoconjugates, play central roles in numerous physiological processes and pathological events. These glycans form a dense layer on the cell surface known as the glycocalyx, whose composition and organization vary across cell types and species. The structural and functional diversity of glycans has driven extensive efforts to manipulate the glycocalyx for both fundamental research and therapeutic applications. Over the past two decades, various approaches have been developed to modify cell-surface glycans, including metabolic glycan engineering, genetic glycan modifications, enzyme-mediated remodeling, and the incorporation of synthetic glycolipids. This review highlights significant advances since 2019 in cell-surface glycan engineering across mammalian and bacterial systems. We also discuss applications of glycan engineering in cell labeling and detection, modulation of biological processes, and biomedical research, emphasizing its growing importance in both basic and translational studies.

Antibody-recruiting molecules (ARMs) have emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing immune responses against pathogens and cancer cells. In this study, we developed a novel class of antibacterial ARMs utilizing siderophores, small iron-chelating compounds, as targeting motifs. Siderophores naturally exhibit high specificity for bacterial pathogens due to their role in iron acquisition, making them ideal candidates for selective targeting. We identified a potent ARM, GNP3, comprising MECAM, a siderophore mimetic, and 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP), a motif recognized by endogenous antibodies, connected via a flexible linker. GNP3 binds simultaneously to both anti-DNP antibody and the siderophore receptor, FepA, facilitating the targeted deposition of antibodies on the surface of FepA-expressing bacterial cells, such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This GNP3-induced opsonization promoted robust immune responses, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) in the presence of serum and macrophage-mediated phagocytosis. Moreover, GNP3 effectively triggered CDC activity against serum-resistant uropathogenic E. coli. The results suggest that siderophore-based ARMs, by harnessing the immune defense system, represent a promising complementary approach to traditional antibiotics for overcoming recalcitrant bacterial infections.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is known to be effective in regenerating tissues, and bimatoprost, an analog of PGF2α, has been approved by the FDA as an eyelash growth promoter and has been proven effective in human hair follicles. Thus, to enhance PGE2 levels while improving hair loss, we found dihydroisoquinolinone piperidinylcarboxy pyrazolopyridine (DPP), an inhibitor of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), using DeepZema®, an AI-based drug development program. Here, we investigated whether DPP improved hair loss in human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) damaged by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes hair loss. We found that DPP enhanced wound healing and the expression level of alkaline phosphatase in DHT-damaged HFDPCs. We observed that DPP significantly down-regulated the generation of reactive oxygen species caused by DHT. DPP recovered the mitochondrial membrane potential in DHT-damaged HFDPCs. We demonstrated that DPP significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of the AKT/ERK and activated Wnt signaling pathways in DHT-damaged HFDPCs. We also revealed that DPP significantly enhanced the size of the three-dimensional spheroid in DHT-damaged HFDPCs and increased hair growth in ex vivo human hair follicle organ culture. These data suggest that DPP exhibits beneficial effects on DHT-damaged HFDPCs and can be utilized as a promising agent for improving hair loss.

This review delineates emerging technologies for targeted protein degradation that directly involve lysosomes or proteasomes. It explores their unique features, advantages, and limitations, offering perspectives on future therapeutic applications.

Tauopathy is characterized by the abnormal aggregation of tau proteins. In order to develop drugs for tauopathies, a variety of different therapeutic strategies have been investigated. Synapse loss is a hallmark of tauopathies and is reportedly related to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease as well. Emerging evidence suggests that pathogenic tau species are linked to synaptic dysfunction and synapse loss in tauopathies. As such, a potential therapeutic approach to ameliorate synaptic dysfunction and counteract synaptic loss due to pathogenic tau holds promise. This review highlights the pathological links between tau pathology and synaptic integrity and current efforts to develop therapeutics rescuing synaptic dysfunction for tauopathies, which will help to understand the association between tau and synapses and develop disease-modifying drugs for tauopathies.

Concerns about antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens are escalating, and accordingly siderophore-based intracellular antibiotic delivery is attracting more attention as an effective means to overcome these infections. Despite the successful clinical translation of this strategy, the delivery potential of siderophores has been limited to periplasm targeting, and this has appreciably restricted the repertoire of applicable antibiotics. To overcome this shortcoming of the current technology, this study focused on investigating the capability of simple bidentate catechol analogs to function as vehicles for cytoplasmic antibiotic delivery. Specifically, by employing trimethoprim, an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase located in the cytoplasm, as a model antibiotic, a chemical library of chelator-antibiotic conjugates featuring four different catechol analogs was prepared. Then, their various pharmacological properties and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. Analysis of these characterization data led to the identification of the active conjugates exhibiting notable iron- and trimethoprim-dependent potency against Escherichia coli. Further characterization of these hit molecules using E. coli mutant strains revealed that 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate could effectively deliver several corresponding conjugates to the cytoplasm by exploiting the siderophore uptake machineries present across the outer and inner membranes, originally designated for the native siderophore of E. coli, enterobactin. Considering the synthetic simplicity, such a catechol analog could have appreciable usage in potentiating cytoplasm-active antibiotics against recalcitrant Gram-negative pathogens.

Proteomics has played a central role in the identification of reliable disease biomarkers, which are the basis of precision medicine, a promising approach for tackling recalcitrant diseases such as cancer, that elude conventional treatments. Among proteomic methodologies, targeted proteomics employing stable isotope-labeled (SIL) internal standards is particularly suited for the clinical translation of biomarker information owing to its high throughput and accuracy in the quantitative analysis of patient-derived proteomes. Using SIL internal standards ensures the utmost level of confidence in detection and precision in targeted MS experiments. For successfully establishing assays based on targeted proteomics, it is crucial to secure broad coverage when selecting the SIL standard peptide panel. However, cysteinyl peptides have often been excluded because of cysteine's high chemical reactivity. To address this limitation, a new cysteine building block was developed by incorporating a sulfhydryl group configured with an S-carbamidomethyl group, which is commonly used in proteome sampling. This compound was found to be chemically stable and applicable to a variety of solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) campaigns. Furthermore, a direct comparison of the synthesized SIL peptides and tryptic endogenous peptides demonstrated the potential utility of an SPPS flow based on the new cysteine building block for improving the success of targeted proteomic applications.

SbnE is an essential enzyme for staphyloferrin B biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. An earlier study showed that natural product baulamycin A has in vitro inhibitory activity against SbnE and antibacterial potency. A SAR study with analogues of baulamycin A was conducted to identify potent inhibitors of SbnE and/or effective antibiotics against MRSA. The results show that selected analogues, including 11, 18, 21, 24a, 24c, 24m and 24n, exhibit single-digit micromolar inhibitory potencies against SbnE (IC50s = 1.81-8.94 mu M) and 11, 24m, 24n possess significant activities against both SbnE (IC50s = 4.12-6.12 mu M) and bacteria (MICs = 4-32 mu g/mL). Biological investigations revealed that these substances possess potent cell wall disruptive activities and that they inhibit siderophore production in MRSA. Among the selected analogues, 7 has excellent antibiotic activities both gram-positive and -negative bacteria (0.5-4 mu g/mL). Moreover, these analogues significantly impede biofilm formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, the results of the investigation provide valuable insight into the nature of novel baulamycin A analogues that have potential efficacy against MRSA owing to their membrane damaging activity and/or inhibitory efficacy against siderophore production.

Because of the wide use of Fingolimod for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its cardiovascular side effects such as bradycardia, second-generation sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) agonist drugs for MS have been developed and approved by FDA. The issue of bradycardia is still present with the new drugs, however, which necessitates further exploration of S1P1 agonists with improved safety profiles for next-generation MS drugs. Herein, we report a tetrahydroisoquinoline or a benzo[c]azepine core-based S1P1 agonists such as 32 and 60 after systematic examination of hydrophilic groups and cores. We investigated the binding modes of our representative compounds and their molecular interactions with S1P1 employing recent S1P1 cryo-EM structures. Also, favorable ADME properties of our compounds were shown. Furthermore, in vivo efficacy of our compounds was clearly demonstrated with PLC and EAE studies. Also, the preliminary in vitro cardiovascular safety of our compound was verified with human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

This study presents a Pd(II)-catalyzed method for the beta-C(sp(3))-H arylation of N-Cbz- or N-Fmoc-protected N-methyl alanines, providing ready access to building blocks for N-methylated peptide synthesis. For this transformation, the native carboxylate was exploited as the directing group, attributing its success to the use of a monoprotected amino-pyridine ligand. Its synthetic utility was demonstrated by facile generation of nine analogues of the naturally occurring N-methylated cyclic peptide cycloaspeptide A.

There has been much attention to biased ligands of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for potential pharmacological benefits. Recently, we reported N-((6-chloro-2'-methoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)methyl)ethanamine 1 as G protein-biased agonist of 5-HT7R, which could be used as a chemical probe for the study on treatment discovery of autism spectrum disorder. Herein, we describe the synthesis of derivatives of the compound 1 and their biological evaluations in both G protein and beta-arrestin signaling pathway. Total 16 compounds were synthesized and evaluated, and the compounds 3c, 3f, 3i, and 3p could be called as G protein-biased agonists like the compound 1. Among the four compounds, the compound 3c was the best in efficacy with an E-max value of 73% and the compound 3f was the most potent agonist with an EC50 value of 0.094 mu M.

Various bacterial species are capable of producing highly modified fatty acid derivatives with conjugated triple bonds, which play important ecological roles as antifungals and toxins in mutualistic and pathogenic interactions. Furthermore, the terminal polyyne moiety is of interest as pharmacophore and as tag in bioorthogonal chemistry and live imaging. To gain insight into the assembly of these highly reactive natural products, we investigated tetrayne (caryoynencin and protegencin) biosynthesis genes (cay and pgn) from Trinickia caryophylli and Pseudomonas protegens. Pathway dissection and reconstitution in the heterologous host Burkholderia graminis revealed the genes minimally required for polyyne formation. Mutational analyses and biochemical assays demonstrated that polyyne biosynthesis is thiotemplated, involving a fatty acyl-AMP ligase, a designated acyl carrier protein, and a thioesterase. Heterologous expression of point-mutated desaturase genes showed that three desaturases work synergistically to introduce four triple bonds. These findings point to an intricate desaturase complex and provide important information for future bioengineering experiments.

Caryoynencin is a toxic and antifungal fatty acid derivative produced by a number of plant-pathogenic and insect-protective bacteria (Trinickia caryophylli and Burkholderia spp.). In addition to the reactive tetrayne unit, the presence of an allylic alcohol moiety is critical for antimicrobial activities. By a combination of mutational analyses, heterologous expression and in vitro reconstitution experiments we show that the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CayG catalyzes the complex transformation of a saturated carbon backbone into an allylic alcohol. Unexpectedly, CayG employs a ferritin-like protein (CayK) or a rubredoxin (CayL) component for electron transport. A desaturation-hydroxylation sequence was deduced from a time-course study and in vitro biotransformations with pathway intermediates, substrate analogues, protegencin congeners from Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5, and synthetic derivatives. This unusual multifunctional oxygenase may inspire future biocatalytic applications.

Natural products that possess alkyne or polyyne moieties have been isolated from a variety of biological sources. In bacteria their biosynthesis has been defined, however, the distribution of polyyne biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), and their evolutionary relationship to alkyne biosynthesis, have not been addressed. We explored the distribution of alkyne biosynthesis gene cassettes throughout bacteria, revealing evidence of multiple horizontal gene transfer events. Investigating the evolutionary connection between alkyne and polyyne biosynthesis identified a monophyletic clade possessing a conserved seven-gene cassette for polyyne biosynthesis. Mapping the diversity of these conserved genes revealed a phylogenetic clade representing a polyyne BGC in Pseudomonas, pgn, and subsequent pathway mutagenesis and analytical chemistry characterised the associated metabolite, protegencin. In addition to unifying and expanding our knowledge of polyyne diversity, our results show that alkyne and polyyne biosynthetic gene clusters are promiscuous within bacteria. Systematic mapping of conserved biosynthetic genes across bacterial genomic diversity has proven to be a successful method for discovering natural products.

There has been much attention to biased ligands of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for potential pharmacological benefits. Recently, we reported -((6-chloro-2'-methoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)methyl)ethanamine as G protein-biased agonist of 5-HT R, which could be used as a chemical probe for the study on treatment discovery of autism spectrum disorder. Herein, we describe the synthesis of derivatives of the compound and their biological evaluations in both G protein and β-arrestin signaling pathway. Total 16 compounds were synthesized and evaluated, and the compounds , , , and could be called as G protein-biased agonists like the compound . Among the four compounds, the compound was the best in efficacy with an E value of 73% and the compound was the most potent agonist with an EC value of 0.094 μM.

Microalgae are key contributors to global carbon fixation and the basis of many food webs. In nature, their growth is often supported or suppressed by other microorganisms. The bacterium Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 arrests the growth of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , deflagellates the alga by the cyclic lipopeptide orfamide A, and alters its morphology. Using a combination of Raman microspectroscopy, genome mining and mutational analysis, we discovered a novel polyyne toxin we name protegencin that is secreted by P. protegens and penetrates algal cells to destroy their primitive visual system, the eyespot. Together with secreted orfamide A, protegencin prevents the phototactic behavior of C. reinhardtii needed to perform optimal photosynthesis. A protegencin-deficient biosynthetic mutant of P. protegens does not affect growth or eyespot carotenoids of C. reinhardtii . Thus, protegencin acts in a direct and destructive way, and reveals at least a two-pronged molecular strategy used by algicidal bacteria.

AprD4 is a radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzyme catalyzing C3'-deoxygenation of paromamine to form 4'-oxo-lividamine. It is the only 1,2-diol dehydratase in the radical SAM enzyme superfamily that has been identified and characterized in vitro. The AprD4 catalyzed 1,2-diol dehydration is a key step in the biosynthesis of several C3'-deoxy-aminoglycosides. While the regiochemistry of the hydrogen atom abstraction catalyzed by AprD4 has been established, the mechanism of the subsequent chemical transformation remains not fully understood. To investigate the mechanism, several substrate analogues were synthesized and their fates upon incubation with AprD4 were analyzed. The results support a mechanism involving formation of a ketyl radical intermediate followed by direct elimination of the C3'-hydroxyl group rather than that of a gem-diol intermediate generated via 1,2-migration of the C3'-hydroxyl group to C4'. The stereochemistry of hydrogen atom incorporation after radical-mediated dehydration was also established.

Soft rot disease of edible mushrooms leads to rapid degeneration of fungal tissue and thus severely affects farming productivity worldwide. The bacterial mushroom pathogen Burkholderia gladioli pv. agaricicola has been identified as the cause. Yet, little is known about the molecular basis of the infection, the spatial distribution and the biological role of antifungal agents and toxins involved in this infectious disease. We combine genome mining, metabolic profiling, MALDI-Imaging and UV Raman spectroscopy, to detect, identify and visualize a complex of chemical mediators and toxins produced by the pathogen during the infection process, including toxoflavin, caryoynencin, and sinapigladioside. Furthermore, targeted gene knockouts and in vitro assays link antifungal agents to prevalent symptoms of soft rot, mushroom browning, and impaired mycelium growth. Comparisons of related pathogenic, mutualistic and environmental Burkholderia spp. indicate that the arsenal of antifungal agents may have paved the way for ancestral bacteria to colonize niches where frequent, antagonistic interactions with fungi occur. Our findings not only demonstrate the power of label-free, in vivo detection of polyyne virulence factors by Raman imaging, but may also inspire new approaches to disease control.

The human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii produces and utilizes acinetobactin for iron assimilation. Although two isomeric structures of acinetobactin, one featuring an oxazoline (Oxa) and the other with an isoxazolidinone (Isox) at the core, have been identified, their differential roles as virulence factors for successful infection have yet to be established. This study provides direct evidence that Oxa supplies iron more efficiently than Isox, primarily owing to its specific recognition by the cognate outer membrane receptor, BauA. The other components in the acinetobactin uptake machinery appear not to discriminate these isomers. Interestingly, Oxa was found to form a stable iron complex that is resistant to release of the chelated iron upon competition by Isox, despite their comparable apparent affinities to Fe(III). In addition, both Oxa and Isox were found to be competent iron chelators successfully scavenging iron from host metal sequestering proteins responsible for nutritional immunity. These observations collectively led us to propose a new model for acinetobactin-based iron assimilation at infection sites. Namely, Oxa is the principal siderophore mediating the core Fe(III) supply chain for A. baumannii, whereas Isox plays a minor role in the iron delivery and, alternatively, functions as an auxiliary iron collector that channels the iron pool toward Oxa. The unique siderophore utilization mechanism proposed here represents an intriguing strategy for pathogen adaptation under the various nutritional stresses encountered at infection sites. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii has acquired antibiotic resistance at an alarming rate, and it is becoming a serious threat to society, particularly due to the paucity of effective treatment options. Acinetobactin is a siderophore of Acinetobacter baumannii, responsible for active iron supply, and it serves as a key virulence factor to counter host nutritional immunity during infection. While two acinetobactin isomers were identified, their distinctive roles for successful infection of Acinetobacter baumannii remained unsettled. This study clearly identified the isomer containing an oxazoline core as the principal siderophore based on comparative analysis of the specificity of the acinetobactin uptake machinery, the stability of the corresponding iron complexes, and the iron scavenging activity against the host iron sequestering proteins. Our findings are anticipated to stimulate efforts to discover a potent anti virulence agent against Acinetobacter baumannii that exploits the acinetobactinbased iron assimilation mechanism.