... Elise PINTA1, Reija VENHO1, José Antonio BENGOECHEA3 and Mikael SKURNIK1,2 1Department of ...... more ... Elise PINTA1, Reija VENHO1, José Antonio BENGOECHEA3 and Mikael SKURNIK1,2 1Department of ... Helsinki, Finland; 3Unidad de Investigacion, Hospital Son Dureta, Andrea Doria 55, 07014 ... Bartodziejska, B., and Mayer, H. (1998) Immunochemical studies on R mutants of ...
ABSTRACT Transposon insertions were obtained in early and middle regions of the phage genome only... more ABSTRACT Transposon insertions were obtained in early and middle regions of the phage genome only, which is consistent with the essential nature of the late genes. Phage genes coding for DNA ligase and lysozyme were found to be needed for efficient propagation of φYeO3-12 in YeO3-c but not in E. coli. Also, in Yersinia but not in other bacteria tested, phage gene 0.45 seemed to be important in the early stages of infection. Still, further studies are needed to understand the biological basis for these phenotypes.
In the escalating battle against antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need to discover an... more In the escalating battle against antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need to discover and investigate new antibiotic strategies. Bacteriophages are untapped reservoirs of such potential antimicrobials. This study focused on Hypothetical Proteins of Unknown Function (HPUFs) from a Staphylococcus phage Stab21. We examined its HPUFs for bactericidal activity against E. coli using a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based approach. Among the 96 HPUFs examined, 5 demonstrated cross-species toxicity towards E. coli, suggesting the presence of shared molecular targets between E. coli and S. aureus. One toxic antibacterial HPUF (toxHPUF) was found to share homology with a homing endonuclease. The implications of these findings are profound, particularly given the potential broad applicability of these bactericidal agents. This study confirms the efficacy of NGS in streamlining the screening process of toxHPUFs, contributes significantly to the ongoing exploration of phage biology, a...
Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 (YeO3) is considered to be associated with reactive arthritis (ReA), ... more Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 (YeO3) is considered to be associated with reactive arthritis (ReA), and its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been detected in synovial fluids from patients. Interestingly, YeO3 wild-type LPS was processed by host cells, resulting in truncated LPS molecules presenting the core region. Previously, we reported the immunogenicity but not adjuvanticity of YeO3 LPSs of wild (S) type, Ra, Rd, or Re chemotypes in mice. Here, we demonstrate the presence of YeO3 LPS chemotype-specific antibodies in all analyzed synovial fluids (SF) from patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Interestingly, the high titer of antibodies specific for the Kdo-lipid A region was found in most tested SF. In contrast, only a few were positive for antibodies recognizing O-specific polysaccharides. Western blot analysis revealed the presence of antibodies reacting with fast-migrating LPS fractions and enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) in synovial fluid samples. Our data also sug...
Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the prob... more Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the problem, and preferably without any delay. The application of bacteriophages as precision therapy to treat bacterial infections, phage therapy, has received increasing attention during the last two decades. While it looks like phage therapy is here to stay, there is still a lot to do. Medicine regulatory authorities are working to deliver clear instructions to carry out phage therapy. Physicians need to get more practical experience on treatments with phages. In this opinion article I try to place phage therapy in the context of the health care system and state that the use phages for precision treatments will require a seamless chain of events from the patient to the phage therapy laboratory to allow for the immediate application of phages therapeutically. It is not likely that phages will replace antibiotics, however, they will be valuable in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug...
Human isolates of Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes O:3 (biotype 4) and O:9 (biotype 3) harbored ... more Human isolates of Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes O:3 (biotype 4) and O:9 (biotype 3) harbored plasmids sized approximately 47 and 44 megadaltons, respectively. No such plasmids were found in "apathogenic" strains of Y. enterocolitica belonging to biotype 1. There was a positive correlation among the presence of plasmid, autoagglutination, and adherence to and toxicity for HEp-2 cell cultures; all of these properties were lost by culturing at 37 degrees C in the absence of calcium. Strains of Y. enterocolitica O:3 and O:9 cured of the plasmids showed increased invasiveness in the HEp-2 cell culture model, but no invasiveness in guinea pig eye. It is suggested that the plasmids of Y. enterocolitica primarily determine epithelial cell adherence, but may also be associated with other pathogenic properties.
... Elise PINTA1, Reija VENHO1, José Antonio BENGOECHEA3 and Mikael SKURNIK1,2 1Department of ...... more ... Elise PINTA1, Reija VENHO1, José Antonio BENGOECHEA3 and Mikael SKURNIK1,2 1Department of ... Helsinki, Finland; 3Unidad de Investigacion, Hospital Son Dureta, Andrea Doria 55, 07014 ... Bartodziejska, B., and Mayer, H. (1998) Immunochemical studies on R mutants of ...
ABSTRACT Transposon insertions were obtained in early and middle regions of the phage genome only... more ABSTRACT Transposon insertions were obtained in early and middle regions of the phage genome only, which is consistent with the essential nature of the late genes. Phage genes coding for DNA ligase and lysozyme were found to be needed for efficient propagation of φYeO3-12 in YeO3-c but not in E. coli. Also, in Yersinia but not in other bacteria tested, phage gene 0.45 seemed to be important in the early stages of infection. Still, further studies are needed to understand the biological basis for these phenotypes.
In the escalating battle against antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need to discover an... more In the escalating battle against antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need to discover and investigate new antibiotic strategies. Bacteriophages are untapped reservoirs of such potential antimicrobials. This study focused on Hypothetical Proteins of Unknown Function (HPUFs) from a Staphylococcus phage Stab21. We examined its HPUFs for bactericidal activity against E. coli using a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based approach. Among the 96 HPUFs examined, 5 demonstrated cross-species toxicity towards E. coli, suggesting the presence of shared molecular targets between E. coli and S. aureus. One toxic antibacterial HPUF (toxHPUF) was found to share homology with a homing endonuclease. The implications of these findings are profound, particularly given the potential broad applicability of these bactericidal agents. This study confirms the efficacy of NGS in streamlining the screening process of toxHPUFs, contributes significantly to the ongoing exploration of phage biology, a...
Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 (YeO3) is considered to be associated with reactive arthritis (ReA), ... more Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 (YeO3) is considered to be associated with reactive arthritis (ReA), and its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been detected in synovial fluids from patients. Interestingly, YeO3 wild-type LPS was processed by host cells, resulting in truncated LPS molecules presenting the core region. Previously, we reported the immunogenicity but not adjuvanticity of YeO3 LPSs of wild (S) type, Ra, Rd, or Re chemotypes in mice. Here, we demonstrate the presence of YeO3 LPS chemotype-specific antibodies in all analyzed synovial fluids (SF) from patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Interestingly, the high titer of antibodies specific for the Kdo-lipid A region was found in most tested SF. In contrast, only a few were positive for antibodies recognizing O-specific polysaccharides. Western blot analysis revealed the presence of antibodies reacting with fast-migrating LPS fractions and enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) in synovial fluid samples. Our data also sug...
Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the prob... more Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the problem, and preferably without any delay. The application of bacteriophages as precision therapy to treat bacterial infections, phage therapy, has received increasing attention during the last two decades. While it looks like phage therapy is here to stay, there is still a lot to do. Medicine regulatory authorities are working to deliver clear instructions to carry out phage therapy. Physicians need to get more practical experience on treatments with phages. In this opinion article I try to place phage therapy in the context of the health care system and state that the use phages for precision treatments will require a seamless chain of events from the patient to the phage therapy laboratory to allow for the immediate application of phages therapeutically. It is not likely that phages will replace antibiotics, however, they will be valuable in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug...
Human isolates of Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes O:3 (biotype 4) and O:9 (biotype 3) harbored ... more Human isolates of Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes O:3 (biotype 4) and O:9 (biotype 3) harbored plasmids sized approximately 47 and 44 megadaltons, respectively. No such plasmids were found in "apathogenic" strains of Y. enterocolitica belonging to biotype 1. There was a positive correlation among the presence of plasmid, autoagglutination, and adherence to and toxicity for HEp-2 cell cultures; all of these properties were lost by culturing at 37 degrees C in the absence of calcium. Strains of Y. enterocolitica O:3 and O:9 cured of the plasmids showed increased invasiveness in the HEp-2 cell culture model, but no invasiveness in guinea pig eye. It is suggested that the plasmids of Y. enterocolitica primarily determine epithelial cell adherence, but may also be associated with other pathogenic properties.
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Papers by Mikael Skurnik