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Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms and Their Potential Solutions

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A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2024 | Viewed by 3999

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sung-Pin Tseng

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Guest Editor

Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Interests: antibiotic resistance; molecular epidemiology; antimicrobial development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Cheng Yen Kao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: antimicrobial resistance mechanisms; bacterial genomics and gene regulation; antimicrobial-drug development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tsung-Ying Yang

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Guest Editor

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Interests: antibiotic resistance; molecular epidemiology; antimicrobial development; bioactive materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the overconsumption of antibiotics, growing resistance has extensively limited their therapeutic options in clinical settings, such as resistance to carbapenems, colistin, methicillin, and vancomycin. Mechanistic studies on antibiotic resistance could potentially provide evidence for further research, including molecular docking for antibiotic development and control of the spreading resistance. Furthermore, the World Health Organization announced a priority list for antibiotic development in 2017, highlighting the severity of antibiotic resistance and the urgent need for novel antimicrobials.

In the current Special Issue, we study the efforts made to develop antibiotic-resistant mechanisms and potential therapeutic options/approaches to address this crisis. Our interests include but are not limited to extensively/multiple-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterium, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp., clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori, fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp., and 3^rd-generation cephalosporin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Prof. Dr. Sung-Pin Tseng
Dr. Cheng Yen Kao
Dr. Tsung-Ying Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

antibiotic resistance
antimicrobial development
molecular mechanism
priority for antibiotics
newly therapeutic approach

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 7781 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enzymes with Lactonase Activity against Fungal Quorum Molecules as Effective Antifungals

by Elena Efremenko, Aysel Aslanli, Maksim Domnin, Nikolay Stepanov and Olga Senko

Biomolecules 2024, 14(3), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030383 - 21 Mar 2024

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Abstract

Since the growing number of fungi resistant to the fungicides used is becoming a serious threat to human health, animals, and crops, there is a need to find other effective approaches in the eco-friendly suppression of fungal growth. One of the main mechanisms of the development of resistance in fungi, as well as in bacteria, to antimicrobial agents is quorum sensing (QS), in which various lactone-containing compounds participate as signaling molecules. This work aimed to study the effectiveness of action of enzymes exhibiting lactonase activity against fungal signaling molecules. For this, the molecular docking method was used to estimate the interactions between these enzymes and different lactone-containing QS molecules of fungi. The catalytic characteristics of enzymes such as lactonase AiiA, metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1, and organophosphate hydrolase His₆-OPH, selected for wet experiments based on the results of computational modeling, were investigated. QS lactone-containing molecules (butyrolactone I and γ-heptalactone) were involved in the experiments as substrates. Further, the antifungal activity of the enzymes was evaluated against various fungal and yeast cells using bioluminescent ATP-metry. The efficient hydrolysis of γ-heptalactone by all three enzymes and butyrolactone I by His₆-OPH was demonstrated for the first time. The high antifungal efficacy of action of AiiA and NDM-1 against most of the tested fungal cells was revealed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms and Their Potential Solutions)

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15 pages, 3203 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Norlobaridone Inhibits Quorum Sensing-Dependent Biofilm Formation and Some Virulence Factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Disrupting Its Transcriptional Activator Protein LasR Dimerization

by Raya Soltane, Ahlam Alasiri, Mostafa N. Taha, Rehab H. Abd El-Aleam, Kawthar Saad Alghamdi, Mosad A. Ghareeb, Doaa El-Ghareeb Keshek, Susana M. Cardoso and Ahmed M. Sayed

Biomolecules 2023, 13(11), 1573; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13111573 - 24 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1195

Abstract

In the present study, norlobaridone (NBD) was isolated from Parmotrema and then evaluated as a new potent quorum sensing (QS) inhibitor against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development. This phenolic natural product was found to reduce P. aeruginosa biofilm formation (64.6% inhibition) and its related virulence factors, such as pyocyanin and rhamnolipids (% inhibition = 61.1% and 55%, respectively). In vitro assays inhibitory effects against a number of known LuxR-type receptors revealed that NBD was able to specifically block P. aeruginosa’s LasR in a dose-dependent manner. Further molecular studies (e.g., sedimentation velocity and thermal shift assays) demonstrated that NBD destabilized LasR upon binding and damaged its functional quaternary structure (i.e., the functional dimeric form). The use of modelling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations also allowed us to further understand its interaction with LasR, and how this can disrupt its dimeric form. Finally, our findings show that NBD is a powerful and specific LasR antagonist that should be widely employed as a chemical probe in QS of P. aeruginosa, providing new insights into LasR antagonism processes. The new discoveries shed light on the mysterious world of LuxR-type QS in this key opportunistic pathogen. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms and Their Potential Solutions)

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Review

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14 pages, 1133 KiB

Open AccessReview

Boosting Fitness Costs Associated with Antibiotic Resistance in the Gut: On the Way to Biorestoration of Susceptible Populations

by Fernando Baquero, Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán, Teresa M. Coque and Rosa del Campo

Biomolecules 2024, 14(1), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14010076 - 08 Jan 2024

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Abstract

The acquisition and expression of antibiotic resistance implies changes in bacterial cell physiology, imposing fitness costs. Many human opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, such as those causing urinary tract or bloodstream infections, colonize the gut. In this opinionated review, we will examine the various types of stress that these bacteria might suffer during their intestinal stay. These stresses, and their compensatory responses, probably have a fitness cost, which might be additive to the cost of expressing antibiotic resistance. Such an effect could result in a disadvantage relative to antibiotic susceptible populations that might replace the resistant ones. The opinion proposed in this paper is that the effect of these combinations of fitness costs should be tested in antibiotic resistant bacteria with susceptible ones as controls. This testing might provide opportunities to increase the bacterial gut stress boosting physiological biomolecules or using dietary interventions. This approach to reduce the burden of antibiotic-resistant populations certainly must be answered empirically. In the end, the battle against antibiotic resistance should be won by antibiotic-susceptible organisms. Let us help them prevail. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms and Their Potential Solutions)

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