Stress responses linked to antimicrobial resistance in Acinetobacter species
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Authors: Shin, Bora; Park, Chulwoo; Park, Woojun
Abstract
Since the last 20 years, bacteria of the genus Acinetobacter have been the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. In addition to the ability of Acinetobacter species to acquire rapid antibiotic resistance, limited knowledge on the mechanisms of multidrug resistance to antibiotics limits the treatment options for such infections. Here, we present a review of cellular processes, including oxidative stress defense, energy metabolism, ppGpp signaling, toxin-antitoxin system, and quorum sensing network in Acinetobacter species and their roles in antimicrobial resistance. Although inhibition of stress responses is an attractive approach to the development of effective antimicrobial therapeutic agents, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that cause antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter species, as they are not as well studied as those in other pathogenic bacteria. RelA/SpoT has been shown to be involved in ppGpp synthesis in all 50 genomes of 35 Acinetobacter species. However, toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are present in less than 30% of the 50 genomes (28/30% of SplT/A; 14/14% of HigB/A; 4/6% of HicA/B), except the RelE/B system (30/78%). These data suggested that ppGpp signaling is conserved in Acinetobacter species, but TA systems are not. This review describes our current knowledge on stress responses with respect to antibiotic resistance or tolerance in pathogenic and non-pathogenic Acinetobacter species.
Identifying the Mechanisms and Molecular Targets of Yizhiqingxin Formula on Alzheimer's Disease: Coupling Network Pharmacology with GEO Database
PHARMACOGENOMICS & PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
Authors: Zhang, Tingting; Pan, Linlin; Cao, Yu; Liu, Nanyang; Wei, Wei; Li, Hao
Abstract
Background: Yizhiqingxin formula (YZQX) is a promising formula for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with significant clinical effects. Here, we coupled a network pharmacology approach with the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to illustrate comprehensive mechanisms and screen for molecular targets of YZQX for AD treatment. Methods: First, active ingredients of YZQX were screened for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database with the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) parameters. Subsequently, putative targets of active ingredients were predicted using the DrugBank database. AD-related targets were retrieved by analyzing published microarray data (accession number GSE5281). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of YZQX putative targets and AD-related targets were constructed visually and merged to identify candidate targets for YZQX against AD using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. We performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis to further clarify the biological functions of the candidate targets. The gene-pathway network was established to filter for key target genes. Results: Forty-three active ingredients were identified, and 193 putative target genes were predicted. Seven hundred and ten targets related to AD were screened with vertical bar log2 FC vertical bar > 1 and P < 0.05. Based on the PPI network, 110 target genes of YZQX against AD were identified. Moreover, 32 related pathways including the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, apoptosis and the NF-kappa B signaling pathway were significantly enriched. In the gene-pathway network, MAPK1, AKT1, TP53, MDM2, EGFR, RELA, SRC, GRB2, CUL1, and MYC targets are putative core genes for YZQX in AD treatment. Conclusion: YZQX against AD may exert its neuroprotective effect via the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. YZQX may be a promising drug that can be used in the treatment of AD.