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Jun32020
Bacterial Molecular Genetics & Computational Biology: “Genetic Variants of the DSF Quorum Sensing System in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Influence Virulence and Resistance Phenotypes Among Genotypically Diverse Clinical Isolates”

Bacterial Molecular Genetics & Computational Biology: “Genetic Variants of the DSF Quorum Sensing System in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Influence Virulence and Resistance Phenotypes Among Genotypically Diverse Clinical Isolates”

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Aquest mes la revista Frontiers in Microbiology ha publicat el treball "Genetic Variants of the DSF Quorum Sensing System in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Influence Virulence and Resistance Phenotypes Among Genotypically Diverse Clinical Isolates" desenvolupat pels grups de Genètica Molecular i Patogènesi Bacteriana i de Biologia Computacional de l'IBB en col·laboració amb altres grups de recerca. Aquest estudi estableix un vincle entre el sistema de detecció del quòrum i els fenotips de virulència i resistència a Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, i identifica clons potencials d’alt risc que circulen per hospitals europeus. Concretament s'ha identificat un grup clonal de soques aïllades de diferents entorns hospitalaris i de diferents regions geogràfiques que mostren una elevada capacitat per
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Jun32020
A genotype–phenotype association study reveals a link between bacterial quorum sensing, virulence and antibiotic resistance in the pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

A genotype–phenotype association study reveals a link between bacterial quorum sensing, virulence and antibiotic resistance in the pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

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Researchers from the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Antimicrobials group of the Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB) and the Department of Genetics and Microbiology at UAB, in collaboration with the Research Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center (Germany) and ISGlobal at Hospital Clínic (Barcelona), have established a link between the quorum sensing system and the virulence and resistance phenotypes in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and identified potential high-risk clones circulating worldwide.   S.maltophilia are increasingly recognized as significant opportunistic pathogens in healthcare settings worldwide, the global spread of multidrug-resistant strains of this species being the most serious concern. Epidemiological studies are important to identify particular lineages
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May202020
El doctor Avilés és guardonat amb el Premi SCB Trajectòria Professional Leandre Cervera 2020, en la cinquena edició dels Premis de la Societat Catalana de Biologia

El doctor Avilés és guardonat amb el Premi SCB Trajectòria Professional Leandre Cervera 2020, en la cinquena edició dels Premis de la Societat Catalana de Biologia

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Premi SCB a la trajectòria professional 2020 El doctor Francesc Xavier Avilés i Puigvert dirigeix el grup de recerca Enginyeria de Proteïnes i Proteòmica de l’Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (IBB) de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), institut que va dirigir des del 1991 al 2002. És doctor en bioquímica per la UAB i professor emèrit del Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular de la UAB, departament que també va dirigir del 2008 al 2014. Cal destacar el seu paper important en les Ciències Biològiques Moleculars, amb un recorregut i un impacte molt ben reconegut en els camps de la investigació dels enzims proteolítics, inhibidors i control biològic, sobre molècules amb funcions importants en desenvolupament biològic i creixement
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May182020
Nanobiotechnology “Recombinant Protein-Based Nanoparticles: Elucidating their Inflammatory Effects In Vivo and their Potential as a New Therapeutic Format “

Nanobiotechnology “Recombinant Protein-Based Nanoparticles: Elucidating their Inflammatory Effects In Vivo and their Potential as a New Therapeutic Format “

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https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/12/5/450 Abstract Bacterial inclusion bodies (IBs) are protein-based nanoparticles of a few hundred nanometers formed during recombinant protein production processes in different bacterial hosts. IBs contain active protein in a mechanically stable nanostructured format that has been broadly characterized, showing promising potential in different fields such as tissue engineering, protein replacement therapies, cancer, and biotechnology. For immunomodulatory purposes, however, the interference of the format immunogenic properties—intrinsic to IBs—with the specific effects of the therapeutic protein is still an uncovered gap. For that, active and inactive forms of the catalytic domain of a matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9 and mutMMP-9, respectively) ha
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May82020
Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases “Soluble Assemblies in the Fibrillation Pathway of Prion-Inspired Artificial Functional Amyloids are Highly Cytotoxic”

Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases “Soluble Assemblies in the Fibrillation Pathway of Prion-Inspired Artificial Functional Amyloids are Highly Cytotoxic”

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  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00271 Abstract Amyloids are associated with human disease. However, they are also exploited by nature for functional purposes. Functional amyloids have inspired amyloid-based biomaterials for different nanotechnologies. Early soluble species in the fibrillation pathway seem to be the primary elicitors of cytotoxicity, instead of fibrils. Organisms have evolved dedicated mechanisms to avoid toxicity during the assembly of functional amyloids. In their absence, artificial amyloid-based nanomaterials might also produce toxic intermediates. We show here that even when the building blocks of artificial amyloids are small, polar, and compositionally simple, their early soluble assemblies are extremely cytotoxic, causing cell death through mechanisms
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May82020
Nanobiotechnology “Selective delivery of T22-PE24-H6 to CXCR4+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells leads to wide therapeutic index in a disseminated mouse model “

Nanobiotechnology “Selective delivery of T22-PE24-H6 to CXCR4+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells leads to wide therapeutic index in a disseminated mouse model “

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  Theranostics 2020; 10(12):5169-5180. doi:10.7150/thno.43231 https://www.thno.org/v10p5169.htm Abstract Background: Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to reduce relapse rates and enhance survival in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. CXCR4-overexpressing cancer cells are good targets for therapy because of their association with dissemination and relapse in R-CHOP treated DLBCL patients. Immunotoxins that incorporate bacterial toxins are potentially effective in treating haematological neoplasias, but show a narrow therapeutic index due to the induction of severe side effects. Therefore, when considering the delivery of these toxins as cancer therapeutics, there is a need not only to increase their uptake in the target cancer cells, and their stability in b
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May72020
Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases “Tolcapone, a potent aggregation inhibitor for the treatment of familial leptomeningeal amyloidosis”

Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases “Tolcapone, a potent aggregation inhibitor for the treatment of familial leptomeningeal amyloidosis”

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https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.15339 Abstract Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) are diseases characterized by the extracellular deposition of transthyretin (TTR) amyloid fibrils. Highly destabilizing TTR mutations cause leptomeningeal amyloidosis, a rare, but fatal, disorder in which TTR aggregates in the brain. The disease remains intractable, since liver transplantation, the reference therapy for systemic ATTR, does not stop mutant TTR production in the brain. In addition, despite current pharmacological strategies have shown to be effective against in vivo TTR aggregation by stabilizing the tetramer native structure and precluding its dissociation, they display low brain permeability. Recently, we have repurposed tolcapone as a molecule to treat systemic ATTR. Crystal st...
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May62020
Nanobiotechnology “Stable Anchoring of Bacteria-based Protein Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Cell Guidance “

Nanobiotechnology “Stable Anchoring of Bacteria-based Protein Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Cell Guidance “

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I. Ratera, M.Martínez-Miguel, A. Kyvik, L. Montaña, A. Martínez-Moreno, O. Cano-Garrido, E. Garcia-Fruitos, E.Vazquez, N. Ventosa, J. Guasch, J. Veciana and A. Villaverde, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2020, DOI:10.1039/D0TB00702A. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2020/TB/D0TB00702A#!divAbstract   Abstract In tissue engineering, biological, physical, and chemical inputs have to be combined to properly mimic cellular environments and successfully build artificial tissues, which can be designed to fulfil different biomedical needs such as organ donor shortage or the development of in vitro disease models for drug testing. Inclusion body-like protein nanoparticles (pNPs) can simultaneously provide such physical and biochemical stimuli to cells when attached to surfaces. However, th
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May42020

El grupo de Nanobiotecnologia reprende la investigación científica en el laboratorio.

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La UAB ha comenzado a recuperar la actividad científica en los laboratorios y centros de investigación que quedó parada debido a la Covi-19. Coincidiendo con la entrada en vigor de la fase cero avanzada en el Área Metropolitana, la universidad ha puesto en marcha una aplicación que permitirá a los investigadores ir volviendo al trabajo de forma escalonada. Este es el caso del Instituto de Biotecnología y Biomedicina, que prevé que en los próximos días puedan reincorporarse 60 de los 180 científicos que trabajan. Este instituto ha elaborado un plan de desconfiamento propio que además de contemplar el uso de mascarillas o geles hidroalcolicos, establece limitaciones de aforo en el interior de los laboratorios o indicaciones sobre el uso de los espacios comunes. Dos meses y medio después de q
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