Аdvanced glycation end-products as novel biomarkers of eosinophil-derived lung inflammatory diseases (literature review)

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are created during the process of glycation of cells from various tissues and fluids and are a heterogeneous group of molecules formed from the nonenzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with the amino group of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid. In normal conditions, they play the immunoregulatory role. In pathologic conditions AGEs activate the receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and cause long-lasting inflammation. RAGE participates actively in various disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, etc. However, there is relatively small number of scientific studies on the possibility of using the role of AGE in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. RAGE transcript and protein are expressed in the lung by pulmonary type I alveolar epithelial cells, suggesting that RAGE has an important role in lung pathophysiology. They repress some endogenous autoregulatory functions leading to many diseases, including allergy.  Oxidative stress increases the inflammatory reaction in asthma and allergies. Long-lasting inflammation followed by free radicals production are important factors involved in allergic reactions, they negatively influence the incidence and prognosis of allergy. RAGEs are expressed on circulating immune cells, they activate NF kappaB and intracellular oxidative stress also increases the inflammatory reaction in asthma and allergies. The membrane RAGE (mRAGE) signaling is proinflammatory, whereas soluble RAGE (sRAGE), a secreted form of RAGE, is generally anti-inflammatory. The study of AGEs, soluble RAGE, ligands of RAGE HMGB1, and S100A8/A913 and IL-33 is useful in the context of their considering as biomarkers to the differentiation diagnostic between eosinophils-derived and neutrophil-derived asthma/AAD. The mean serum levels of RAGE may be the target of new therapeutic interventions

Molecular interaction between bacterial antigens and macrophage receptors studied by atomic force microscopy

Atomic force spectroscopy was used to study interaction strengths between bacterial antigens and receptors on macrophages. This method allowed for a direct comparison of the interaction strengths in different systems studied at the level of single molecules

Genome Sequence of E. coli O104:H4 Leads to Rapid Development of a Targeted Antimicrobial Agent against This Emerging Pathogen

A recent widespread outbreak of Escherichia coli O104:H4 in Germany demonstrates the dynamic nature of emerging and re-emerging food-borne pathogens, particularly STECs and related pathogenic E. coli. Rapid genome sequencing and public availability of these data from the German outbreak strain allowed us to identify an O-antigen-specific bacteriophage tail spike protein encoded in the genome. We synthesized this gene and fused it to the tail fiber gene of an R-type pyocin, a phage tail-like bacteriocin, and expressed the novel bacteriocin such that the tail fiber fusion was incorporated into the bacteriocin structure. The resulting particles have bactericidal activity specifically against E. coli strains that produce the O104 lipopolysaccharide antigen, including the outbreak strain. This O-antigen tailspike-R-type pyocin strategy provides a platform to respond rapidly to emerging pathogens upon the availability of the pathogen's genome sequence