The population of microbes (microbiome) in the intestine is a symbiotic ecosystem conferring trophic and protective functions. Since the biochemical environment shapes the structure and function of the microbiome, we tested whether uremia and/or dietary and pharmacologic interventions in chronic kidney disease alters the microbiome. To identify different microbial populations, microbial DNA was isolated from the stools of 24 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 12 healthy persons, and analyzed by phylogenetic microarray. There were marked differences in the abundance of 190 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) between the ESRD and control groups. OTUs from Brachybacterium, Catenibacterium, Enterobacteriaceae, Halomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae, Nesterenkonia, Polyangiaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Thiothrix families were markedly increased in patients with ESRD. To isolate the effect of uremia from inter-individual variations, comorbid conditions, and dietary and medicinal interventions, rats were studied 8 weeks post 5/6 nephrectomy or sham operation. This showed a significant difference in the abundance of 175 bacterial OTUs between the uremic and control animals, most notably as decreases in the Lactobacillaceae and Prevotellaceae families. Thus, uremia profoundly alters the composition of the gut microbiome. The biological impact of this phenomenon is unknown and awaits further investigation.

Aroylhydrazone and thiosemicarbazone iron (Fe) chelators have potent antitumor activity. The aim of the current study was to examine the antitumor effects and mechanisms of action of a novel series of Fe chelators, the di-2-pyridyl thiosemicarbazones. Of 7 new chelators synthesized, 4 showed pronounced antiproliferative effects. The most active chelator was Dp44mT, which had marked and selective antitumor activity-for example, an IC 50 of 0.03 M in neuroepithelioma cells compared with more than 25 M in mortal fibroblasts. Indeed, this antiproliferative activity was the greatest yet observed for an Fe chelator. Efficacy was greater than it was for the cytotoxic ligand 311 and comparable to that of the antitumor agent doxorubicin. Strikingly, Dp44mT significantly (P < .01) decreased tumor weight in mice to 47% of the weight in the control after only 5 days, whereas there was no marked change in animal weight or hematologic indices. IntroductionIron (Fe) is essential for proliferation, and many studies have shown that tumor cells are more sensitive to Fe deprivation than normal cells. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] This sensitivity probably exists because cancer cells have greater Fe requirements than their normal counterparts [12][13][14][15] and because cancer cells express higher levels of the Fe-containing enzyme, ribonucleotide reductase (RR), which is the critical rate-limiting step in DNA synthesis. [16][17][18][19][20][21] Many in vitro 2,4,[7][8][9][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and in vivo 6,29,30 studies and clinical trials 3,5,[31][32][33][34][35][36] have demonstrated that chelators are effective antiproliferative agents (for reviews, see Hershko,10 Lovejoy and Richardson, 11 and Richardson 37 ). The most well-studied chelator is desferrioxamine (DFO; Figure 1). 10,11 However, its short half-life and low efficacy at permeating membranes limit its antiproliferative activity. 22,38 Indeed, these factors probably resulted in its failure to inhibit tumor growth in some studies. 39,40 One group of ligands with high Fe chelation efficacy is the pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) class. [41][42][43][44] We characterized PIH analogs that show far greater Fe chelation efficacy and antiproliferative activity than DFO. 23,24,45 Some of these ligands, such as 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (311; Figure 1) inhibit RR activity 9 and affect the expression of molecules vital for cell cycle control. [46][47][48] One mechanism by which chelators and other factors (eg, oxidative stress) cause tumor cell death may be through the induction of apoptosis. 22,24,[49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] However, the precise mechanisms involved in chelator-mediated apoptosis remain unclear, particularly for aroylhydrazone ligands.The caspase enzymes are common executors of apoptosis. 52,57,58 Two caspase-activating cascades that regulate apoptosis have been described; one is initiated through death receptors (eg, CD95), and the other is triggered by changes in mitochondrial integrity. 52,59,60 In the ...

Analysis of rhesus macaque leukocytes disclosed the presence of an 18-residue macrocyclic, tridisulfide antibiotic peptide in granules of neutrophils and monocytes. The peptide, termed rhesus theta defensin-1 (RTD-1), is microbicidal for bacteria and fungi at low micromolar concentrations. Antibacterial activity of the cyclic peptide was threefold greater than that of an open-chain analog, and the cyclic conformation was required for antimicrobial activity in the presence of 150 millimolar sodium chloride. Biosynthesis of RTD-1 involves the head-to-tail ligation of two alpha-defensin-related nonapeptides, requiring the formation of two new peptide bonds. Thus, host defense cells possess mechanisms for synthesis and granular packaging of macrocyclic antibiotic peptides that are components of the phagocyte antimicrobial armamentarium.

BackgroundPlants are capable of building up beneficial rhizosphere communities as is evidenced by disease-suppressive soils. However, it is not known how and why soil bacterial communities are impacted by plant exposure to foliar pathogens and if such responses might improve plant performance in the presence of the pathogen. Here, we conditioned soil by growing multiple generations (five) of Arabidopsis thaliana inoculated aboveground with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) in the same soil. We then examined rhizosphere communities and plant performance in a subsequent generation (sixth) grown in pathogen-conditioned versus control-conditioned soil. Moreover, we assessed the role of altered root exudation profiles in shaping the root microbiome of infected plants.ResultsPlants grown in conditioned soil showed increased levels of jasmonic acid and improved disease resistance. Illumina Miseq 16S rRNA gene tag sequencing revealed that both rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities were altered by Pst infection. Infected plants exhibited significantly higher exudation of amino acids, nucleotides, and long-chain organic acids (LCOAs) (C > 6) and lower exudation levels for sugars, alcohols, and short-chain organic acids (SCOAs) (C ≤ 6). Interestingly, addition of exogenous amino acids and LCOA also elicited a disease-suppressive response.ConclusionCollectively, our data suggest that plants can recruit beneficial rhizosphere communities via modification of plant exudation patterns in response to exposure to aboveground pathogens to the benefit of subsequent plant generations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-018-0537-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.