A5069801345- Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
- Enzyme Structure and Function
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Galectins and Cancer Biology
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Redox biology and oxidative stress
- Glutathione Transferases and Polymorphisms
- Protein Structure and Dynamics
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Neonatal and Maternal Infections
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Hemoglobin structure and function
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
- Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
- Trypanosoma species research and implications
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry and Applications
- Signaling Pathways in Disease
- Biochemical and Molecular Research
University of Milan
2015-2024
Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology
2019
Mylan (South Africa)
2019
Sapienza University of Rome
2004-2007
Istituto Pasteur
2006
University of Glasgow
2003-2005
University of California, Davis
2004
Structural vaccinology is an emerging strategy for the rational design of vaccine candidates. We successfully applied structural to a fully synthetic protein with multivalent protection activity. In Group B Streptococcus , cell-surface pili have aroused great interest because their direct roles in virulence and importance as protective antigens. The backbone subunit type 2a pilus (BP-2a) present six immunogenically different but structurally similar variants. determined 3D structure one...
Lipopolysaccharide is a major glycolipid component in the outer leaflet of membrane (OM), peculiar permeability barrier Gram-negative bacteria that prevents many toxic compounds from entering cell. transport (Lpt) across periplasmic space and its assembly at Escherichia coli cell surface are carried out by transenvelope complex seven essential Lpt proteins spanning inner (LptBCFG), periplasm (LptA), OM (LptDE), which appears to operate as unique machinery. LptC an membrane-anchored protein...
Nuclear Factor I (NFI) proteins were first identified in adenovirus DNA replication and later as regulators of gene transcription, stem cell proliferation, differentiation. They play key roles development, cancer congenital disorders. Within the NFI family, NFI-X is critical for neural biology, hematopoiesis, muscle muscular dystrophies oncogenesis. Here, we present structural characterization transcription factor, NFI-X, both alone bound to its consensus palindromic site. Our analyses...
Abstract Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei , is a potentially lethal infection with no licensed vaccine. There little understanding of why some exposed individuals have symptoms, while others rapidly progress to sepsis and death, or diabetes confers increased susceptibility. We prospectively recruited cohort 183 acute melioidosis patients 21 control subjects from Northeast Thailand studied immune parameters in the context survival status presence absence diabetes. HLA-B*46...
Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for melioidosis, serious and often fatal infectious disease that poorly controlled by existing treatments. Due to its inherent resistance the major antibiotic classes facultative intracellular pathogenicity, an effective vaccine would be extremely desirable, along with appropriate prevention therapeutic management. One of main subunit candidates flagellin (FliCBp). Here, we present high resolution crystal structure FliCBp...
Melioidosis, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a potentially fatal infection that endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia poorly controlled antibiotics. Research efforts to identify antigenic components for melioidosis vaccine have led identification of several proteins, including subunits forming flagella mediate bacterial motility, host colonization, virulence. This study focuses on B. pseudomallei flagellar hook-associated protein (FlgK(Bp)),...
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main glycolipid present in outer leaflet of membrane (OM) Gram-negative bacteria, where it modulates OM permeability, therefore preventing many toxic compounds from entering cell. LPS biogenesis an essential process bacteria and thus ideal target pathway for development novel specific antimicrobials. The lipopolysaccharide transport (Lpt) system responsible transporting periplasmic surface inner membrane, assembled, to cell then inserted OM. Lpt has been...
The identification and 3D structural characterization of a homolog the (R)-selective transaminase (RTA) from Aspergillus terreus (AtRTA), thermotolerant fungus Thermomyces stellatus (TsRTA) is here reported. thermostability TsRTA (40% retained activity after 7 days at 40°C) was initially attributed to its tetrameric form in solution, however subsequent studies AtRTA revealed it also exists predominantly as tetramer yet, 40°C, inactivated within 48 h. engineering cysteine residue promote...
Bovine mitochondrial SP-22 is a member of the peroxiredoxin family peroxidases. It belongs to 2-Cys subgroup containing three cysteines at positions 47, 66, and 168. The cloning overexpression in Escherichia coli recombinant wild type its cysteine mutants (C47S, C66S, C168S) are reported. Purified His-tagged was fully active with Cys-47 being confirmed as catalytic residue. enzyme forms stable decameric toroid consisting five basic dimeric units intermolecular disulfide bonds linking...
Cold-active enzymes support life at low temperatures due to their ability maintain high activity in the cold and can be useful several biotechnological applications. Although information on mechanisms of enzyme adaptation is still too limited devise general rules, it appears that very diverse structural functional changes are exploited different protein families within same family. In this context, we studied mechanism properties a member glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) from Antarctic...
ABSTRACT The group B streptococcus type I pullulanase (SAP) is a class 13 glycoside hydrolase that anchored to the bacterial cell surface via conserved C-terminal anchoring motif and involved in α-glucan degradation. Recent vitro functional studies have shown SAP immunogenic humans anti-SAP sera derived from immunized animals impair both A activities, suggesting vivo immunization with this antigen could prevent streptococcal colonization. To further investigate putative role of pathogenesis,...
Peptides seldom retain stable conformations if separated from their native protein structure. In an immunological context, this potentially affects the development of selective peptide-based bioprobes and, a vaccine perspective, poses inherent limits in elicitation cross-reactive antibodies by candidate epitopes. Here, 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazole-mediated stapling strategy was used to stabilize α-helical fold Pal3 peptidic epitope antigen PalBp (BPSL2765) Burkholderia pseudomallei,...
Directed evolution of transaminases is a widespread technique in the development highly sought-after biocatalysts for industrial applications. This process, however, challenged by limited availability effective high-throughput protocols to evaluate mutant libraries. Here we report rapid, reliable, and widely applicable background depletion method solid-phase screening transaminase variants, which was successfully applied from Halomonas elongata (HEWT), evolved through rounds random...
Abstract β‐Glucosidases are used in the food industry to hydrolyse glycosidic bonds complex sugars, with enzymes sourced from extremophiles better able tolerate process conditions. In this work, a novel β‐glycosidase acidophilic organism Alicyclobacillus herbarius was cloned and heterologously expressed Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Ahe GH1 stable over broad range of pH values (5–11) temperatures (4–55 °C). The enzyme exhibited excellent tolerance fructose good glucose, retaining 65 % activity...
Current methods for the production of natural vanilla extract are long and tedious, efficiency vanillin extraction is usually conditioned by different factors during traditional curing process (temperatures weather conditions). As an important fraction present in form glucovanillin green beans, endogenous β-glucosidases contribute to its hydrolysis; however, these enzymes lose process. The use extremophilic organisms as a source appropriate exogenous enzyme can offer valid alternative when...
Treatment of schistosomiasis, a widespread human parasitic disease caused by the helminth parasites genus Schistosoma, relies mainly on one chemotherapeutic agent, praziquantel, although several other compounds exert anti-parasitic effects. One such compound is immunosuppressant cyclosporin A, which has been shown to significantly diminish worm burden in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. Given well established interaction between A and cyclophilin superfamily peptidylprolyl cis-trans...
Abstract Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) are versatile and useful enzymes employed as biocatalysts, especially for the selective oxidation of primary secondary alcohols, reduction carbonyl moieties. A new alcohol dehydrogenase (HeADH‐II) has been identified from genome halo‐adapted bacterium Halomonas elongata , which proved stable in presence polar organic solvents salt exposure. Unusual this class enzymes, HeADH‐II lacks enantiopreference is capable oxidizing both alcohols aldehydes, enabling...
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis represents an underexploited target pathway for novel antimicrobial development to combat the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. A key player in LPS synthesis is enzyme D-arabinose-5-phosphate isomerase (API), which catalyzes reversible isomerization D-ribulose-5-phosphate D-arabinose-5-phosphate, a precursor 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate that essential residue inner core. API composed two main domains: N-terminal sugar domain (SIS) and pair...