Wang YC et al. (2020) J Antimicrob Chemother "In vitro and in vivo activities of imipenem combined with BLI-489 against class D -lactamase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii."

Kuo SC, Wang FD, Chiang MH, Chen TL, Lee YT, Chiu CH, Wang YC, Lee IM, Su YS, Huang SW, Yang YS

[J Antimicrob Chemother, 2020]

BACKGROUND: According to our preliminary study, BLI-489 has the potential to inhibit the hydrolysing activity of OXA-51-like -lactamase produced by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb). OBJECTIVES: In the present study, the in vitro and in vivo activities of imipenem combined with BLI-489 against CRAb producing carbapenem-hydrolysing class D -lactamases (CHDLs), namely OXA-23, OXA-24, OXA-51 and OXA-58, were determined. METHODS: A chequerboard analysis of imipenem and BLI-489 was performed using 57 and 7 clinical CRAb isolates producing different CHDLs and MBLs, respectively. Four representative strains harbouring different CHDL genes were subjected to a time-kill assay to evaluate the synergistic effects. An in silico docking analysis was conducted to simulate the interactions between BLI-489 and the different families of CHDLs. The in vivo activities of this combination were assessed using a Caenorhabditis elegans survival assay and a mouse pneumonia model. RESULTS: Chequerboard analysis showed that imipenem and BLI-489 had a synergistic effect on 14.3, 92.9, 100, 16.7 and 100% of MBL-, OXA-23-, OXA-24-like-, OXA-51-like- and OXA-58-producing CRAb isolates, respectively. In the time-kill assay, imipenem and BLI-489 showed synergy against OXA-24-like-, OXA-51-like- and OXA-58-, but not OXA-23-producing CRAb isolates after 24h. The in silico docking analysis showed that BLI-489 could bind to the active sites of OXA-24 and OXA-58 to confer strong inhibition activity. The combination of imipenem and BLI-489 exhibited synergistic effects for the rescue of CRAb-infected C. elegans and mice. CONCLUSIONS: Imipenem combined with BLI-489 has synergistic effects against CHDL-producing CRAb isolates.

Infarinato N (2019) J Cell Biol "Xiaochen Wang: Building up our understanding of breaking down."

Infarinato N

[J Cell Biol, 2019]

Wang studies lysosomal degradation pathways using <i>C. elegans</i> as a model system.

Wang JT et al. (2014) Curr Biol "P granules."

Seydoux G, Wang JT

[Curr Biol, 2014]

Wang and Seydoux discuss the functional importance of P granules - the germline-specific RNA granules of C. elegans.

Franchini A et al. (2005) J Mol Histol "Expression of the CCAAT-binding factor NF-Y in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Peruzzi E, Imbriano C, Ottaviani E, Mantovani R, Franchini A

[J Mol Histol, 2005]

NF-Y is a conserved trimer with histone-like subunits that binds and activates the common CCAAT promoter element.C.elegansNF-Y genes present two CeNF-YAs, a unique feature in kingdoms other than plants, one CeNF-YB and one CeNF-YC. The expression of both CeNF-YAs is restricted to the gonads and developing embryos, whereas the histone-like CeNF-YB- and CeNF-YC are also present in the pharyngeal bulb, in the neurons of ganglia surrounding the pharynx and in sensory organs of the head. Moreover, in infertile, 12-day-old worms, expression of the three subunits falls dramatically in the gonads. Our data indicate that NF-Y is not ubiquitously expressed.

Munro E (2017) Dev Cell "Protein Clustering Shapes Polarity Protein Gradients."

Munro E

[Dev Cell, 2017]

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Dickinson etal. (2017) and Rodriguez etal. (2017), along with Wang etal. (2017) in Nature Cell Biology, show how PAR protein oligomerization can dynamically couple protein diffusion and transport by cortical flow to control kinase activity gradients and polarity in the C.elegans zygote.

Rashid S et al. (2017) Dev Cell "Packing on the Pounds in Response to Bacterial Growth Conditions."

Rashid S, MacNeil LT

[Dev Cell, 2017]

Reporting in Nature Cell Biology, Lin and Wang (2017) show that bacterial methyl metabolism impacts host mitochondrial dynamics and lipid storage in C.elegans. The authors propose a model whereby bacterial metabolic products regulate a nuclear hormone receptor that promotes lipid accumulation through expression of a secreted Hedgehog-like protein.

Sural S (2023) Trends Genet "Protecting axons in grandchildren."

Sural S

[Trends Genet, 2023]

Prenatal exposure to environmental agents can influence the fitness of not only the fetus, but also subsequent generations. In a recent study, Wang et al. demonstrated that feeding ursolic acid (UA), a plant-derived compound, to Caenorhabditis elegans mothers during their reproductive period prevented neurodegeneration in not only their offspring, but also the F2 progeny.

Spalthoff C et al. (2016) Neuron "Sensing pH with TMCs."

Gopfert MC, Spalthoff C

[Neuron, 2016]

Transmembrane channel-like (TMC) proteins have been implicated in hair cell mechanotransduction, Drosophila proprioception, and sodium sensing in the nematode C.elegans. In this issue of Neuron, Wang etal. (2016) report that C.elegans TMC-1 mediates nociceptor responses to high pH, not sodium, allowing the nematode to avoid strongly alkaline environments in which most animals cannot survive.

Li T et al. (2022) STAR Protoc "Live imaging of postembryonic developmental processes in C.elegans."

Wang X, Zou Y, Li T, Feng Z

[STAR Protoc, 2022]

Live imaging is an important tool to track dynamic processes such as neuronal patterning events. Here, we describe a protocol for time-lapse microscopy analysis using neuronal migration and dendritic growth as examples. This protocol can provide detailed information for understanding cellular dynamics during postembryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Feng etal. (2020), Li etal. (2021), and Wang etal. (2021).

Gumienny TL et al. (2003) Bioessays "A small issue addressed."

Padgett RW, Gumienny TL

[Bioessays, 2003]

Cell size is an important determinant of body size. While the genetic mechanisms of cell size regulation have been well studied in yeast, this process has only recently been addressed in multicellular organisms. One recent report by Wang et al. (2002) shows that in the nematode C. elegans, the TGFbeta-like pathway acts in the hypodermis to regulate cell size and consequently body size.((1)) This finding is an exciting step in discovering the molecular mechanisms that control cell and body size.