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Entomopathogenic fungi offers a promising approach to control Agriotes larvae, although virulence varies for different Agriotes species. Therefore, the first step was to look for a highly virulent fungal strain for different Agriotes species. To achieve this, six Metarhizium and two Cordyceps strains were studied. Several Metarhizium strains were highly efficient and achieved over 90% mortality over four months by dip treatment. The most promising strain to control A. lineatus and A. obscurus was the M. brunneum strain JKI-BI-1450, while M. robertsii strain JKI-BI-1442 was most effective against A. sputator. The Cordyceps strains had no pathogenic effect. In the second step, we investigated whether fungal strain-specific characteristics such as conidial size and germination could be related to the effect of the strains against Agriotes larvae. A correlation could not be confirmed for A. lineatus and A. obscurus. In contrast, against larvae of A. sputator shorter and wider conidia as well as those that germinate later and show a lower germination rate after 96 h were more effective. In the third step, we investigated whether populations of the same Agriotes species, differ in their susceptibility to entomopathogenic fungi. Different populations of A. obscurus larvae showed variable susceptibility. Significant differences in the Restricted Mean Time Lost (RMTL), but not in the final mortality, were determined for different populations of A. sputator larvae. In contrast, the efficacy on A. lineatus was similar among the various populations tested. Our study indicates highly specific and complex interactions between the Agriotes species and the Metarhizium strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is causing a pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality. As no effective novel drugs are available currently, drug repurposing is an alternative intervention strategy. Here we present an in silico drug repurposing study that implements successful concepts of computer-aided drug design (CADD) technology for repurposing known drugs to interfere with viral cellular entry via the spike glycoprotein (SARS-CoV-2-S), which mediates host cell entry via the hACE2 receptor. Methods: A total of 4015 known and approved small molecules were screened for interaction with SARS-CoV-2-S through docking studies and 15 lead molecules were shortlisted. Additionally, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, and glycyrrhizic acid (GA) were selected based on their reported anti-viral activity, safety, availability and affordability. The 18 molecules were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Results: The MD simulation results indicate that GA of plant origin may be repurposed for SARS-CoV-2 intervention, pending further studies. Conclusions: Repurposing is a beneficial strategy for treating COVID-19 with existing drugs. It is aimed at using docking studies to screen molecules for clinical application and investigating their efficacy in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2-S. SARS-CoV-2-S is a key pathogenic protein that mediates pathogen-host interaction. Hence, the molecules screened for inhibitory properties against SARS-CoV-2-S can be clinically used to treat COVID-19 since the safety profile is already known.

In the agricultural sector, citrus is one of the most important fruit genus in the world. In this scenario, Brazil is the largest producer of oranges; 34% of the global production, and exporter of concentrated orange juice; 76% of the juice consumed in the planet, summing up US$ 6.5 billion to Brazilian GDP. However, the orange production has been considerable decreasing due to unfavorable weather conditions in recent years and the increasing number of pathogen infections. One of the main citrus post-harvest phytopathogen is Penicillium italicum, responsible for the blue mold disease, which is currently controlled by pesticides, such as Imazalil, Pyrimethanil, Fludioxonil, and Tiabendazole, which are toxic chemicals harmful to the environment and also to human health. In addition, P. italicum has developed considerable resistance to these chemicals as a result of widespread applications. To address this growing problem, the search for new control methods of citrus post-harvest phytopathogens is being extensively explored, resulting in promising new approaches such as biocontrol methods as “killer” yeasts, application of essential oils, and antimicrobial volatile substances. The alternative methodologies to control P. italicum are reviewed here, as well as the fungal virulence factors and infection strategies. Therefore, this review will focus on a general overview of recent research carried out regarding the phytopathological interaction of P. italicum and its citrus host.

In the agricultural sector, citrus is one of the most important fruit genus in the world. In this scenario, Brazil is the largest producer of oranges; 34% of the global production, and exporter of concentrated orange juice; 76% of the juice consumed in the planet, summing up US$ 6.5 billion to Brazilian GDP. However, the orange production has been considerable decreasing due to unfavorable weather conditions in recent years and the increasing number of pathogen infections. One of the main citrus post-harvest phytopathogen is Penicillium italicum , responsible for the blue mold disease, which is currently controlled by pesticides, such as Imazalil, Pyrimethanil, Fludioxonil, and Tiabendazole, which are toxic chemicals harmful to the environment and also to human health. In addition, P. italicum has developed considerable resistance to these chemicals as a result of widespread applications. To address this growing problem, the search for new control methods of citrus post-harvest phytopathogens is being extensively explored, resulting in promising new approaches such as biocontrol methods as "killer" yeasts, application of essential oils, and antimicrobial volatile substances. The alternative methodologies to control P. italicum are reviewed here, as well as the fungal virulence factors and infection strategies. Therefore, this review will focus on a general overview of recent research carried out regarding the phytopathological interaction of P. italicum and its citrus host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane is induced by infection with several members of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. There is evidence that PS is used by the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) during entry, but the exact role of PS and other phospholipids in the entry process remains unknown. Here, we investigated the interaction of differently charged phospholipids with virus particles and determined their influence on infection. Our data show that liposomes containing negatively charged PS or positively charged DOTAP (N-[1-(2,3-Dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium) inhibited EHV-1 infection, while neutral phosphatidylcholine (PC) had no effect. Inhibition of infection with PS was transient, decreased with time, and was dose dependent. Our findings indicate that both cationic and anionic phospholipids can interact with the virus and reduce infectivity, while, presumably, acting through different mechanisms. Charged phospholipids were found to have antiviral effects and may be used to inhibit EHV-1 infection.

Pathogens infect host organisms by exploiting host cellular mechanisms and evading host defence mechanisms through molecular pathogen–host interactions (PHIs). Discovering new interactions between pathogen and human proteins is very crucial in understanding the infection mechanisms. By analysing interaction networks, the interactions responsible for infectious diseases can be detected and new drugs disabling these interactions can be delivered. In this paper, we propose a method based on Bayesian matrix factorization for predicting PHIs along with a projection-based technique and combine the results by employing an ensemble method. Furthermore, two features, target similarity and attacker similarity , are utilized for the first time in the literature for PHI prediction. The advantages of the proposed methods are two folds. Firstly, they relieve the need for negative samples which is significant since there is no available dataset providing negative samples for most of the pathogenic systems. Secondly, the experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods; roughly 20% of top 50 predictions are among recently validated interactions. So, the search space for wet-lab experiments to obtain validated interactions can be considerably narrowed down from a huge number of possible interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the large multigene family of acyl-CoA binding domain containing proteins (ACBDs) share a conserved motif required for binding of Coenzyme A esterified fatty acids of various chain length. These proteins are present in the three kingdoms of life, and despite their predicted roles in cellular lipid metabolism, knowledge about the precise functions of many ACBD proteins remains scarce. Interestingly, several ACBD proteins are now suggested to function at organelle contact sites, and are recognized as host interaction proteins for different pathogens including viruses and bacteria. Here, we present a thorough phylogenetic analysis of the ACBD family and discuss their structure and evolution. We summarize recent findings on the various functions of animal and fungal ACBDs with particular focus on peroxisomes, the role of ACBD proteins at organelle membranes, and their increasing recognition as targets for pathogens. Unlabelled Image • Acyl-CoA binding domain-containing proteins (ACBDs) can be found among eukaryotes and prokaryotes. • Additional protein interaction domains are a characteristic of most extended ACBDs. • A set of a small ACBD and an ACBD with a C-terminal ankyrin-repeat motif is found in all eukaryote branches. • Fungi and metazoans contain genes for ACBD5/ATG37 but the proteins do not appear to possess conserved functions • Several extended metazoan ACBDs are hijacked by viruses in order to facilitate effective viral replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane is induced by infection with several members of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. There is evidence that PS is used by the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) during entry, but the exact role of PS and other phospholipids in the entry process remains unknown. Here, we investigated the interaction of differently charged phospholipids with virus particles and determined their influence on infection. Our data show that liposomes containing negatively charged PS or positively charged DOTAP (N-[1-(2,3-Dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium) inhibited EHV-1 infection, while neutral phosphatidylcholine (PC) had no effect. Inhibition of infection with PS was transient, decreased with time, and was dose dependent. Our findings indicate that both cationic and anionic phospholipids can interact with the virus and reduce infectivity, while, presumably, acting through different mechanisms. Charged phospholipids were found to have antiviral effects and may be used to inhibit EHV-1 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]