Biology subjects

Hsueh, P.-R.

Publications and source records attributed to Hsueh, P.-R..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

The natural tannins oligomeric proanthocyanidins and punicalagin are potent inhibitors of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to infect people worldwide. While the vaccinated population has been increasing, the rising breakthrough infection persists in the vaccinated population. For living with the virus, the dietary guidelines to prevent virus infection are worthy of and timely to develop further. Tannic acid has been demonstrated to be an effective inhibitor of coronavirus and is under clinical trial. Here we found that two other members of the tannins family, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) and punicalagin, are also potent inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 infection with different mechanisms. OPCs and punicalagin showed inhibitory activity against omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The water extractant of the grape seed was rich in OPCs and also exhibited the strongest inhibitory activities for viral entry of wild-type and other variants in vitro. Moreover, we evaluated the inhibitory activity of grape seed extractants (GSE) supplementation against SARS-CoV-2 viral entry in vivo and observed that serum samples from the healthy human subjects had suppressive activity against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 vpp infection after taking GSE capsules. Our results suggest that natural tannins acted as potent inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 infection, and GSE supplementation could serve as healthy food for infection prevention. HighlightsO_LIOPCs and Punicalagin had inhibitory activity against omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 infection. C_LIO_LIOPCs serve as a dual inhibitor of the viral Mpro and the cellular TMPRSS2 protease. C_LIO_LIPunicalagin possesses the most potent activity to suppress the Mpro and block the interaction of the viral spike protein and human ACE2. C_LIO_LIOPCs-enriched grape seed extractant exhibited inhibitory activities for viral entry of wild-type and other variants of SARS-CoV-2. C_LIO_LIThe daily intake of grape seed extractants may be able to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. C_LI

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

A Novel DNA Chromatography Method to Distinguish M. abscessus Subspecies and Macrolide Susceptibility

RationaleThe clinical impact of infection with Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC), a group of emerging non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM), is increasing. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus/bolletii frequently shows natural resistance to macrolide antibiotics, whereas Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense is generally susceptible. Therefore, rapid and accurate discrimination of macrolide-susceptible MABC subgroups is required for effective clinical decisions about macrolide treatments for MABC infection. ObjectivesTo develop a simple and rapid diagnostic that can identify MABC isolates showing macrolide susceptibility. MethodsWhole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed for 148 clinical or environmental MABC isolates from Japan to identify genetic markers that can discriminate three MABC subspecies and the macrolide-susceptible erm(41) T28C sequevar. Using the identified genetic markers, we established PCR based- or DNA chromatography-based assays. Validation testing was performed using MABC isolates from Taiwan. Measurements and Main ResultsWe identified unique sequence regions that could be used to differentiate the three subspecies. Our WGS-based phylogenetic analysis indicated that M. abscessus carrying the macrolide-susceptible erm(41) T28C sequevar were tightly clustered, and identified 11 genes that were significantly associated with the lineage for use as genetic markers. To detect these genetic markers and the erm(41) locus, we developed a DNA chromatography method that identified three subspecies, the erm(41) T28C sequevar and intact erm(41) for MABC in a single assay within one hour. The agreement rate between the DNA chromatography-based and WGS-based identification was 99.7%. ConclusionsWe developed a novel, rapid and simple DNA chromatography method for identification of MABC macrolide susceptibility with high accuracy.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Emergence of mosaic plasmids harboring Tn1546-ermB element in Staphylococcus aureus isolates

Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is a major problem and the acquisition of resistance genes may occur by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The transposon, an important means of HGT, is recognized as a mobile genetic element that can integrate in plasmids, replicate and transfer to other strains. We have previously reported a novel structure of the Enterococcus faecium-originated Tn1546-ermB element in S. aureus. The emergence of the Tn1546-like element is an emerging problem that requires continuous monitoring. In the present study, we expand the examination of Tn1546-ermB element to ermB-positive methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) (n = 116) and ermB-positive methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (n = 253) during a 16-year period, from 2000 to 2015. PCR mapping showed that 10 MSSA and 10 MRSA carried the Tn1546-ermB element. The 10 MSSA belonged to three sequence types (ST), ST7 (n = 6), ST5 (n = 3), and ST59 (n = 1), and the 10 MRSA belonged to two STs, ST188 (n = 8) and ST965 (n = 2). Since only clonal complex 5 (including ST5, ST85, ST231, and ST371) MRSA, ST8 MRSA and ST5 MSSA have been previously reported to carry Tn1546 plasmids, this is the first report describing the presence of the Tn1546-ermB element in ST7/5/59 MSSA and ST188/965 MRSA. Plasmid sequencing revealed that the Tn1546-ermB element was harbored by five different mosaic plasmids. In addition to resistance genes, some plasmids also harbored toxin genes.

microbiology↗