Biology subjects

Breuer, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Breuer, Y..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Psoriasin inhibits microbial growth in food by metal sequestering

Food spoilage is a significant economic and environmental concern, and it is estimated that [~]30% of fresh food is destroyed due to food spoilage between harvest to consumer. Current food preservatives are chemicals that are associated with various health risks and often have limited effectiveness under certain conditions like pH and temperature. Consequently, theres a growing need to develop effective, natural, and economical food preservatives. Herein, we studied the natural protein psoriasin as a potential food preservative. Psoriasin is naturally secreted in the oral cavity and has an effective and validated antimicrobial activity which makes it a potentially effective and safe protein-based food preservative. Indeed, our preliminary results show promising antimicrobial activity of the recombinant protein against food-related microbial organisms in vitro and in various food types. In addition, it is recombinantly expressed at high levels, which could set a cost-effective manufacturing process. These results set psoriasin as a safe and effective natural food preservative, addressing consumer demand for healthier food options and reducing food waste.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Anti-fungal recombinant psoriasin effectively inhibits Candida albicans growth on denture base

Oral candidiasis leading to denture stomatitis is a fungal infection resulting from unregulated growth and adhesion mainly of Candida albicans onto acrylic denture base. Once the biofilm is formed, it is immune resistant and mainstay treatments involve toxic chemical antifungal agents or mechanical cleaning techniques, both offer limited efficacy. Consequently, there is an urgent need for more effective and safer therapeutic approaches. While biological modalities are expanding in general medicine, the exploration of protein-based therapeutics in dental medicine remains limited. This research evaluates the inhibitory effect of recombinantly expressed psoriasin on the growth of Candida albicans on polymethyl methacrylate denture bases. Psoriasin, also known as S100-A7, has shown promise in treating microbial skin infections, and its natural presence in saliva makes it a promising candidate for treating oral microbial infections. Our findings indicate that psoriasin exhibits a strong, dose-dependent inhibition of Candida albicans growth. Further, we incubated a polymethyl methacrylate denture base within the psoriasin solution. Notably, immersing the denture base in the solution completely eradicated fungal growth. Our research utilizes natural antifungal proteins within biomedical devices like denture bases, suggesting psoriasin as a safe alternative to chemical antifungals in dental medicine.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2023

Nature-Inspired Peptide of MtDef4 C-terminus Tail Enables Protein Delivery in Mammalian Cells

Cell-penetrating peptides hold great promise as versatile tools for the intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Various peptides have originated from natural proteins with antimicrobial activity. In this study, we investigated the mammalian cell-penetrating properties of a 16-residue peptide derived from the C-terminus tail of the Medicago truncatula defensin protein, with the sequence GRCRHGFRRRCFCTTHC. We evaluated the ability of this peptide to penetrate multiple types of cells. Our results demonstrate that the peptide efficiently penetrates mammalian cells within minutes and at a sub-micromolar concentration. Moreover, upon N-terminal fusion to the fluorescent protein GFP, the peptide efficiently delivers the GFP into the cells. Despite its remarkable cellular penetration, the peptide has only a minor effect on cellular viability, making it a promising candidate for the development of a cell-penetrating peptide, with potential therapeutic applications.

cell biology↗