Biology subjects

Campbell, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Campbell, D..

9 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

R-pyocin-mediated selection reverses pan-drug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The global escalation of antibiotic resistance is a critical threat necessitating the development of innovative strategies to provide new therapeutic options and restore the efficacy of conventional drugs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exemplifies this challenge by utilizing a robust genomic resistome to persist in clinical settings. Here, we demonstrate that R-pyocins (phage-like bactericidal particles) can be leveraged not merely as conventional biocides, but as precise selective forces to drive an evolutionary "checkmate" strategy. We subjected the laboratory strains PAO1 and PAK and the clinical pan-drug-resistant (PDR) wound isolate MRSN 6220 to R-pyocin selective pressure. To evade R-pyocins targeting the host lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core, resistance consistently emerges through large-scale chromosomal deletions spanning 250-388 kbp. Crucially, these deletions encompass a conserved region harboring the galU gene (essential for LPS synthesis), the hmgA gene (yielding a pyomelanogenic brown phenotype), and the mexXYZ multidrug efflux operon. While the loss of galU confers broad cross-resistance to R-pyocins by likely truncating the LPS receptor, the concurrent excision of mexXY induces profound collateral sensitivity to aminoglycosides. Furthermore, these large deletions systematically eliminate critical virulence factors and biofilm clusters, including the hcnABC, exoY, phzABCDEFG, and cup operons. In Galleria mellonella and murine chronic wound models, the resulting brown mutants were rendered non-lethal and exhibited a significant 3-log reduction in bacterial load following gentamicin treatment. Ultimately, this work establishes a framework for utilizing R-pyocins as potent evolutionary steering agents to force the predictable reversion of multidrug resistance into an attenuated, biofilm-deficient, and clinically manageable state. Significance StatementPan-drug-resistant (PDR) pathogens demand novel strategies that both kill and restore antibiotic efficacy. Here, we describe an evolutionary checkmate for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, where selection for R-pyocin resistance drives large-scale ([~]300 kb) chromosomal remodeling. Although these deletions confer R-pyocin immunity via loss of the galU gene, they simultaneously collapse the pathogens virulence and defense. Crucially, the excision of the mexXY efflux operon resensitizes PDR strains to conventional aminoglycosides, while the collateral loss of critical virulence and biofilm clusters abrogates pathogenesis. By coupling resistance acquisition to substantial fitness costs, our work establishes a framework for using R-pyocins to force predictable evolutionary trade-offs, driving the reversion of multidrug resistance to an attenuated, biofilm-deficient, and clinically manageable state.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Germline mitophagy selectively eliminates deleterious mitochondrial DNA across generations

Faithful transmission of genetic information through the immortal germline is essential for organismal health and species survival, yet how mutant mitochondrial genomes (mtDNAs) are selectively eliminated across generations remains unclear. Here, we show that germline mitophagy functions as a mutation-responsive surveillance system that selectively eliminates mutant mtDNAs and shapes inheritance across generations. In C. elegans, mitochondria enriched for mutant mtDNAs are selectively removed in the maternal germline prior to oocyte fertilization via PINK1/Parkin-dependent and BNIP3-mediated mitophagy pathways activated by mtDNA defects. Germline mitophagy declines with age, resulting in offspring that inherit increased burdens of mutant mtDNAs. Conversely, enhancing mitophagy within germ cells restricts the transmission of deleterious genomes in a compounding manner, ultimately driving their complete elimination from the matrilineal lineage. Together, our findings demonstrate that germline mitophagy is a critical determinant of intergenerational mitochondrial genome inheritance, establishing its role in restricting the transmission of defective genetic information.

Cell Biology↗

bioRxiv2025

DNA-based delivery of incretin receptor agonists using MYO Technology leads to durable weight loss in a diet-induced obesity model

Therapeutic proteins have seen a substantial increase in clinical development and use across many disease areas. Despite their broad applicability, significant drawbacks limit access to many of these drugs, including: i) high manufacturing costs; ii) administration via time-consuming infusions; iii) frequent dosing, sometimes even daily; and iv) requirements for low temperature storage. MYO Technology was developed to overcome these barriers. The MYO Technology platform consists of therapeutic-encoding plasmid DNA (pDNA), and a proprietary medical device for intramuscular injection and delivery of electrical pulses. These pulses enable the in vivo electroporation of muscle cells and uptake of injected pDNA, leading to the production, secretion, and delivery of the therapeutic protein into peripheral circulation. MYO Technology offers several advantages over standard delivery of therapeutic proteins; pDNA manufacturing is a simpler and less specialized process compared to protein manufacturing, and pDNA is very stable and lacks most cold chain requirements. Furthermore, administration using MYO Technology takes only a few minutes, and the serum level of a therapeutic protein can potentially be maintained for many months without the need for redosing. Incretin receptor agonists (IRAs) are a class of therapeutic proteins that have recently come to prominence as powerful weight and glucose control drugs, and are used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. Semaglutide and tirzepatide, currently the most widely used within this class, are both potent molecules, but have a short half-life, requiring weekly administration by subcutaneous injections. Moreover, since their clinical benefits rapidly disappear upon treatment cessation, T2D and obese patients may have a life-long dependency on IRAs, and the requirement for weekly injections can negatively affect the quality of life and the adherence to therapy, as well as create a significant financial burden. Therefore, increasing the interval between injections has become one of the major goals in the field. Here, we present our preclinical studies on the delivery of IRAs with MYO Technology. Animal proof-of-concept studies demonstrate that MYO Technology-delivered IRAs are functional, and efficacious in promoting long-lasting weight and glucose control in mouse models of diet-induced obesity. Moreover, engineering the IRAs to facilitate blood-brain barrier penetration further enhances treatment efficacy, with benefits persisting beyond one year following a single administration. Together, these findings highlight MYO Technologys potential to transform care for patients with T2D and obesity by enabling long-lasting therapeutic effects with minimal dosing, ultimately improving quality of life and treatment adherence.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

SLC35A2 modulates paramyxovirus fusion events during infection

Paramyxoviruses are significant human and animal pathogens that include mumps virus (MuV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and the murine parainfluenza virus Sendai (SeV). Despite their importance, few host factors implicated in paramyxovirus infection are known. Using a recombinant SeV expressing destabilized GFP (rSeVCdseGFP) in a loss-of-function CRISPR screen, we identified the CMP-sialic acid transporter (CST) gene SLC35A1 and the UDP-galactose transporter (UGT) gene SLC35A2 as essential for paramyxovirus infection. SLC35A1 knockout (KO) cells showed significantly reduced binding and infection of SeV, NDV and MuV due to the lack of cell surface sialic acids, which act as their receptors. However, SLC35A2 KO cells revealed unknown critical roles for this factor in virus-cell and cell-to-cell fusion events during infection with different paramyxoviruses. While the UGT was essential for virus-cell fusion during SeV entry to the cell, it was not required for NDV or MuV entry. Importantly, the UGT promoted the formation of larger syncytia during MuV infection, suggesting a role in cell-to-cell virus spread. Our findings demonstrate that paramyxoviruses can bind to or enter A549 cells in the absence of canonical galactose-bound sialic-acid decorations and show that the UGT facilitates paramyxovirus fusion processes involved in entry and spread.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Misregulation of mitochondrial 6mA promotes the propagation of mutant mtDNA and causes aging in C. elegans

In virtually all eukaryotes, the mitochondrial genome (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA) encodes proteins necessary for oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and the RNA machinery required for their synthesis inside the mitochondria. Appropriate regulation of mtDNA copy number and expression is essential for ensuring the correct stoichiometric formation of OXPHOS complexes assembled from both nuclear- and mtDNA-encoded subunits. The mechanisms of mtDNA regulation are not completely understood but are essential to organismal viability and lifespan. Here, using multiple approaches, we identify the presence of N6-methylation (6mA) on the mtDNA of diverse animal and plant species. Importantly, we also demonstrate that this modification is regulated in C. elegans by the DNA methyltransferase DAMT-1, and DNA demethylase ALKB-1, which localize to mitochondria. Misregulation of mtDNA 6mA through targeted overexpression of these enzymatic activities inappropriately alters mtDNA copy number and expression, impairing OXPHOS function and producing increased oxidative stress, as well as a shortened lifespan. Compounding defects in mtDNA regulation, reductions in mtDNA 6mA methylation promote the propagation of a deleterious mitochondrial genome across generations. Together, these results reveal that mtDNA 6mA is highly conserved among eukaryotes and regulates lifespan by influencing mtDNA copy number, expression, and heritable mutation levels in vivo.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Hypometabolism to survive the long polar night in the diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus

Diatoms, the major eukaryotic phytoplankton in polar regions, are essential to sustain Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems. As such, it is fundamental to understand the physiological mechanisms and associated molecular basis of their resilience to the long polar night. Here, we report an integrative approach revealing that in prolonged darkness, diatom cells enter a state of quiescence associated with reduced metabolic and transcriptional activity during which no cell division occurs. We propose that minimal energy is provided by respiration and degradation of protein, carbohydrate, and lipid stores and that homeostasis is maintained by autophagy in prolonged darkness. We also report internal structural changes that manifest the morphological acclimation of cells to darkness. Our results further indicate that immediately following a return to light, diatom cells are able to use photoprotective mechanisms and rapidly resume photosynthesis. Cell division resumed rates similar to those before darkness. Our study demonstrates the remarkable robustness of polar diatoms to prolonged darkness at low temperatures. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=160 SRC="FIGDIR/small/524047v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (55K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1da578corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a9ac5borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@729265org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1e94c18_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG TeaserTo survive the long winter, polar diatoms slow down metabolism and express genes to assure survival following return to light.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Rapid light-dependent degradation of fluorescent dyes in chemically-defined media

Chemically defined serum-free media is increasingly used as a tool to help standardize experiments by eliminating the potential variability contributed by pooled serum. These media are formulated for the culture and expansion of specific cell types, maintaining cell viability without the need for exogenous animal proteins. Formulated serum-free media could thus help improve viability and reduce variability during sample preparation for flow cytometry, yet a thorough analysis of how such media impact fluorochrome-antibody conjugates has not been performed. In this study, we expose fluorescent antibody-labeled cells or antibody capture beads to white light in the presence of various hematopoietic cell culture media and provide evidence that formulated serum-free media permit rapid light-initiated fluorescent dye degradation in a cell-independent manner. We observed fluorescence signal loss of several dyes, which included fluorescence spillover into adjacent detectors. Finally, photostability of antibody-fluorochrome conjugates in formulated serum-free media is partially restored in the presence of either serum or vitamin C, implicating reactive oxygen species in the observed signal loss. Thus, our data indicate that formulated serum-free media designed to standardize cell culture are not currently optimized for use with fluorochrome-antibody conjugates, and thus extreme caution should be exercised when using these media in cytometric experiments.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Continual exit of human cutaneous resident memory CD4 T cells that seed distant skin sites

Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) persist locally in non-lymphoid tissues where they provide front-line defense against recurring insults. TRM at barrier surfaces express the markers CD103 and/or CD69 which function to retain them in epithelial tissues. In humans, neither the long-term migratory behavior of TRM nor their ability to re-enter the circulation and potentially migrate to distant tissue sites have been investigated. Using tissue explant cultures, we found that CD4+CD69+CD103+ TRM in human skin can downregulate CD69 and exit the tissue. Additionally, we identified a skin-tropic CD4+CD69-CD103+ population in human lymph and blood that is transcriptionally, functionally and clonally related to the CD4+CD69+CD103+ TRM population in the skin. Using a skin xenograft model, we confirmed that a fraction of the human cutaneous CD4+CD103+ TRM population can re-enter circulation, and migrate to secondary human skin sites where they re-assume a TRM phenotype. Thus, our data challenge current concepts regarding the strict tissue compartmentalization of CD4+ T cell memory in humans. One Sentence SummaryHuman CD4+CD103+ cutaneous resident memory T cells are found in the circulation of healthy subjects, and these cells can seed distant skin sites.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2018

Dynamic expression of Id3 defines the stepwise differentiation of tissue-resident regulatory T cells

Foxp3+ regulatory T (TR) cells are phenotypically and functionally diverse, and broadly distributed in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues. However, the pathways guiding the differentiation of tissue-resident TR populations have not been well defined. By regulating E-protein function, Id3 controls the differentiation of CD8+ effector T cells and is essential for TR maintenance and function. We show that dynamic expression of Id3 helps define three distinct TR populations, Id3+CD62LhiCD44lo central (c)TR, Id3+CD62LloCD44hi effector (e)TR and Id3- eTR. Adoptive transfer experiments and transcriptome analyses support a stepwise model of differentiation from Id3+ cTR to Id3+ eTR to Id3- eTR. Furthermore, Id3- eTR have high expression of functional inhibitory markers and a transcriptional signature of tissue-resident TR. Accordingl Id3- eTR are highly enriched in non-lymphoid organs, but virtually absent from blood and lymph Thus, we propose that tissue-resident TR develop in a multi-step process associated with Id3 downregulation.

immunology↗