Bioinformatic insight into Portulaca oleracea L. (Purslane) of Bulgarian and Greek origin

Portulaca oleracea L. (Portulacaceae) is used as functional food and its nutritional and therapeutic properties are related to the high levels of organic and fatty acids, polyphenols, polysaccharides and cyclo-dopa amides. This study presents a strategy based on liquid chromatography – high resolution accurate mass spectrometry method (LC – HRAMS) and bioinformatic methods to analyze 33 purslane accessions originating from 11 floristic regions in Bulgaria together with 5 accessions of Greek provenance. Extracts were obtained by microwave extraction. Based on the LC-MS metabolic “fingerprints” of assayed samples, a purslane metabolic database was developed. LC-MS data were proceeded with Software application Compound Discover 2.0 (Thermo Fischer Sci., USA). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) combined with both descriptive and differential analyses were used to find marker metabolites to distinguish different geographical regions. The differential analysis of the Bulgarian and Greek samples allowed the identification of 50 marker metabolites. Based on accurate masses, retention times, fragmentation patterns in MS/MS, comparison with commercial standards and literature data, these secondary metabolites were identified after detailed analysis of Volcano-plots. For the first time, 29 compounds are reported. The identified compounds were used to perform a study of the biosynthetic pathways of purslane secondary metabolites using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) software platform. The statistical treatments identified marker compounds that can be used to distinguish the origin of accession set. Combining LC-MS data with multivariate statistical analysis was shown to be effective in studying the purslane metabolites, allowing for integration of chemistry with geographic origin

Molecular insight into invasive group A streptococcal disease

Streptococcus pyogenes is also known as group A Streptococcus (GAS) and is an important human pathogen that causes considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. The GAS serotype M1T1 clone is the most frequently isolated serotype from life-threatening invasive (at a sterile site) infections, such as streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. Here, we describe the virulence factors and newly discovered molecular events that mediate the in vivo changes from non-invasive GAS serotype M1T1 to the invasive phenotype, and review the invasive-disease trigger for non-M1 GAS. Understanding the molecular basis and mechanism of initiation for streptococcal invasive disease may expedite the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment and control of severe invasive GAS diseases