Min Dong

Neurokinin 1 receptor blockade is associated with increased survival of patients with C. difficile infection

This study shows that blocking the Neurokinin 1 receptor with antagonists improves survival in C. difficile infection patients and reduces vascular inflammation.

Orally available designed miniproteins inhibit enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis pathology by blocking toxin receptor binding

The paper designs miniproteins that inhibit Bacteroides fragilis toxin by blocking receptor binding, preventing gut pathology without antibiotics.

Identification of a divergent botulinum neurotoxin like gene cluster in Furfurilactobacillus

The paper identifies a novel botulinum neurotoxin-like gene cluster in Furfurilactobacillus sp. OKN36, encoding a toxin with structural similarities to clostridial neurotoxins but significant sequence divergence.

Identification of a botulinum neurotoxin-like gene cluster in Bacillus toyonensis

The paper identifies a novel botulinum neurotoxin-like gene cluster in Bacillus toyonensis, showing it shares structural and functional features with known BoNTs.

Identification of divergent botulinum neurotoxin homologs in Paeniclostridium ghonii

The paper identifies two divergent botulinum neurotoxin homologs in Paeniclostridium ghonii and characterizes their structural and functional features.

Ancient Clostridium DNA and variants of tetanus neurotoxins associated with human archaeological remains

The paper identifies ancient Clostridium tetani genomes and TeNT variants from archaeological remains, revealing new species and a pathogenic toxin variant.

Newly identified relatives of botulinum neurotoxins shed light on their molecular evolution

The paper identifies new relatives of botulinum neurotoxins in environmental bacteria, revealing their evolutionary origins and divergence from related toxin families.