Selected publications
Boix E, Li J. Ancestral ribonucleases back in motion for evolutionary-
dynamics guided protein design. Trends Biochem Sci. 2024 Jun
15:S0968-0004(24)00148-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.06.005
Li J, Kang X, Guidi I, Lu L, Fernández-Millán P, Prats-Ejarque G, Boix E.
Structural determinants for tRNA selective cleavage by RNase 2/EDN. Structure.
2024 , S0969-2126(23)00453-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.12.012
Cortado H, Kercsmar M, Li B, Vasquez-Martinez G, …Boix E, Zepeda-Orozco D, Jackson AR, Spencer JD, Ruiz-Rosado JD, Becknell B. Murine Ribonuclease 6 Limits Bacterial Dissemination During Experimental Urinary Tract Infection. J Innate Immun. 2024 May 14. DOI: 10.1159/000539177
Anguita R, Prats-Ejarque G, Moussaoui M, Becknell B, Boix E. A Common
Polymorphism in RNASE6 Impacts Its Antimicrobial Activity toward
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 , 25(1):604. doi:
10.3390/ijms25010604.
Ruiz-Rosado JD, Cortado H, …, Boix E, Jackson AR, Spencer JD, Becknell B.
Human Ribonuclease 6 Has a Protective Role during Experimental Urinary Tract
Infection. J Innate Immun. 2023;15(1):865-875. DOI: 10.1159/000534736
Abengózar MÁ, Fernández-Reyes M, Salazar VA, Torrent M, de la Torre BG, Andreu D, Boix E, Rivas L. Essential Role of Enzymatic Activity in the Leishmanicidal Mechanism of the Eosinophil Cationic Protein (RNase 3). ACS Infect Dis. (2022) 8(7):1207-1217. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00537
Fernández-Millán P, Vázquez-Monteagudo S, Boix E and Prats-Ejarque G. Exploring the RNase A scaffold to combine catalytic and antimicrobial activities. Structural characterization of RNase 3/1 chimeras (2022) Front. Mol. Biosci. 9:964717 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2022.964717
Lu L, Li J, Wei R, Guidi I, Cozzuto L, Ponomarenko J, Prats-Ejarque G and Boix E. Selective cleavage of ncRNA and antiviral activity by RNase2/EDN in THP1-induced macrophages Cell Mol Life Sci (2022) 79:209 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00018-022-04229-x
Li, J.; Prats-Ejarque, G.; Torrent, M.; Andreu, D.; Brandenburg, K.; Fernández-Millán, P.; Boix, E. In Vivo Evaluation of ECP Peptide Analogues for the Treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii Infection. Biomedicines (2022), 10, 386. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10020386
Prats-Ejarque G, Lorente H, Villalba C, Anguita R, Lu L, Vázquez-Monteagudo S, Fernández-Millán P, Boix E*. Structure-Based Design of an RNase Chimera for Antimicrobial Therapy. Int J Mol Sci. (2022) 23(1):95. doi: 10.3390/ijms23010095.
Sandín D, Valle J, Chaves-Arquero B, Prats-Ejarque G, Larrosa MN, González-López JJ, Jiménez MÁ, Boix E, Andreu D, Torrent M. Rationally Modified Antimicrobial Peptides from the N-Terminal Domain of Human RNase 3 Show Exceptional Serum Stability. J Med Chem. (2021) 12;64(15):11472-11482. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00795
Li J. and Boix E. Host Defense RNases as Antiviral agents against enveloped single-stranded RNA Viruses. Virulence (2021) 12:1, 444-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2021.1871823
Lu, L.;Wei, R.; Bhakta, S.; Waddell, S.J.; Boix, E.Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Key Modules and Hub Genes Associated with Mycobacterial Infection of Human Macrophages. Antibiotics (2021), 10, 97.https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10020097
Lu, L., Wei, R., Prats-Ejarque, G. Goetz, M, Torrent M & Boix E. Human RNase3 immune modulation by catalytic-dependent and independent modes in a macrophage-cell line infection model. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-020-03695-5
Rangel-Muñoz N, Suarez-Arnedo A, Anguita R, Prats-Ejarque G, Osma JF, Muñoz-Camargo C, Boix E, Cruz JC and Salazar VA Magnetite Nanoparticles Functionalized with RNases against Intracellular Infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pharmaceutics 2020, 12(7), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12070631
Li J, Fernández-Millán P, Boix E. Synergism between host defence peptides and antibiotics against bacterial infections. Curr Top Med Chem. 2020 Mar 3. doi:10.2174/1568026620666200303122626.
Boix E, Acquati F, Leonidas D, Pulido D. Editorial: Role of Ribonucleases in
Immune Response Regulation During Infection and Cancer. Front Immunol. 2020 Feb
19;11:236. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00236. eCollection 2020.
Prats-Ejarque G, Lu L, Salazar VA, Moussaoui M, Boix E. Evolutionary Trends in
RNA Base Selectivity Within the RNase A Superfamily. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Oct
9;10:1170. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01170.
Salazar VA, Arranz-Trullén J, Prats-Ejarque G, Torrent M, Andreu D, Pulido D,
Boix E. Insight into the Antifungal Mechanism of Action of Human RNase N-terminus Derived Peptides. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Sep 14;20(18). pii: E4558. doi:10.3390/ijms20184558.
Lu L, Arranz-Trullén J, Prats-Ejarque G, Pulido D, Bhakta S, Boix E. Human
Antimicrobial RNases Inhibit Intracellular Bacterial Growth and Induce Autophagy
in Mycobacteria-Infected Macrophages. Front Immunol. 2019 Jul 2;10:1500.https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01500
Prats-Ejarque G, Li J, Ait-Ichou F, Lorente H, Boix E. Testing a Human
Antimicrobial RNase Chimera Against Bacterial Resistance. Front Microbiol. 2019
Jun 19;10:1357. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01357
Prats-Ejarque G, Blanco JA, Salazar VA, Nogués VM, Moussaoui M, Boix E.
Characterization of an RNase with two catalytic centers. Human RNase6 catalytic
and phosphate-binding site arrangement favors the endonuclease cleavage of
polymeric substrates. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2019 Jan;1863(1):105-117.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.09.021
Lu L, Li J, Moussaoui M and Boix E Immune modulation by human secreted RNases at the extracellular space. Front Immunol (2018) 8:1499. 1-17 https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01012
Pulido D, Prats-Ejarque G, Villalba C, Albacar M, Moussaoui M, Andreu D,
Volkmer R, Torrent M, Boix E. Positional scanning library applied to the human
eosinophil cationic protein/RNase3 N-terminus reveals novel and potent
anti-biofilm peptides. Eur J Med Chem. 2018 May 25;152:590-599.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.05.012
Muñoz-Camargo C, Salazar VA, Barrero-Guevara L, Camargo S, Mosquera A, Groot H, Boix E. Unveiling the Multifaceted Mechanisms of Antibacterial Activity of
Buforin II and Frenatin 2.3S Peptides from Skin Micro-Organs of the Orinoco Lime
Treefrog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus). Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jul 25;19(8). pii: E2170.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19082170. PubMed PMID: 30044391; PubMed Central PMCID:
PMC6121439.
Pulido D, Rebollido-Rios R, Valle J, Andreu D, Boix E, Torrent M. Structural
similarities in the CPC clip motif explain peptide-binding promiscuity between
glycosaminoglycans and lipopolysaccharides. J R Soc Interface. 2017 Nov;14(136).
pii: 20170423. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0423. PubMed PMID: 29187635; PubMed CentralPMCID: PMC5721150.
Arranz-Trullén J, Lu L, Pulido D, Bhakta S, Boix E. Host Antimicrobial
Peptides: The Promise of New Treatment Strategies against Tuberculosis. Front
Immunol. 2017 Nov 7;8:1499. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01499. eCollection 2017.
Review. PubMed PMID: 29163551; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5681943.
Pulido D, Garcia-Mayoral MF, Moussaoui M, Velázquez D, Torrent M, Bruix M,
Boix E. Structural basis for endotoxin neutralization by the eosinophil cationic
protein. FEBS J. 2016 Nov;283(22):4176-4191. doi: 10.1111/febs.13915. Epub 2016
Oct 31. PubMed PMID: 27696685.
Pulido D, Prats-Ejarque G, Villalba C, Albacar M, González-López JJ, Torrent
M, Moussaoui M, Boix E. A Novel RNase 3/ECP Peptide for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Eradication That Combines Antimicrobial, Lipopolysaccharide Binding, and Cell-Agglutinating Activities. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Sep23;60(10):6313-25. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00830-16. Print 2016 Oct. PubMed PMID:
27527084; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5038260.
Salazar VA, Arranz-Trullén J, Navarro S, Blanco JA, Sánchez D, Moussaoui M,
Boix E. Exploring the mechanisms of action of human secretory RNase 3 and RNase 7 against Candida albicans. Microbiologyopen. 2016 Oct;5(5):830-845. doi:10.1002/mbo3.373. Epub 2016 Jun 8. PubMed PMID: 27277554; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC5061719.
Pulido D, Arranz-Trullén J, Prats-Ejarque G, Velázquez D, Torrent M, Moussaoui
M, Boix E. Insights into the Antimicrobial Mechanism of Action of Human RNase6:
Structural Determinants for Bacterial Cell Agglutination and Membrane Permeation.
Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Apr 13;17(4):552. doi: 10.3390/ijms17040552. PubMed PMID:
27089320; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4849008.
Prats-Ejarque G, Arranz-Trullén J, Blanco JA, Pulido D, Nogués MV, Moussaoui
M, Boix E. The first crystal structure of human RNase 6 reveals a novel
substrate-binding and cleavage site arrangement. Biochem J. 2016 Jun
1;473(11):1523-36. doi: 10.1042/BCJ20160245. Epub 2016 Mar 24. PubMed PMID:
27013146; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4888456.
Salazar VA, Rubin J, Moussaoui M, Pulido D, Nogués MV, Venge P, Boix E.
Protein post-translational modification in host defense: the antimicrobial
mechanism of action of human eosinophil cationic protein native forms. FEBS J.
2014 Dec;281(24):5432-46. doi: 10.1111/febs.13082. Epub 2014 Oct 20. PubMed PMID:
25271100.
Pulido D, Moussaoui M, Nogués MV, Torrent M, Boix E. Towards the rational
design of antimicrobial proteins: single point mutations can switch on
bactericidal and agglutinating activities on the RNase A superfamily lineage.
FEBS J. 2013 Nov;280(22):5841-52. doi: 10.1111/febs.12506. Epub 2013 Oct 8.
PubMed PMID: 23992292.
Torrent M, Pulido D, Valle J, Nogués MV, Andreu D, Boix E. Ribonucleases as a
host-defence family: evidence of evolutionarily conserved antimicrobial activity
at the N-terminus. Biochem J. 2013 Nov 15;456(1):99-108. doi: 10.1042/BJ20130123.
PubMed PMID: 23962023.
Pulido D, Torrent M, Andreu D, Nogués MV, Boix E. Two human host defense
ribonucleases against mycobacteria, the eosinophil cationic protein (RNase 3) and
RNase 7. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Aug;57(8):3797-805. doi:
10.1128/AAC.00428-13. Epub 2013 May 28. PubMed PMID: 23716047; PubMed Central
PMCID: PMC3719706.
Boix E, Blanco JA, Nogués MV, Moussaoui M. Nucleotide binding architecture
for secreted cytotoxic endoribonucleases. Biochimie. 2013 Jun;95(6):1087-97. doi:
10.1016/j.biochi.2012.12.015. Epub 2012 Dec 26. Review. PubMed PMID: 23274129.
Torrent M, Pulido D, Nogués MV, Boix E. Exploring new biological functions of
amyloids: bacteria cell agglutination mediated by host protein aggregation. PLoS
Pathog. 2012;8(11):e1003005. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003005. Epub 2012 Nov 1.
PubMed PMID: 23133388; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3486885.
García-Mayoral MF, Canales A, Díaz D, López-Prados J, Moussaoui M, de Paz JL,
Angulo J, Nieto PM, Jiménez-Barbero J, Boix E, Bruix M. Insights into the
glycosaminoglycan-mediated cytotoxic mechanism of eosinophil cationic protein
revealed by NMR. ACS Chem Biol. 2013 Jan 18;8(1):144-51. doi: 10.1021/cb300386v.
Epub 2012 Oct 9. PubMed PMID: 23025322.
Boix E, Salazar VA, Torrent M, Pulido D, Nogués MV, Moussaoui M. Structural
determinants of the eosinophil cationic protein antimicrobial activity. Biol
Chem. 2012 Aug;393(8):801-15. doi: 10.1515/hsz-2012-0160. Review. PubMed PMID:
22944682.
Torrent M, Nogués MV, Andreu D, Boix E. The “CPC clip motif”: a conserved
structural signature for heparin-binding proteins. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e42692.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042692. Epub 2012 Aug 6. PubMed PMID: 22880084; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC3412806.
Torrent M, Nogués MV, Boix E. Discovering new in silico tools for
antimicrobial peptide prediction. Curr Drug Targets. 2012 Aug;13(9):1148-57.
PubMed PMID: 22664076.
Boix E. Editorial: novel strategies for the design of therapeutic
antimicrobial peptides. Curr Drug Targets. 2012 Aug;13(9):1119-20. PubMed PMID:
22664070.
Boix E, Pulido D, Moussaoui M, Nogués MV, Russi S. The sulfate-binding site
structure of the human eosinophil cationic protein as revealed by a new crystal
form. J Struct Biol. 2012 Jul;179(1):1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2012.04.023. Epub
2012 May 9. PubMed PMID: 22579681.
Pulido D, Nogués MV, Boix E, Torrent M. Lipopolysaccharide neutralization by
antimicrobial peptides: a gambit in the innate host defense strategy. J Innate
Immun. 2012;4(4):327-36. doi: 10.1159/000336713. Epub 2012 Mar 21. Review. PubMed
PMID: 22441679.
Pulido D, Moussaoui M, Andreu D, Nogués MV, Torrent M, Boix E. Antimicrobial
action and cell agglutination by the eosinophil cationic protein are modulated by
the cell wall lipopolysaccharide structure. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012
May;56(5):2378-85. doi: 10.1128/AAC.06107-11. Epub 2012 Feb 13. PubMed PMID:
22330910; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3346588.
Torrent M, Di Tommaso P, Pulido D, Nogués MV, Notredame C, Boix E, Andreu D.
AMPA: an automated web server for prediction of protein antimicrobial regions.
Bioinformatics. 2012 Jan 1;28(1):130-1. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btr604. Epub
2011 Nov 3. PubMed PMID: 22053077.