Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPneumococcal Metabolic Adaptation and Colonization Are Regulated by the Two-Component Regulatory System 08Streptococcus pneumoniae interplays with its environment by using 13 two-component regulatory systems and one orphan response regulator. These systems are involved in the sensing of environmental signals, thereby modulating pneumococcal pathophysiology. This study aimed to understand the functional role of genes subject to control by the TCS08. The identified genes...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEx Vivo Cytokine Release, Determined by a Multiplex Cytokine Assay, in Response to Coccidioidal Antigen Stimulation of Whole Blood among Subjects with Recently Diagnosed Primary Pulmonary CoccidioidomycosisCoccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, is a common pneumonia in the southwestern United States. In this paper, we examined the release of 30 inflammatory proteins in whole-blood samples obtained from persons with coccidioidal pneumonia after the blood samples were incubated with a preparation made from the causative fungus, Coccidioides. We found that six of these proteins, all cytokines, were specifically released...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFood Starch Structure Impacts Gut Microbiome CompositionDietary starch is a major component in the human diet. A proportion of the starch in our diet escapes digestion in the small intestine and is fermented in the colon. In this study, we use a model of the colon, seeded with porcine feces, in which we investigate the fermentation of a variety of starches with structures typical of those found in foods. We show that the microbial community changes over time in our model colon are highly...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTosR-Mediated Regulation of Adhesins and Biofilm Formation in Uropathogenic Escherichia coliUropathogenic E. coli strains cause the majority of UTIs, which are the second most common bacterial infection in humans. During a UTI, bacteria adhere to cells within the urinary tract, using a number of different fimbrial and nonfimbrial adhesins. Biofilms can also develop on the surfaces of catheters, resulting in complications such as blockage. In this work, we...
Minireview | Therapeutics and PreventionLactobacillus Mucosal Vaccine Vectors: Immune Responses against Bacterial and Viral AntigensLactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been utilized since the 1990s for therapeutic heterologous gene expression. The ability of LAB to elicit an immune response against expressed foreign antigens has led to their exploration as potential mucosal vaccine candidates.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyActivation of Bacterial Histidine Kinases: Insights into the Kinetics of the cis Autophosphorylation MechanismTwo-component systems consisting of an input-sensing histidine kinase (HK) and an output-generating response regulator (RR) are one of the key apparatuses utilized by bacteria for adapting to the extracellular milieu. HK autophosphorylation is shown to occur primarily in trans (intermolecular) and more recently shown to occur in cis (intramolecular). Although the catalysis of HK activation remains universal, the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyWhat Is the Role of Archaea in Plants? New Insights from the Vegetation of Alpine BogsArchaea are still an underdetected and little-studied part of the plant microbiome. We provide first and novel insights into Archaea as a functional component of the plant microbiome obtained by metagenomic analyses. Archaea were found to have the potential to interact with plants by (i) plant growth promotion through auxin biosynthesis, (ii) nutrient supply, and (iii) protection against abiotic stress.
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Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceExperimental Evolution as a High-Throughput Screen for Genetic AdaptationsExperimental evolution is a method in which populations of organisms, often microbes, are founded by one or more ancestors of known genotype and then propagated under controlled conditions to study the evolutionary process. These evolving populations are influenced by all population genetic forces, including selection, mutation, drift, and recombination, and the relative contributions of these forces may be seen as mysterious.
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Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMacrophages and Dendritic Cells Are the Predominant Cells Infected in Measles in HumansWe have brought together a unique collection of 23 human cases of measles infection and studied the types of cells that are infected. This work has not been done with modern technologies such as double labeling with antibodies and confocal microscopy in human cases primarily due to the fact that it is difficult to obtain the material because, fortunately, measles is fatal in only a very small fraction of infected patients. During the...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEvaluation of Dried Blood Spots and Oral Fluids as Alternatives to Serum for Human Papillomavirus Antibody SurveillanceHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of cervical and other anogenital cancers. HPV vaccination, primarily targeted at young girls before the age of sexual debut, is starting to demonstrate population-level declines in HPV infection and early disease associated with vaccine-incorporated genotypes. Monitoring young women for vaccine-specific antibody is important for vaccine surveillance and may be useful as an adjunct test...