Host-Microbe Biology
- Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: the Complexity of Interferon Gamma-Mediated Pathogen Control
Bryan D. Bryson works in the field of biological engineering with a specific interest in host-mycobacterium interactions.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Cytomegalovirus UL7, miR-US5-1, and miR-UL112-3p Inactivation of FOXO3a Protects CD34+ Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells from Apoptosis
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes serious disease in immunocompromised individuals and is a significant problem during transplantation. The virus can establish a latent infection in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and periodically reactivate to cause disease in the absence of an intact immune system.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStructure-Guided Design of a Synthetic Mimic of an Endothelial Protein C Receptor-Binding PfEMP1 Protein
Vaccines train our immune systems to generate antibodies which recognize pathogens. Some of these antibodies are highly protective, preventing infection, while others are ineffective.
- Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyCRISPR/Cas9-Based Knockout of GNAQ Reveals Differences in Host Cell Signaling Necessary for Egress of Apicomplexan Parasites
The coordinated release of apicomplexan parasites from infected host cells prior to reinvasion is a critical process for parasite survival and the spread of infection. While Toxoplasma tachyzoites and Plasmodium blood stages induce a fast disruption of their surrounding membranes during their egress from host cells, Plasmodium liver stages keep the host cell membrane intact and leave their host cell in host...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNasal Tissue Extraction Is Essential for Characterization of the Murine Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiota
The nasal microbiota is composed of species that play a role in the colonization success of pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Murine models provide the ability to explore disease pathogenesis, but little is known about the natural murine nasal microbiota.
... - Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInteractions of the Nipah Virus P, V, and W Proteins across the STAT Family of Transcription Factors
How Nipah virus (NiV) antagonizes innate immune responses is incompletely understood. The P gene of NiV encodes the P, V, and W proteins.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCorrected and Republished from: A Nonfunctional Opsonic Antibody Response Frequently Occurs after Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Is Associated with Invasive Disease
Numerous reports on the dynamics of antipneumococcal immunity in relation to immunization with pneumococcal vaccines and on the prevalence of naturally acquired immunity in various populations have been published. In contrast, studies on the dynamics of the humoral immune response triggered by pneumococcal infection are scarce.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAmylases in the Human Vagina
In this study, we show that multiple bacteria in the vaginal community produce amylases that hydrolyze glycogen into simpler sugars (i.e., maltose and maltotriose). These sugars serve as “common goods” that sustain bacterial populations in vaginal communities.
- Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyHydrogen Peroxide Production by Streptococcus pneumoniae Results in Alpha-hemolysis by Oxidation of Oxy-hemoglobin to Met-hemoglobin
There is a misconception that alpha-hemolysis observed on blood agar plate cultures of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other alpha-hemolytic streptococci is produced by a hemolysin or, alternatively, by lysis of erythrocytes caused by hydrogen peroxide. We noticed in the course of our investigations that wild-type...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssessment of In Vitro and In Silico Protocols for Sequence-Based Characterization of the Human Vaginal Microbiome
The vaginal microbiome has been connected to various aspects of host health, including susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections as well as gynecological cancers and pregnancy outcomes. This has led to a thriving research environment but also to conflicting available methodologies, including many studies that do not report their molecular biological and bioinformatic methods in sufficient detail to be considered reproducible....