Host-Microbe Biology
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyCRISPR/Cas9-Based Knockout of GNAQ Reveals Differences in Host Cell Signaling Necessary for Egress of Apicomplexan ParasitesThe 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 MicrobiotaThe 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.
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Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInteractions of the Nipah Virus P, V, and W Proteins across the STAT Family of Transcription FactorsHow 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 DiseaseNumerous 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.
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyHydrogen Peroxide Production by Streptococcus pneumoniae Results in Alpha-hemolysis by Oxidation of Oxy-hemoglobin to Met-hemoglobinThere 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 BiologyAmylases in the Human VaginaIn 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.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssessment of In Vitro and In Silico Protocols for Sequence-Based Characterization of the Human Vaginal MicrobiomeThe 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....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenome-Wide CRISPR-Cas9 Screen Reveals the Importance of the Heparan Sulfate Pathway and the Conserved Oligomeric Golgi Complex for Synthetic Double-Stranded RNA Uptake and Sindbis Virus InfectionWhen facing a viral infection, the organism has to put in place a number of defense mechanisms in order to clear the pathogen from the cell. At the early phase of this preparation for fighting against the invader, the innate immune response is triggered by the sensing of danger signals. Among those molecular cues, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a very potent inducer of different reactions at the cellular level that can ultimately lead...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Lumen of Human Intestinal Organoids Poses Greater Stress to Bacteria Compared to the Germ-Free Mouse Intestine: Escherichia coli Deficient in RpoS as a Colonization ProbeTechnological advancements have driven and will continue to drive the adoption of organotypic systems for investigating host-microbe interactions within the human intestinal ecosystem. Using E. coli deficient in the RpoS-mediated general stress response, we demonstrate that the type or severity of microbial stressors within the HIO lumen is more restrictive than those...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEnhanced Enterovirus D68 Replication in Neuroblastoma Cells Is Associated with a Cell Culture-Adaptive Amino Acid Substitution in VP1Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) causes mild to severe respiratory disease and is associated with acute flaccid myelitis since 2014. Currently, the understanding of the ability of EV-D68 to replicate in the central nervous system (CNS), and whether it is associated with a specific clade of EV-D68 viruses or specific viral factors, is lacking. Comparing different EV-D68 clades did not reveal clade-specific phenotypic characteristics. However, we...