Host-Microbe Biology
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Systematically Decoding Microbial Chemical CommunicationLaura A. Mike works in the field of bacterial pathogenesis. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how “Insights into Secondary Metabolism from a Global Analysis of Prokaryotic Biosynthetic Gene Clusters” by P. Cimermancic et al. (Cell 158:412–421, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.06.034) and “A Systematic Analysis of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in the Human...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Adenosine in Host Defense against Bacterial Pneumonia—Friend or Foe?Elsa N. Bou Ghanem works in the field of innate immune senescence, inflammation, and host defense. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how “Adenosine A2B receptor deficiency promotes host defenses against Gram-negative bacterial pneumonia” by Barletta et al. (K. E. Barletta, R. E. Cagnina, M. D. Burdick, J. Linden, and B. Mehrad, Am J Respir Crit Care Med 186:1044–1050, 2012,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTwo Verticillium dahliae MAPKKKs, VdSsk2 and VdSte11, Have Distinct Roles in Pathogenicity, Microsclerotial Formation, and Stress AdaptationThese data provide insights into the distinctive functions of VdSsk2 and VdSte11 in pathogenicity, stress adaptation, and microsclerotial formation in V. dahliae.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHigh-Throughput Sequence Analysis of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas Indicates Subtype-Specific Viral Gene Expression Patterns and Immune Cell MicroenvironmentsIn this study, we utilized next-generation sequencing data from 7 different studies of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) patient samples to globally assess viral associations, provide insights into the contributions of EBV gene expression to the tumor phenotype, and assess the unique roles of EBV in modulating the immune cell tumor microenvironment. These studies revealed potential roles for EBV replication genes in some PTCL subtypes,...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Clearing a Path for High-Resolution Visualization of Host-Pathogen Interactions In VivoShumin Tan works in the field of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-host interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper “Single-cell phenotyping within transparent intact tissue through whole-body clearing” by B. Yang et al. (Cell 158:945–958, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.07....
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Finding a Direction—How Do Mitochondria Know Where To Go?Lena Pernas works in the field of metabolism of infection. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how work by Brian Cunniff (B. Cunniff, A. J. McKenzie, N. H. Heintz, and A. K. Howe, Mol Biol Cell 27:2662–2674, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e16-05-0286) and Thomas Schwarz (G. Pekkurnaz, J. C. Trinidad, X. Wang, D. Kong, and T. L. Schwarz, Cell 158:54–68, 2014,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyOptimizing Systems for Cas9 Expression in Toxoplasma gondiiToxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that causes life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients and affects the developing fetus when contracted during pregnancy. Closely related species cause malaria and severe diarrhea, thereby constituting leading causes for childhood mortality. Despite their importance to global health, this family of parasites...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Role for the VPS Retromer in Brucella Intracellular Replication Revealed by Genomewide siRNA ScreeningWith >300,000 new cases of human brucellosis annually, Brucella is regarded as one of the most important zoonotic bacterial pathogens worldwide. The agent causing brucellosis resides inside host cells within vacuoles termed Brucella-containing vacuoles (BCVs). Although a few host components required to escape the degradative lysosomal pathway and to establish the ER-derived replicative BCV (rBCV) have already been...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: a Systematic Approach To Dissect Virulence Traits in Candida albicansJ. Christian Pérez studies the interplay between Candida albicans and the mammalian host. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how “Systematic screens of a Candida albicans homozygous deletion library decouple morphogenetic switching and pathogenicity” (S. M. Noble, S. French, L. A....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Aspergillus fumigatus Mucin MsbA Regulates the Cell Wall Integrity Pathway and Controls Recognition of the Fungus by the Immune SystemAspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungus with great medical importance. During infection, Aspergillus grows, forming hyphae that colonize the lung tissue and invade and spread over the mammal host, resulting in high mortality rates. The knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for regulation of fungal growth and virulence comprises an important point...