Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Lactobacillus Bile Salt Hydrolase Repertoire Reveals Niche-Specific AdaptationBile acids play an integral role in shaping the gut microbiota and host physiology by regulating metabolic signaling, weight gain, and serum cholesterol and liver triglyceride levels. Given these important roles of bile acids, we investigated the presence of bile salt hydrolase (BSH) in Lactobacillus genomes representing 170 different species, determined strain- and species-specific patterns of occurrences, and expanded on the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenetic Variation of the SusC/SusD Homologs from a Polysaccharide Utilization Locus Underlies Divergent Fructan Specificities and Functional Adaptation in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron StrainsDietary polysaccharides play a dominant role in shaping the composition and functionality of our gut microbiota. Dietary interventions using these microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) serve as a promising tool for manipulating the gut microbial community. However, our current gap in knowledge regarding microbial metabolic pathways that are...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenes Activated by Vibrio cholerae upon Exposure to Caenorhabditis elegans Reveal the Mannose-Sensitive Hemagglutinin To Be Essential for ColonizationThe waterborne diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The facultative human pathogen persists as a natural inhabitant in the aquatic ecosystem between outbreaks. In contrast to the human host, V. cholerae requires a different set of genes to survive in this hostile...
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 | 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...
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.
...
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...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyIn Defense of an Academic Career in MicrobiologyThe rise of Quit Lit describing the myriad reasons for leaving academia and constant complaining by mentors leave many trainees with little desire for an academic career. Although there are clearly structural and social problems in academia, I feel that they are outweighed by the benefits of working and living in an academic environment.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Protease IV Exacerbates Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Systemic DiseaseS. pneumoniae remains the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia despite widespread use of pneumococcal vaccines, forcing the necessity for appropriate treatment to control pneumococcal infections. Coinfections involving S. pneumoniae with other bacterial pathogens threaten antibiotic treatment...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Predicted Mannoprotein Participates in Cryptococcus gattii Capsular StructureCryptococcus gattii has the ability to escape from the host’s immune system through poorly understood mechanisms and can lead to the death of healthy individuals. The role of mannoproteins in C. gattii pathogenicity is not completely understood. The present work characterized a protein, Kpr1, that...