Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNovel Immunomodulatory Flagellin-Like Protein FlaC in Campylobacter jejuni and Other CampylobacteralesFlagellins not only are important for bacterial motility but are major bacterial proteins that can modulate host responses via Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) or other pattern recognition receptors. Campylobacterales colonizing the intestinal tracts of different host species harbor a gene coding for an unusual flagellin, FlaC, that is not involved in motility but is secreted and possesses a chimeric amino acid sequence composed of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyViral Determinants of miR-122-Independent Hepatitis C Virus ReplicationHepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of liver cancer in the Western Hemisphere. HCV infection requires miR-122, which is expressed only in liver cells, and thus is one reason that replication of this virus occurs efficiently only in cells of hepatic origin. To understand how HCV genetics impact miR-122 usage, we knocked out miR-122 using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology and adapted...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Model To Study Enterovirus Infection of Polarized Intestinal Epithelial CellsCoxsackievirus B (CVB), a member of the enterovirus family of RNA viruses, is associated with meningitis, pericarditis, diabetes, dilated cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis, among other pathologies. CVB is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and encounters the epithelium lining the gastrointestinal tract early in infection. The lack of suitable in vivo and in vitro models to study CVB infection of the gastrointestinal...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyManipulation of Host Diet To Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicansCandida albicans, the most common human fungal pathogen, can cause infections with a mortality rate of ~40%. C. albicans is part of the normal gut flora, but when a patient’s immune system is compromised, it can leave the gut and cause infections. By reducing the amount of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyClostridium sordellii Lethal-Toxin Autoprocessing and Membrane Localization Activities Drive GTPase Glucosylation Profiles in Endothelial CellsClostridium sordellii is a bacterium that can infect humans and cause serious disease and death. The principle virulence factor associated with clinical symptoms is a large protein toxin known as lethal toxin. The mechanism of lethal-toxin intoxication is assumed to be similar to that of the homologous toxins from...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Human Adenovirus Type 5 E4orf6/E1B55K E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Complex Can Mimic E1A Effects on E2FDuring the course of work on the adenovirus E3 ubiquitin ligase formed by the viral E4orf6 and E1B55K proteins, we found, very surprisingly, that expression of these species was sufficient to permit low levels of replication of an adenovirus vector lacking E1A, the central regulator of infection. E1A products uncouple E2F transcription factors from Rb repression complexes, thus stimulating viral gene expression and cell and viral DNA...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Human Adenovirus Type 5 E4orf6/E1B55K E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Complex Enhances E1A Functional ActivityFollowing our demonstration that adenovirus E3 ubiquitin ligase formed by the viral E4orf6 and E1B55K proteins is able to mimic the activation of E2F by E1A, we conducted a series of studies to determine if this complex might also promote the ability of E1A to do so. We found that the complex both significantly stabilizes E1A proteins and also enhances their ability to activate E2F. This finding is of significance because it represents...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAcinetobacter baumannii Genes Required for Bacterial Survival during Bloodstream InfectionA. baumannii is a significant cause of bacterial bloodstream infection in humans. Since multiple antibiotic resistance is becoming more common among strains of A. baumannii, there is an urgent need to develop novel tools to treat infections caused by this dangerous pathogen. To develop...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyManipulation of the Gut Microbiota Reveals Role in Colon TumorigenesisMounting evidence indicates that alterations to the gut microbiota, the complex community of bacteria that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract, are strongly associated with the development of colorectal cancer. We used antibiotic perturbations to a murine model of inflammation-driven colon cancer to generate eight starting communities that resulted in various severities of tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we were able to quantitatively...