Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBiotinylated Surfome Profiling Identifies Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Therapy of Aspergillus fumigatus InfectionAspergillus fumigatus is the most important airborne human-pathogenic mold, capable of causing both life-threatening invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients and allergy-inducing infections in individuals with atopic allergy. Despite its obvious medical relevance, timely diagnosis and efficient antifungal treatment of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Genomewide Alternative Splicing Events in Sequential, Isogenic Clinical Isolates of Candida albicans Reveals a Novel Mechanism of Drug Resistance and Tolerance to Cellular StressesThe emergence of resistance in Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogen, against the commonly used antifungals is becoming a major obstacle in its treatment. The necessity to identify new drug targets demands fundamental insights into the mechanisms used by this organism to develop drug resistance. C....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMARTX Toxin-Stimulated Interplay between Human Cells and Vibrio vulnificusV. vulnificus is an opportunistic human pathogen that can cause life-threatening sepsis in immunocompromised patients via seafood poisoning or wound infection. Among the toxic substances produced by this pathogen, the MARTX toxin greatly contributes to disease progression by promoting the dysfunction and death of host cells, which allows the bacteria to disseminate...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNovel Method for the Separation of Male and Female Gametocytes of the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum That Enables Biological and Drug DiscoveryThe protozoan Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of human malaria. The development of sexual forms (so-called gametocytes) is crucial for disease transmission. However, knowledge of these forms is severely hampered by the paucity of sex-specific markers and the inability to extract single sex gametocytes in high purity. Moreover, the identification of...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologySerologic Evidence for the Exposure of Eastern Coyotes (Canis latrans) in Pennsylvania to the Tick-Borne Pathogens Borreliella burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilumThe incidence of Lyme disease (Borreliella burgdorferi) and anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum) are increasing in North America and Europe. The causative agents of these debilitating tick-transmitted infections are maintained in nature in an enzootic cycle involving Ixodes ticks and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRoot Microbiome Modulates Plant Growth Promotion Induced by Low Doses of GlyphosateSince the introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops, glyphosate has become the most common and widely used herbicide around the world. Due to its intensive use and ability to bind to soil particles, it can be found at low concentrations in the environment. The effect of these remnants of glyphosate in plants has not been broadly studied; however, glyphosate 1,000 to 100,000 times less concentrated than the recommended field dose...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyComparative Evaluations of the Pathogenesis of Candida auris Phenotypes and Candida albicans Using Clinically Relevant Murine Models of InfectionsThe newly emerged Candida species C. auris has been associated with an exponential rise in invasive disease in health care facilities worldwide with a mortality rate approaching 60%. C. auris exhibits a high level of transmissibility, multidrug resistance, and persistence in hospital...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Critical Role for Perivascular Cells in Amplifying Vascular Leakage Induced by Dengue Virus Nonstructural Protein 1The World Health Organization considers dengue one of the top 10 global public health problems. There is no specific antiviral therapy to treat dengue virus and no way of predicting which patients will develop potentially fatal severe dengue, typified by vascular leakage and circulatory shock. We show here that perivascular cells (pericytes) amplify the vascular leakage-inducing effects of the dengue viral protein NS1 through contact-...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Cytomegalovirus miR-US5-2 Downregulation of GAB1 Regulates Cellular Proliferation and UL138 Expression through Modulation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling PathwaysHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes significant disease in immunocompromised individuals, including transplant patients. HCMV establishes latency in hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. The mechanisms governing latency and reactivation of viral replication are complex and not fully understood. HCMV-encoded miRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that reduce protein expression. In this study, we found that the HCMV miRNA miR-US5-2...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMolecular Elucidation of Riboflavin Production and Regulation in Candida albicans, toward a Novel Antifungal Drug TargetCandida albicans is an important fungal pathogen causing common superficial infections as well as invasive diseases with an extremely high morbidity and mortality. Antifungal therapies are limited in efficiency and availability. In this research, we describe the regulation of riboflavin production in C....