Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHuman Papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E2 Repression of TWIST1 Transcription Is a Potential Mediator of HPV16 Cancer OutcomesHPV16-positive cancers have a better clinical outcome that their non-HPV anatomical counterparts. Furthermore, the presence of HPV16 E2 RNA predicts a better outcome for HPV16-positive tumors; the reasons for this are not known.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTsrA Regulates Virulence and Intestinal Colonization in Vibrio choleraeCholera is a potentially lethal disease that is endemic in much of the developing world. Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium underlying the disease, infects humans utilizing proteins encoded on horizontally acquired genetic material. Here, we provide evidence that TsrA, a Vibrionaceae-specific protein, plays a critical role in regulating these genetic elements and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyElucidation of DNA Repair Function of PfBlm and Potentiation of Artemisinin Action by a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of RecQ HelicaseMalaria continues to be a serious threat to humankind not only because of the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease but also due to the huge economic burden that it imparts. Resistance to all available drugs and the unavailability of an effective vaccine cry for an urgent discovery of newer drug targets.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPseudomonas Quinolone Signal-Induced Outer Membrane Vesicles Enhance Biofilm Dispersion in Pseudomonas aeruginosaTreatments that manipulate biofilm dispersion hold the potential to convert chronic drug-tolerant biofilm infections from protected sessile communities into released populations that are orders-of-magnitude more susceptible to antimicrobial treatment. However, dispersed cells often exhibit increased acute virulence and dissemination phenotypes.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Clostridioides difficile Cysteine-Rich Exosporium Morphogenetic Protein, CdeC, Exhibits Self-Assembly Properties That Lead to Organized Inclusion Bodies in Escherichia coliThe endospore of Clostridioides difficile is the vehicle for transmission and persistence of the pathogen, and, specifically, the exosporium is the first contact between the host and the spore. The underlying mechanisms that govern exosporium assembly in C. difficile remain understudied, in part due...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIdentification of Spacer and Protospacer Sequence Requirements in the Vibrio cholerae Type I-E CRISPR/Cas SystemBacterial CRISPR/Cas systems provide immunity by defending against phage and other invading elements. A thorough comprehension of the molecular mechanisms employed by these diverse systems will improve our understanding of bacteriophage-bacterium interactions and bacterial adaptation to foreign DNA. The Vibrio cholerae type I-E system was previously identified in an...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyUnique Mode of Cell Division by the Mycobacterial Genetic Resister Clones Emerging De Novo from the Antibiotic-Surviving PopulationThe bacterial pathogens that are tolerant to antibiotics and survive in the continued presence of antibiotics have the chance to acquire genetically resistant mutations against the antibiotics and emerge de novo as antibiotic resisters. Once the antibiotic resister clone has emerged, often with compromise on growth characteristics, for the protection of the species, it is important to establish an antibiotic-resistant...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Putative APSES Transcription Factor RgdA Governs Growth, Development, Toxigenesis, and Virulence in Aspergillus fumigatusImmunocompromised patients are susceptible to infections with the opportunistic human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. This fungus causes systemic infections such as invasive aspergillosis (IA), which is one of the most life-threatening fungal diseases. To control this serious disease, it is critical to identify new antifungal drug targets. In fungi, the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRole of LmeA, a Mycobacterial Periplasmic Protein, in Maintaining the Mannosyltransferase MptA and Its Product Lipomannan under StressMycobacteria differentially regulate the cellular amounts of lipoglycans in response to environmental changes, but the molecular mechanisms of this regulation remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that cellular lipoarabinomannan (LAM) levels rapidly decline under two stress conditions, stationary growth phase and nutrient starvation, while the levels of another related lipoglycan, lipomannan (LM), stay relatively constant. The...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIn Situ Imaging of Candida albicans Hyphal Growth via Atomic Force MicroscopyCandida albicans is one of the most common pathogens of humans. One important virulence factor of C. albicans is its ability to form elongated hyphae that can invade host tissues and cause disseminated infections. Here, we show the effect of different physiologically relevant temperatures and common...