Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAntibiotic Stimulation of a Bacillus subtilis Migratory ResponseAntibiotic resistance is a major challenge for the effective treatment of infectious diseases. Identifying adaptive mechanisms that bacteria use to survive low levels of antibiotic stress is important for understanding pathways to antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, little is known about the effects of individual bacterial interactions on multispecies communities. This work demonstrates that subinhibitory amounts of some antibiotics...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTreatment of HIV-Infected Individuals with the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Panobinostat Results in Increased Numbers of Regulatory T Cells and Limits Ex Vivo Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory ResponsesThe effect of treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors on the immune system in HIV-infected individuals is not clear. Analysis of results from a clinical trial in which 15 HIV-infected individuals received 12 doses of panobinostat identified a significant impact on both T cell activation status and regulatory T cell suppressive marker expression and a reduced level of monocytic responsiveness to inflammatory stimuli. These changes...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenomewide Identification of Essential Genes and Fitness Determinants of Streptococcus mutans UA159Tooth decay (dental caries) is a common cause of pain, impaired quality of life, and tooth loss in children and adults. It begins because of a compositional change in the microorganisms that colonize the tooth surface driven by repeated and sustained carbohydrate intake. Although several bacterial species are associated with tooth decay, Streptococcus mutans is the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTranscriptional Regulation of Carnitine Catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by CdhRPathogens must metabolize host-derived compounds during infection and properly regulate the responsible pathways. Carnitine is a common eukaryotic-associated quaternary amine compound that can be catabolized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here we expand on our understanding of how this metabolic pathway is regulated and provide details on how carnitine catabolism is...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyC-Terminal Farnesylation of UCH-L1 Plays a Role in Transport of Epstein-Barr Virus Primary Oncoprotein LMP1 to ExosomesExosomes are small vesicles that cells secrete into the extracellular space, and there is increasing evidence that they have pivotal roles in cell-to-cell communication in malignancy. It is reported also that EBV-associated malignant cells, including those derived from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and B-cell lymphoma, secrete exosomes. These EBV-related exosomes may contain viral products such as latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLanthanide-Dependent Regulation of Methylotrophy in Methylobacterium aquaticum Strain 22ALanthanides have been considered unimportant for biological processes. In methylotrophic bacteria, however, a methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) encoded by xoxF was recently found to be lanthanide dependent, while the classic-type mxaFI is calcium dependent. XoxF-type MDHs are more widespread in diverse bacterial genera, suggesting their importance for methylotrophy. Methylobacterium species, representative...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEctopic Expression of O Antigen in Bordetella pertussis by a Novel Genomic Integration SystemSome bacterial phenotypes emerge through the cooperative functions of a number of genes residing within a large genetic locus. To transfer the phenotype of one bacterium to another, a means to introduce the large genetic locus into the recipient bacterium is needed. Therefore, we developed a novel system by combining the advantages of a bacterial artificial chromosome vector and phage-derived gene integration machinery. In this study,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRcaE-Dependent Regulation of Carboxysome Structural Proteins Has a Central Role in Environmental Determination of Carboxysome Morphology and Abundance in Fremyella diplosiphonCarboxysomes are proteinaceous subcellular compartments, or bacterial organelles, found in cyanobacteria that consist of a protein shell surrounding a core primarily composed of the enzyme ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) that is central to the carbon dioxide-concentrating mechanism (CCM) and carbon fixation. Whereas significant insights have been gained regarding the structure and synthesis of carboxysomes,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRNase III Domain of KREPB9 and KREPB10 Association with Editosomes in Trypanosoma bruceiTrypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness. U insertion/deletion RNA editing in T. brucei generates mature mitochondrial mRNAs. Editing is essential for survival in mammalian hosts and tsetse fly vectors and is differentially regulated during the parasite life...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAn Intracellular Ammonium Transporter Is Necessary for Replication, Differentiation, and Resistance to Starvation and Osmotic Stress in Trypanosoma cruziTrypanosoma cruzi is an important human and animal pathogen and the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. The parasite undergoes drastic changes in its metabolism during its life cycle. Amino acid consumption becomes important in the infective stages and leads to the production of ammonia (NH3), which needs to be detoxified. We report here the identification...