Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFunctional Analyses of Cytokinesis Regulators in Bloodstream Stage Trypanosoma brucei Parasites Identify Functions and Regulations Specific to the Life Cycle StageThe early divergent protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. This parasite has a complex life cycle by alternating between the insect vector and the mammalian hosts and proliferates by binary cell fission. The control of cell division in trypanosomes appears to be distinct...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPhotocatalytic Protein Damage by Silver Nanoparticles Circumvents Bacterial Stress Response and Multidrug ResistanceAlthough silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are well known for their antibacterial properties, the mechanism by which they kill bacterial cells remains a topic of debate. In this study, we uncovered the bactericidal mechanism of AgNPs, which is induced by light. We tested the efficacy of AgNPs against a panel of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens as well as Escherichia coli...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Tripartite, Hierarchical Sigma Factor Cascade Promotes Hormogonium Development in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiformeCyanobacteria are integral to global carbon and nitrogen cycles, and their metabolic capacity coupled with their ease of genetic manipulation make them attractive platforms for applications such as biomaterial and biofertilizer production. Achieving these goals will likely require a detailed understanding and precise rewiring of these organisms’ GRNs. The complex phenotypic plasticity of filamentous cyanobacteria has also made them...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRoles of the Transcription Factors Sfl2 and Efg1 in White-Opaque Switching in a/α Strains of Candida albicansMore than 95% of Candida albicans strains isolated from humans are MTLa/α, and approximately a third of these can undergo the white-to-opaque transition. Therefore, besides being a requirement for MTL-homozygous strains to mate, the opaque phenotype very likely plays a role in the commensalism and pathogenesis of nonmating, a...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyComprehensive Identification of Fim-Mediated Inversions in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli with Structural Variation Detection Using Relative EntropyUTI is a common ailment that affects more than half of all women during their lifetime. The leading cause of UTIs is UPEC, which relies on type 1 pili to colonize and persist within the bladder during infection. The regulation of type 1 pili is remarkable for an epigenetic mechanism in which a section of DNA containing a promoter is inverted. The inversion mechanism relies on what are thought to be dedicated recombinase genes; however,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPyrophosphate Stimulates the Phosphate-Sodium Symporter of Trypanosoma brucei Acidocalcisomes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae VacuolesAcidocalcisomes, first described in trypanosomes and known to be present in a variety of cells, have similarities with S. cerevisiae vacuoles in their structure and composition. Both organelles share a Na+/Pi symporter involved in Pi release to the cytosol, where it is needed for biosynthetic reactions. Here we show that PPi...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyOXA-48-Mediated Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance Is Associated with Evolutionary Trade-OffsThe recent introduction of novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations like ceftazidime-avibactam has increased our ability to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, including carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. However, the increasing number of cases of reported resistance to ceftazidime-avibactam is a concern. OXA-48 is a carbapenemase that has no significant effect on ceftazidime,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyExtracellular Vesicle-Mediated RNA Release in Histoplasma capsulatumExtracellular vesicles (EVs) play important roles in cellular communication and pathogenesis. The RNA molecules in EVs have been implicated in a variety of processes. EV-associated RNA classes have recently been described in pathogenic fungi; however, only a few reports of studies describing the RNAs in fungal EVs are available. Improved knowledge of EV-associated RNA will contribute to the understanding of their role during infection....
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyProximity Staining Using Enzymatic Protein Tagging in DiplomonadsThe function of many proteins is intrinsically related to their cellular location. Novel methods for ascertainment of the ultrastructural location of proteins have been introduced in recent years, but their implementation in protists has so far not been readily realized. Here, we present an optimized proximity labeling protocol using the APEX system in the salmon pathogen ...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCRISPR Interference for Rapid Knockdown of Essential Cell Cycle Genes in Lactobacillus plantarumL. plantarum is an important bacterium for applications in food and health. Deep insights into the biology and physiology of this species are therefore necessary for further strain optimization and exploitation; however, the functions of essential genes in the bacterium are mainly unknown due to the lack of accessible genetic tools. The CRISPRi system developed here...