gene expression
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLaboratory Evolution Experiments Help Identify a Predominant Region of Constitutive Stable DNA Replication InitiationThe bacterium E. coli can replicate its DNA even in the absence of the molecules that are required for canonical replication initiation. This often requires the formation of RNA-DNA hybrid structures and is referred to as constitutive stable DNA replication (cSDR). Where on the chromosome does cSDR initiate? We answer this question using laboratory evolution...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFunctional Characterization of Entamoeba histolytica Argonaute Proteins Reveals a Repetitive DR-Rich Motif Region That Controls Nuclear LocalizationThe protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, which causes amebiasis and affects over 50 million people worldwide, contains an important RNAi pathway for gene silencing. Gene silencing via the RNAi pathway is mediated by the Argonaute (Ago) proteins. However, we lack knowledge on Ago function(s) in this nonmodel system. In this paper, we discovered that three...
Editor's Pick Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyFilamentation Is Associated with Reduced Pathogenicity of Multiple Non-albicans Candida SpeciesMany immunocompromised individuals, including HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, are susceptible to candidiasis. About half of all cases are caused by the major fungal pathogen Candida albicans, whereas the remainder are due to less pathogenic non-albicans Candida species (NACS). Generation of filamentous cells represents a major virulence property of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyActivation of the Extracytoplasmic Function σ Factor σP by β-Lactams in Bacillus thuringiensis Requires the Site-2 Protease RasPThe discovery of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections has had a dramatic and positive impact on human health. However, shortly after the introduction of a new antibiotic, bacteria often develop resistance. The bacterial cell envelope is essential for cell viability and is the target of many of the most commonly used antibiotics, including β-lactam antibiotics. Resistance to β-lactams is often dependent upon β-lactamases. In...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTitrating Gene Function in the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans through Poly-Adenosine Tract InsertionInvestigating a protein’s functional importance at the whole-organism level usually involves altering its expression level or its specific activity and observing the consequences with respect to physiology or phenotype. Several approaches designed to partially or completely abolish the function of a gene, including its deletion from the genome and the use of systems that facilitate conditional expression, have been widely applied....
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFunctionally Related Genes Cluster into Genomic Regions That Coordinate Transcription at a Distance in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeThe two-dimensional, physical positioning of genes along a chromosome can impact proper transcriptional regulation throughout a genomic region. The transcription of neighboring genes is correlated in a genome-wide manner, which is a characteristic of eukaryotes. Many coregulated gene families can be found clustered with another member of the same set—which can result in adjacent gene coregulation of the pair. Due to the myriad gene...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionTranscriptome Assembly and Profiling of Candida auris Reveals Novel Insights into Biofilm-Mediated ResistanceFungal infections represent an important cause of human morbidity and mortality, particularly if the fungi adhere to and grow on both biological and inanimate surfaces as communities of cells (biofilms). Recently, a previously unrecognized yeast, Candida auris, has emerged globally that has led to widespread concern due to the difficulty in treating it with existing...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySystematic Identification, Characterization, and Conservation of Adjacent-Gene Coregulation in the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiaeThe spatial positioning of genes throughout the genome arrangement can alter their expression in many eukaryotic organisms. Often this results in a genomic context-specific effect on transcription. One example of this is through the clustering of functionally related genes, which results in adjacent-gene coregulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySingle-Cell Analysis Reveals Distinct Gene Expression and Heterogeneity in Male and Female Plasmodium falciparum GametocytesMost human deaths that result from malaria are caused by the eukaryotic parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The only form of this parasite that is transmitted to the mosquito is the sexual form, called the gametocyte. The production of mature gametocytes can take up to 2 weeks and results in phenotypically distinct males and females, although what causes this gender-...
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...