host-pathogen interactions
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCandida auris Phenotypic Heterogeneity Determines Pathogenicity In VitroCandida auris has recently emerged as an important cause of concern within health care environments due to its ability to persist and tolerate commonly used antiseptics and disinfectants, particularly when attached to a surface (biofilms). This yeast is able to colonize and subsequently infect patients, particularly those that are critically ill or immunosuppressed,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHost-Induced Genome Instability Rapidly Generates Phenotypic Variation across Candida albicans Strains and Ploidy StatesCandida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans. The ability to generate genetic variation is essential for adaptation and is a strategy that C. albicans and other fungal pathogens use to change their genome size. Stressful environments, including the host, induce...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyZupT Facilitates Clostridioides difficile Resistance to Host-Mediated Nutritional ImmunityDuring infection, pathogenic organisms must acquire essential transition metals from the host environment. Through the process of nutritional immunity, the host employs numerous strategies to restrict these key nutrients from invading pathogens. In this study, we describe a mechanism by which the important human pathogen Clostridioides difficile resists transition-...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Decoding Transcriptional Regulatory Networks To Illuminate the Mechanisms of Microbial PathogenicitySadri Znaidi works in the field of molecular mycology with a focus on functional genomics in Candida albicans. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the paper “An iron homeostasis regulatory circuit with reciprocal roles in Candida albicans commensalism and pathogenesis” by Chen...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: an Inupiat Journey in ScienceDr. Kathryn Milligan-Myhre works in the field of host-microbe interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on the people and scientific ideas that influenced her journey from a small town in Alaska to a faculty position at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFunctional Characterization of Secreted Aspartyl Proteases in Candida parapsilosisAspartyl proteases are present in various organisms and, among virulent species, are considered major virulence factors. Host tissue and cell damage, hijacking of immune responses, and hiding from innate immune cells are the most common behaviors of fungal secreted proteases enabling pathogen survival and invasion. C. parapsilosis, an opportunistic human-pathogenic...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySAMHD1 Regulates Human Papillomavirus 16-Induced Cell Proliferation and Viral Replication during Differentiation of KeratinocytesHPVs are causative agents in human cancers and are responsible for around of 5% of all cancers. A better understanding of the viral life cycle in keratinocytes will facilitate the development of novel therapeutics to combat HPV-positive cancers. Here, we present a unique keratinocyte model to identify host proteins that specifically interact with HPV16. Using this system, we report that a cellular gene, SAMHD1, is regulated by HPV16 at...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Clearing a Path for High-Resolution Visualization of Host-Pathogen Interactions In VivoShumin Tan works in the field of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-host interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper “Single-cell phenotyping within transparent intact tissue through whole-body clearing” by B. Yang et al. (Cell 158:945–958, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.07....
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Finding a Direction—How Do Mitochondria Know Where To Go?Lena Pernas works in the field of metabolism of infection. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how work by Brian Cunniff (B. Cunniff, A. J. McKenzie, N. H. Heintz, and A. K. Howe, Mol Biol Cell 27:2662–2674, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e16-05-0286) and Thomas Schwarz (G. Pekkurnaz, J. C. Trinidad, X. Wang, D. Kong, and T. L. Schwarz, Cell 158:54–68, 2014,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCandida glabrata Has No Enhancing Role in the Pathogenesis of Candida-Associated Denture Stomatitis in a Rat ModelMany denture wearers suffer from Candida-associated denture stomatitis (DS), a fungal infection of the hard palate in contact with dentures. Biofilm formation by Candida albicans on denture/palate surfaces is considered a central process in the infection onset. Although Candida glabrata is...