Vibrio cholerae
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...
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceProphage-Dependent Neighbor Predation Fosters Horizontal Gene Transfer by Natural TransformationProphages are nearly ubiquitous in bacterial species. These integrated phage elements have previously been implicated in horizontal gene transfer (HGT) largely through their ability to carry out transduction (generalized or specialized). Here, we show that prophage-encoded viral particles promote neighbor predation leading to enhanced HGT by natural transformation in the waterborne pathogen...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAntibiotic Resistance in Vibrio cholerae: Mechanistic Insights from IncC Plasmid-Mediated Dissemination of a Novel Family of Genomic Islands Inserted at trmEThe increasing association of the etiological agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 and O139, with multiple antibiotic resistance threatens to deprive health practitioners of this effective tool. Drug resistance in cholera results mainly from acquisition of mobile genetic elements. Genomic islands conferring multidrug resistance and mobilizable by IncC...
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyVibrio cholerae at the Intersection of Immunity and the MicrobiomeVibrio cholerae is a noninvasive pathogen that colonizes the small intestine and produces cholera toxin, causing severe secretory diarrhea. Cholera results in long lasting immunity, and recent studies have improved our understanding of the antigenic repertoire of V. cholerae. Interactions between...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPosttranslational Regulation of IL-23 Production Distinguishes the Innate Immune Responses to Live Toxigenic versus Heat-Inactivated Vibrio choleraeAn episode of cholera provides better protection against reinfection than oral cholera vaccines, and the reasons for this are still under study. To better understand this, we compared the immune responses of human cells exposed to live Vibrio cholerae with those of cells exposed to heat-killed V. cholerae...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyUnsupervised Learning Approach for Comparing Multiple Transposon Insertion Sequencing StudiesForward genetic screens are powerful tools for functional genomics. The comparison of similar forward genetic screens performed in different organisms enables the identification of genes with similar or different phenotypes across organisms. Transposon insertion sequencing is a widely used method for conducting genome-scale forward genetic screens in bacteria, yet few bioinformatic approaches have been developed to compare the results...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSublingual Adjuvant Delivery by a Live Attenuated Vibrio cholerae-Based Antigen Presentation PlatformDiarrheal disease is the most common infectious disease of children in the developing world. Our goal is to develop a diarrheal antigen presentation platform based on whole Vibrio cholerae cells that does not depend on protein purification. We have previously shown the feasibility of genetically fusing antigens to the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIn Situ Analyses Directly in Diarrheal Stool Reveal Large Variations in Bacterial Load and Active Toxin Expression of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio choleraeThe cause of diarrheal disease is usually determined by screening for several microorganisms by various methods, and sole detection is used to assign the agent as the cause of disease. However, it has become increasingly clear that many infections are caused by coinfections with several pathogens and that the dose of the infecting pathogen is important. We quantified the absolute numbers of enterotoxigenic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Regulator-Encoding Genes Have an Additive Effect on Virulence Gene Expression in a Vibrio cholerae Clinical IsolateCholera, an infectious disease of the small intestine caused by the aquatic bacterium Vibrio cholerae, often results in vomiting and acute watery diarrhea. If left untreated or if the response is too slow, the symptoms can quickly lead to extreme dehydration and ultimately death of the patient. Recent anecdotal evidence of cholera patients suffering from increasingly...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCirculation of a Quorum-Sensing-Impaired Variant of Vibrio cholerae Strain C6706 Masks Important PhenotypesPhenotypic diversity between laboratory-domesticated bacterial strains is a common problem and often results in the failed reproduction of published data. However, researchers rarely compare such strains to elucidate the underlying mutation(s). In this study, we tested one of the best-studied V. cholerae isolates, O1 El Tor strain C6706 (a patient isolate from Peru),...