Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Clostridioides difficile Cysteine-Rich Exosporium Morphogenetic Protein, CdeC, Exhibits Self-Assembly Properties That Lead to Organized Inclusion Bodies in Escherichia coliThe endospore of Clostridioides difficile is the vehicle for transmission and persistence of the pathogen, and, specifically, the exosporium is the first contact between the host and the spore. The underlying mechanisms that govern exosporium assembly in C. difficile remain understudied, in part due...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyUnique Mode of Cell Division by the Mycobacterial Genetic Resister Clones Emerging De Novo from the Antibiotic-Surviving PopulationThe bacterial pathogens that are tolerant to antibiotics and survive in the continued presence of antibiotics have the chance to acquire genetically resistant mutations against the antibiotics and emerge de novo as antibiotic resisters. Once the antibiotic resister clone has emerged, often with compromise on growth characteristics, for the protection of the species, it is important to establish an antibiotic-resistant...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyFunctional Characterization of Circulating Mumps Viruses with Stop Codon Mutations in the Small Hydrophobic ProteinMumps virus (MuV) outbreaks occur in the United States despite high coverage with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Routine genotyping of laboratory-confirmed mumps cases has been practiced in the United States since 2006 to enhance mumps surveillance. This study reports the detection of unusual mutations in the small hydrophobic (SH) protein of contemporary laboratory-confirmed mumps cases and is the first to describe the impact...
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...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceHomologous Recombination in Clostridioides difficile Mediates Diversification of Cell Surface Features and Transport SystemsInfections with C. difficile result in up to half a million illnesses and tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States. The severity of C. difficile illness is dependent on both host and bacterial factors.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGut Microbiota Predict Enterococcus Expansion but Not Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus AcquisitionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that VRE causes an estimated 54,000 infections and 539 million dollars in attributable health care costs annually. Despite improvements in hand washing, environmental cleaning, and antibiotic use, VRE is still prevalent in many hospitals. There is a pressing need to better understand the processes by which patients acquire VRE. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that intestinal...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssessment of In Vitro and In Silico Protocols for Sequence-Based Characterization of the Human Vaginal MicrobiomeThe vaginal microbiome has been connected to various aspects of host health, including susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections as well as gynecological cancers and pregnancy outcomes. This has led to a thriving research environment but also to conflicting available methodologies, including many studies that do not report their molecular biological and bioinformatic methods in sufficient detail to be considered reproducible....
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Putative APSES Transcription Factor RgdA Governs Growth, Development, Toxigenesis, and Virulence in Aspergillus fumigatusImmunocompromised patients are susceptible to infections with the opportunistic human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. This fungus causes systemic infections such as invasive aspergillosis (IA), which is one of the most life-threatening fungal diseases. To control this serious disease, it is critical to identify new antifungal drug targets. In fungi, the...
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 | Host-Microbe BiologyGenome-Wide CRISPR-Cas9 Screen Reveals the Importance of the Heparan Sulfate Pathway and the Conserved Oligomeric Golgi Complex for Synthetic Double-Stranded RNA Uptake and Sindbis Virus InfectionWhen facing a viral infection, the organism has to put in place a number of defense mechanisms in order to clear the pathogen from the cell. At the early phase of this preparation for fighting against the invader, the innate immune response is triggered by the sensing of danger signals. Among those molecular cues, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a very potent inducer of different reactions at the cellular level that can ultimately lead...