Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCampylobacter Abundance in Breastfed Infants and Identification of a New Species in the Global Enterics Multicenter StudyCampylobacter is the primary cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States and can lead to the development of the postinfectious autoimmune neuropathy known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Also, drug-resistant campylobacters are becoming a serious concern both locally and abroad. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), infection with Campylobacter is linked to high rates of morbidity, growth stunting, and mortality...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceHigh Genomic Diversity and Heterogenous Origins of Pathogenic and Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli in Household Settings Represent a Challenge to Reducing Transmission in Low-Income SettingsEscherichia coli is reported in high levels in household soil in low-income settings. When E. coli reaches a soil environment, different mechanisms, including survival, clonal expansion, and genetic exchange, have the potential to either maintain or generate...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLinking Sfl1 Regulation of Hyphal Development to Stress Response Kinases in Candida albicansCandida albicans is a commensal as well as a pathogen of humans. C. albicans is able to mount a cellular response to a diverse range of external stimuli in the host and switch reversibly between the yeast and hyphal growth forms. Hyphal development is a key virulence determinant. Here, we studied...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionBinding of the von Willebrand Factor A Domain of Capillary Morphogenesis Protein 2 to Anthrax Protective Antigen Vaccine Reduces Immunogenicity in MiceThe anthrax toxin PA is the major immunogen in the current anthrax vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed). Improving the anthrax vaccine for avoidance of a cold chain necessitates improvements in the thermodynamic stability of PA. We address how stabilizing PA using sCMG2 affects PA immunogenicity in BALB/c mice. Although the stability of PA is increased by binding to sCMG2, PA immunogenicity is decreased. This study emphasizes that, while...
Commentary | Synthetic BiologymSphere of Influence: Synthetic Biology of Natural Product BiosynthesisMark Walker studies the biosynthesis and engineering of bacterial natural products with the long-term goal of identifying new antibiotic compounds. In this mSphere of Influence, he reflects on how “Direct cloning and refactoring of a silent lipopeptide biosynthetic gene cluster yields the antibiotic taromycin A” by K. Yamanaka, K. A. Reynolds, R. D. Kersten, K. S.
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Intermetal Competition during Manganese ToxicityJulia E. Martin works in the field of metals in biology, with a focus on manganese (Mn) homeostasis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper entitled “Role of the manganese efflux system mntE for signalling and pathogenesis in Streptococcus...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyInfluence of Plasmodium falciparum Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) on the Late Schizont Stage PhosphoproteomeThe malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The P. falciparum parasite proliferates inside red blood cells during the blood stage of infection, and egress from the red blood cell is critical for parasite survival....
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDevelopment and Evaluation of a Novel Protein-Based Assay for Specific Detection of KPC β-Lactamases from Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical IsolatesInfections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are associated with high therapeutic failure and mortality rates. Thus, it is critical to rapidly identify clinical isolates expressing KPC β-lactamases to facilitate administration of the correct antibiotic treatment and initiate infection control strategies. To address this problem, we developed a protein-based, KPC-specific binding assay in combination with a cell...
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...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMagnesium Links Starvation-Mediated Antibiotic Persistence to ATPVarious genes have been identified to be involved in bacterial persister formation regardless of the presence or absence of persister genes. Despite recent discoveries of the roles of ATP and membrane potential in persister formation, the key element that triggers change of ATP or membrane potential remains elusive. Our work demonstrates that Mg2+ instead of other ions or nutrient components is the key element for persistence...