Latest Articles
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceRegulation of Yeast-to-Hyphae Transition in Yarrowia lipolyticaMany yeasts undergo a morphological transition from yeast-to-hyphal growth in response to environmental conditions. We used forward and reverse genetic techniques to identify genes regulating this transition in Yarrowia lipolytica. We confirmed that the transcription factor Ylmsn2 is required for the transition to hyphal growth and found that signaling by the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMarginal Zinc Deficiency and Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Arsenic Elicit Combined Effects on the Gut MicrobiomeXenobiotic compounds, such as arsenic, have the potential to alter the composition and functioning of the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome may also interact with these compounds to mediate their impact on the host. However, little is known about how dietary variation may reshape how the microbiome responds to xenobiotic exposures or how these modified responses may in turn impact host physiology. Here, we investigated the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyA Longitudinal Epidemiology Study of Meningococcal Carriage in Students 13 to 25 Years Old in QuebecDisease caused by Neisseria meningitidis is associated with serious complications and a high fatality rate. Asymptomatic individuals can harbor the bacterium in the throat, a state known as “carriage,” which can lead to person-to-person spread of the pathogen. This study examined N. meningitidis...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologycsrB Gene Duplication Drives the Evolution of Redundant Regulatory Pathways Controlling Expression of the Major Toxic Secreted Metalloproteases in Vibrio tasmaniensis LGP32The conserved CsrB sRNAs are an example of sibling sRNAs, i.e., sRNAs which are present in multiple copies in genomes. This report illustrates how new copies arise through gene duplication events and highlights two evolutionary advantages of having such multiple copies: differential regulation of the multiple copies allows integration of different input signals into the regulatory network of which they are parts, and the high redundancy...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIndependent Mechanisms for Acquired Salt Tolerance versus Growth Resumption Induced by Mild Ethanol Pretreatment in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMicrobes in nature frequently experience “boom or bust” cycles of environmental stress. Thus, microbes that can anticipate the onset of stress would have an advantage. One way that microbes anticipate future stress is through acquired stress resistance, where cells exposed to a mild dose of one stress gain the ability to survive an otherwise lethal dose of a subsequent stress. In the budding yeast...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyTetrasodium EDTA Is Effective at Eradicating Biofilms Formed by Clinically Relevant Microorganisms from Patients’ Central Venous CathetersThe colonization of catheters by microorganisms often precludes their long-term use, which can be a problem for human patients that have few body sites available for new catheters. The colonizing organisms often form biofilms, and increasingly these organisms are resistant to multiple antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. In this article, we have taken microorganisms that are associated with biofilm formation in catheters from...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRegulation of Epstein-Barr Virus Life Cycle and Cell Proliferation by Histone H3K27 Methyltransferase EZH2 in Akata CellsThe life cycle of EBV is regulated by epigenetic modifications, such as CpG methylation and histone modifications. Here, we found that the expression of EZH2, which encodes a histone H3K27 methyltransferase, was induced by EBV infection; therefore, we generated EZH2-KO cells to investigate the role of EZH2 in EBV-infected Akata B cells. Disruption of EZH2 resulted in increased expression of EBV genes during the lytic phase and,...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionImproving Our Understanding of Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B through the Engineering and Testing of a Live Attenuated Vaccine StrainWe developed a live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B vaccine that conferred protection in mice against challenge with S. Paratyphi B sensu stricto and S. Paratyphi B Java, which are the causes of enteric fever and gastroenteritis, respectively. Currently, the incidence of invasive S. Paratyphi B sensu stricto...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLabel-Free Digital Holo-tomographic Microscopy Reveals Virus-Induced Cytopathic Effects in Live CellsThis study introduces label-free digital holo-tomographic microscopy (DHTM) and refractive index gradient (RIG) measurements of live, virus-infected cells. We use DHTM to describe virus type-specific cytopathic effects, including cyclic volume changes of vaccinia virus infections, and cytoplasmic condensations in herpesvirus and rhinovirus infections, distinct from apoptotic cells. This work shows for the first time that DHTM is...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionGlycerol Monolaurate (GML) and a Nonaqueous Five-Percent GML Gel Kill Bacillus and Clostridium SporesBacillus and Clostridium spores are known to be highly resistant to killing, persisting on environmental and human body surfaces for long periods of time. In favorable environments, these spores may germinate and cause human diseases. It is thus important to identify agents that can be used on both environmental and human skin and mucosal surfaces and that are effective in killing spores. We previously showed that the...