Latest Articles
Editor's Pick Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyFirst Detection of Bat White-Nose Syndrome in Western North AmericaWhite-nose syndrome (WNS) represents one of the most consequential wildlife diseases of modern times. Since it was first documented in New York in 2006, the disease has killed millions of bats and threatens several formerly abundant species with extirpation or extinction. The spread of WNS in eastern North America has been relatively gradual, inducing optimism that disease mitigation strategies could be established in time to conserve...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Therapeutics and PreventionReplacement of Glycoprotein B in Alcelaphine Herpesvirus 1 by Its Ovine Herpesvirus 2 Homolog : Implications in Vaccine Development for Sheep-Associated Malignant Catarrhal FeverVaccine development is a top priority in malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) research. In the case of sheep-associated MCF (SA-MCF) caused by ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), progress toward this objective has been hindered by the absence of methods to attenuate or modify the virus, since it cannot be propagated in vitro. As an alternative for vaccine development, in this study, we tested the hypothesis that one of the SA-MCF vaccine...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEnv7p Associates with the Golgin Protein Imh1 at the trans-Golgi Network in Candida albicansA multitier regulation exists at the trans-Golgi network in all higher organisms. We report a palmitoylated protein kinase, Env7, that functions at the TGN interface by interacting with two more TGN-resident proteins, namely, Imh1 and Arl1. Palmitoylation seems to be important for the specific localization. This study focuses on the involvement of a ubiquitous protein kinase, whose substrates had not yet been reported from any...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionTranscriptomic Analysis of the Activity of a Novel Polymyxin against Staphylococcus aureusS. aureus is currently one of the most pervasive multidrug-resistant pathogens and commonly causes nosocomial infections. Clinicians are faced with a dwindling armamentarium to treat infections caused by S. aureus, as resistance develops to current antibiotics. This accentuates the urgent need for...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyPopulation Genomics of Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureusThe emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens are two of the gravest threats to public health facing the world today. We report the development and application of a novel population genomic technique aimed at uncovering the evolutionary dynamics and genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. This method was...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenome-Wide Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing Analysis of the Penicillium chrysogenum Velvet Protein PcVelA Identifies Methyltransferase PcLlmA as a Novel Downstream Regulator of Fungal DevelopmentFilamentous fungi are of major interest for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. This is due mainly to their ability to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites, many of which are relevant as antibiotics. One of the most prominent examples is penicillin, a β-lactam antibiotic that is produced on the industrial scale by fermentation of P. chrysogenum...
EditorialASM Journals Eliminate Impact Factor Information from Journal WebsitesMany scientists attempt to publish their work in a journal with the highest possible journal impact factor (IF). Despite widespread condemnation of the use of journal IFs to assess the significance of published work, these numbers continue to be widely misused in publication, hiring, funding, and promotion decisions (1, 2...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIlluminating the Sites of Enterovirus Replication in Living Cells by Using a Split-GFP-Tagged Viral ProteinEnteroviruses induce the formation of membranous structures (replication organelles [ROs]) with a unique protein and lipid composition specialized for genome replication. Electron microscopy has revealed the morphology of enterovirus ROs, and immunofluorescence studies have been conducted to investigate their origin and formation. Yet, immunofluorescence analysis of fixed cells results in a rather static view of RO formation, and the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologySeparate F-Type Plasmids Have Shaped the Evolution of the H30 Subclone of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131A clonal lineage of Escherichia coli known as ST131 has emerged as a dominating strain type causing extraintestinal infections in humans. The evolutionary history of ST131 E. coli is now well understood. However, the role of plasmids in ST131’s evolutionary history is poorly defined. This study...
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyPotential Roles of Fungal Extracellular Vesicles during InfectionExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are produced by virtually all cell types. Within the past few years, work in this field has revealed more information about fungal EVs. Fungal EVs have been shown to carry proteins, lipids, pigments, polysaccharides, and RNA; these components are known virulence factors, a fact which supports the hypothesis that fungal EVs concentrate pathogenic determinants.