Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionProteomic Analyses of Chlorhexidine Tolerance Mechanisms in Delftia acidovorans BiofilmsDelftia acidovorans has been associated with a number of serious infections, including bacteremia, empyema, bacterial endocarditis, and ocular and urinary tract infections. It has also been linked with a variety of surface-associated nosocomial infections. Biofilm-forming antimicrobial-resistant D. acidovorans strains have also been isolated, including ones...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyModel for the Controlled Synthesis of O-Antigen Repeat Units Involving the WaaL Ligase
Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceMetagenomic Evidence for the Presence of Comammox Nitrospira-Like Bacteria in a Drinking Water SystemNitrification plays an important role in regulating the concentrations of inorganic nitrogen species in a range of environments, from drinking water and wastewater treatment plants to the oceans. Until recently, aerobic nitrification was considered to be a two-step process involving ammonia-oxidizing bacteria or archaea and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. This process requires close cooperation between these two functional guilds for...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Dysferlin Domain-Only Protein, Spo73, Is Required for Prospore Membrane Extension in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeProspore membrane formation consists of de novo double-membrane formation, which occurs during the developmental process of sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Membranes are formed into their proper size and shape, and thus, prospore membrane formation has been studied as a general model of membrane formation. We identified SPO73, previously...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDifferential Spleen Remodeling Associated with Different Levels of Parasite Virulence Controls Disease Outcome in Malaria Parasite InfectionsThe spleen and its response to parasite infection are important in eliminating parasites in malaria. By comparing P. yoelii parasite lines with different disease outcomes in mice that had either intact spleens or had had their spleens removed, we showed that upon parasite infection, the spleen exhibits dramatic changes that can affect parasite clearance. The spleen...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNovel Immunomodulatory Flagellin-Like Protein FlaC in Campylobacter jejuni and Other CampylobacteralesFlagellins not only are important for bacterial motility but are major bacterial proteins that can modulate host responses via Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) or other pattern recognition receptors. Campylobacterales colonizing the intestinal tracts of different host species harbor a gene coding for an unusual flagellin, FlaC, that is not involved in motility but is secreted and possesses a chimeric amino acid sequence composed of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyViral Determinants of miR-122-Independent Hepatitis C Virus ReplicationHepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of liver cancer in the Western Hemisphere. HCV infection requires miR-122, which is expressed only in liver cells, and thus is one reason that replication of this virus occurs efficiently only in cells of hepatic origin. To understand how HCV genetics impact miR-122 usage, we knocked out miR-122 using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology and adapted...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Model To Study Enterovirus Infection of Polarized Intestinal Epithelial CellsCoxsackievirus B (CVB), a member of the enterovirus family of RNA viruses, is associated with meningitis, pericarditis, diabetes, dilated cardiomyopathy, and myocarditis, among other pathologies. CVB is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and encounters the epithelium lining the gastrointestinal tract early in infection. The lack of suitable in vivo and in vitro models to study CVB infection of the gastrointestinal...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyManipulation of Host Diet To Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicansCandida albicans, the most common human fungal pathogen, can cause infections with a mortality rate of ~40%. C. albicans is part of the normal gut flora, but when a patient’s immune system is compromised, it can leave the gut and cause infections. By reducing the amount of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyClostridium sordellii Lethal-Toxin Autoprocessing and Membrane Localization Activities Drive GTPase Glucosylation Profiles in Endothelial CellsClostridium sordellii is a bacterium that can infect humans and cause serious disease and death. The principle virulence factor associated with clinical symptoms is a large protein toxin known as lethal toxin. The mechanism of lethal-toxin intoxication is assumed to be similar to that of the homologous toxins from...