Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySad1 Spatiotemporally Regulates Kinetochore Clustering To Ensure High-Fidelity Chromosome Segregation in the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformansThe linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex is present in fungi, animals, and plants. It performs diverse functions in animals, and its role(s) have recently been explored in plants. In ascomycetous yeast species, the role of the LINC complex in spindle pole body function and telomere clustering during meiosis has been determined. However, nothing is known about the LINC complex in the fungal phylum of Basidiomycota. In...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAnti-HIV-1 Activity of Lactic Acid in Human Cervicovaginal FluidThe Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota is associated with a reduced risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Lactic acid is a major organic acid metabolite produced by lactobacilli that acidifies the vagina and has been reported to have inhibitory activity in vitro against bacterial, protozoan, and viral STIs, including HIV infections. However, the anti-HIV...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTranscriptome Analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae during Natural Infection Reveals Differential Expression of Antibiotic Resistance Determinants between Men and WomenRecent emergence of antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae worldwide has resulted in limited therapeutic choices for treatment of infections caused by this organism. We performed global transcriptomic analysis of N. gonorrhoeae in subjects with gonorrhea who attended a Nanjing, China,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyClostridium difficile Alters the Structure and Metabolism of Distinct Cecal Microbiomes during Initial Infection To Promote Sustained ColonizationClostridium difficile has become the most common single cause of hospital-acquired infection over the last decade in the United States. Colonization resistance to the nosocomial pathogen is primarily provided by the gut microbiota, which is also involved in clearing the infection as the community recovers from perturbation. As distinct antibiotics are associated with...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyClostridium difficile Lipoprotein GerS Is Required for Cortex Modification and Thus Spore GerminationThe Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Because C. difficile is an obligate anaerobe, its aerotolerant spores are essential for transmitting disease, and their germination into toxin-producing cells is necessary for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySerum-Mediated Cleavage of Bacillus anthracis Protective Antigen Is a Two-Step Process That Involves a Serum CarboxypeptidaseOur findings identify a serum-mediated modification of PA20 that has not been previously described. These observations further imply that the processing of PA is more complex than currently thought. Additional study is needed to define the contribution of serum processing of PA to the host response and individual susceptibility to anthrax.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePersistence of Resident and Transplanted Genotypes of the Undomesticated Yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus in Forest SoilSaccharomyces yeasts are intensively studied in biological research and in their domesticated roles in brewing and baking, and yet, remarkably little is known about their mode of life in forest soils. We report here that resident genotypes of the yeast S. paradoxus are persistent on a time scale of years in their microhabitats in forest soils. We also show...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDivergent Small Tim Homologues Are Associated with TbTim17 and Critical for the Biogenesis of TbTim17 Protein Complexes in Trypanosoma bruceiTrypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. The parasite’s mitochondrion represents a useful source for potential chemotherapeutic targets. Similarly to yeast and humans, mitochondrial functions depend on the import of proteins that are encoded in the nucleus and made in the cytosol. Even though the machinery involved in this mitochondrial...
