Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyInterplay of Klebsiella pneumoniae fabZ and lpxC Mutations Leads to LpxC Inhibitor-Dependent Growth Resulting from Loss of Membrane HomeostasisEmergence of antibiotic resistance has prompted efforts to identify and optimize novel inhibitors of antibacterial targets such as LpxC. This enzyme catalyzes the first committed step of lipid A synthesis, which is necessary to generate lipopolysaccharide and ultimately the Gram-negative protective outer membrane. Investigation of this pathway and its interrelationship with inner membrane (phospholipid) biosynthesis or other pathways is...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIntracellular Signaling by the comRS System in Streptococcus mutans Genetic CompetenceThe ComRS system can function as a quorum sensing trigger for genetic competence in S. mutans. The signal peptide XIP, which is derived from the precursor ComS, enters the cell and interacts with the Rgg-type cytosolic receptor ComR to activate comX, which encodes the alternative sigma factor for the late competence genes. Previous studies have demonstrated...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA High-Throughput Screening Approach To Repurpose FDA-Approved Drugs for Bactericidal Applications against Staphylococcus aureus Small-Colony VariantsConventional antibiotics fail to successfully treat chronic osteomyelitis, endocarditis, and device-related and airway infections. These recurring infections are associated with the emergence of SCV, which are recalcitrant to conventional antibiotics. Studies have investigated antibiotic therapies to treat SCV-related infections but have had little success, emphasizing the need to identify novel antimicrobial drugs. However, drug...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGlucose Signaling Is Important for Nutrient Adaptation during Differentiation of Pleomorphic African TrypanosomesAs the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei completes its life cycle, it encounters many different environments. Adaptation to these environments includes modulation of metabolic pathways to parallel the availability of nutrients. Here, we describe how the blood-dwelling life cycle stages of the African trypanosome, which consume glucose to meet their nutritional...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Nonribosomal Peptide Synthase Gene Driving Virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosisOver 10 million people developed tuberculosis (TB) in 2016, and over 1.8 million individuals succumbed to the disease. These numbers make TB the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent. Therefore, finding novel therapeutic targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen that causes most cases of human TB, is...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyModeling Ebola Virus Transmission Using FerretsOur knowledge regarding transmission of EBOV between individuals is vague and is mostly limited to spreading via direct contact with infectious bodily fluids. Studying transmission parameters such as dose and route of infection is nearly impossible in naturally acquired cases—hence the requirement for a laboratory animal model. Here, we show as a proof of concept that ferrets can be used to study EBOV transmission. We also show that...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHog1 Regulates Stress Tolerance and Virulence in the Emerging Fungal Pathogen Candida aurisThe rapid global emergence and resistance of Candida auris to current antifungal drugs highlight the importance of understanding the virulence traits exploited by this human fungal pathogen to cause disease. Here, we characterize the stress resistance profile of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNewly Identified Nucleoid-Associated-Like Protein YlxR Regulates Metabolic Gene Expression in Bacillus subtilisExpression of genes encoding NAPs is often temporally regulated. According to results from single-cell analysis, the ylxR gene is induced by glucose and expressed in a bistable mode. These characteristics have not previously been reported for NAP gene expression. Transcriptional profiling of the ylxR disruptant revealed a change in the expression levels of approximately 400 genes, including genes for synthesis of 12...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyClostridial Butyrate Biosynthesis Enzymes Are Significantly Depleted in the Gut Microbiota of Nonobese Diabetic MiceAlterations of the gut microbiota early in age have been hypothesized to impact T1D autoimmune pathogenesis. In the NOD mouse model, protection from T1D has been found to operate via modulation of the composition of the intestinal microbiota during a critical early window of ontogeny, although little is known about microbiota functions related to T1D development. Here, we show which gut microbial functions are specifically associated...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFunctional Mapping of Transcription Factor Grf10 That Regulates Adenine-Responsive and Filamentation Genes in Candida albicansMetabolic adaptation and morphogenesis are essential for Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, to survive and infect diverse body sites in the mammalian host. C. albicans utilizes transcription factors to tightly control the transcription of metabolic genes and morphogenesis genes. Grf10...