Latest Articles
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDispensable Role of Mitochondrial Fission Protein 1 (Fis1) in the Erythrocytic Development of Plasmodium falciparumMalaria is responsible for over 230 million clinical cases and ∼half a million deaths each year. The single mitochondrion of the malaria parasite functions as a metabolic hub throughout the parasite’s developmental cycle (DC) and also as a source of ATP in certain stages. To pass on its essential functions, the parasite’s mitochondrion needs to be properly divided and segregated into all progeny during cell division via a process termed...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionEstablishment of a Controlled Human Infection Model with a Lyophilized Strain of Shigella sonnei 53GControlled human infection models (CHIMs) are invaluable tools utilized to understand the human response to infection, potentially leading to protective immune mechanisms and allowing efficacy testing of enteric countermeasures, including vaccines, antibiotics, and other products. The development of an improved Shigella CHIM for both Shigella sonnei and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNeurotropic Lineage III Strains of Listeria monocytogenes Disseminate to the Brain without Reaching High Titer in the BloodProgress in understanding the two naturally occurring central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of listeriosis (meningitis/meningoencephalitis and rhombencephalitis) has been limited by the lack of small animal models that can readily distinguish between these distinct infections. We report here that certain neurotropic strains of Listeria monocytogenes can spread...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyWerner Syndrome Protein (WRN) Regulates Cell Proliferation and the Human Papillomavirus 16 Life Cycle during Epithelial DifferentiationHPV16 is the major human viral carcinogen, responsible for around 3 to 4% of all cancers worldwide. Our understanding of how the viral replication machinery interacts with host factors to control/activate the DNA damage response to promote the viral life cycle remains incomplete. Recently, we demonstrated a SIRT1-WRN axis that controls HPV16 replication, and here we demonstrate that this axis persists in clinical cervical lesions...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPutative Membrane Receptors Contribute to Activation and Efficient Signaling of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascades during Adaptation of Aspergillus fumigatus to Different Stressors and Carbon SourcesAspergillus fumigatus is an important human-pathogenic fungal species that is responsible for a high incidence of infections in immunocompromised individuals. A. fumigatus high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) and cell wall integrity pathways are important for the adaptation to different forms of...
Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceNo to Neocosmospora: Phylogenomic and Practical Reasons for Continued Inclusion of the Fusarium solani Species Complex in the Genus FusariumThis article is to alert medical mycologists and infectious disease specialists of recent name changes of medically important species of the filamentous mold Fusarium. Fusarium species can cause localized and life-threating infections in humans. Of the 70 Fusarium species that have been reported to cause infections, close to one-third are members of the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyCompetitive SARS-CoV-2 Serology Reveals Most Antibodies Targeting the Spike Receptor-Binding Domain Compete for ACE2 BindingWith the emergence and continued spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and of the associated disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is an urgent need for improved understanding of how the body mounts an immune response to the virus. Here, we developed a competitive SARS-CoV-2 serological assay that can simultaneously determine whether an individual has developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor-binding...
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceFecal Short-Chain Fatty Acid Concentrations Increase in Newly Paired Male Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)This study addressed a knowledge gap about longitudinal changes in the gut microbiome metabolites during animal pairing. This research in the laboratory common marmoset can control for the confounding factors such as diet and other environmental conditions. Phascolarctobacterium showed the highest contribution to the sex-biased transmission of the female to the male after pairing. Here, we observed the sex difference in the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRedefining the Clostridioides difficile σB Regulon: σB Activates Genes Involved in Detoxifying Radicals That Can Result from the Exposure to Antimicrobials and Hydrogen PeroxideSigma B is the alternative sigma factor governing stress response in many Gram-positive bacteria. In C. difficile, a sigB mutant shows pleiotropic transcriptional effects. Here, we determine genes that are likely direct targets of σB by evaluating the transcriptional effects of σB overproduction, provide biochemical evidence of direct...
Perspective | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyThe Social Distancing Imposed To Contain COVID-19 Can Affect Our Microbiome: a Double-Edged Sword in Human HealthHygienic measures imposed to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and contain COVID-19 have proven effective in controlling the pandemic. In this article, we argue that these measures could impact the human microbiome in two different and disparate ways, acting as a double-edged sword in human health. New lines of research have shown that the diversity of human intestinal and oropharyngeal...