Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMetatranscriptome Analysis of the Vaginal Microbiota Reveals Potential Mechanisms for Protection against Metronidazole in Bacterial VaginosisBacterial vaginosis is a serious issue for women in their reproductive years. Although it can usually be cured by antibiotics, the recurrence rate is very high, and some women do not respond to antibiotic therapy. The reasons for that are not known. Therefore, we undertook a study to detect the activity of the complete microbiota in the vaginal fluid of women who responded to antibiotic therapy and compared it to the activity of the...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSublingual Adjuvant Delivery by a Live Attenuated Vibrio cholerae-Based Antigen Presentation PlatformDiarrheal disease is the most common infectious disease of children in the developing world. Our goal is to develop a diarrheal antigen presentation platform based on whole Vibrio cholerae cells that does not depend on protein purification. We have previously shown the feasibility of genetically fusing antigens to the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHsp90 Is Essential for Chl1-Mediated Chromosome Segregation and Sister Chromatid CohesionRecently, Hsp90 functional loss has been linked to aneuploidy; however, until now none of the components of sister chromatid cohesion (SCC) have been demonstrated as the putative clients of Hsp90. In this study, we have established that Chl1, the protein which is involved in maintaining sister chromatid cohesion as well as in preventing chromosome loss, is a direct client of Hsp90. Thus, with understanding of the molecular mechanism,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Microbiome and Metabolome of Preterm Infant Stool Are Personalized and Not Driven by Health Outcomes, Including Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Late-Onset SepsisPreterm infants face health problems likely related to microbial exposures, including sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. However, the role of the gut microbiome in preterm infant health is poorly understood. Microbial colonization differs from that of healthy term babies because it occurs in the NICU and is often perturbed by antibiotics. We measured bacterial compositions and metabolomic profiles of 77 fecal samples from 32 preterm...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceModel Communities Hint at Promiscuous Metabolic Linkages between Ubiquitous Free-Living Freshwater BacteriaGenome streamlining is frequently observed in free-living aquatic microorganisms and results in physiological dependencies between microorganisms. However, we know little about the specificity of these microbial associations.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Yin and Yang of SagS: Distinct Residues in the HmsP Domain of SagS Independently Regulate Biofilm Formation and Biofilm Drug ToleranceThe membrane-bound sensory protein SagS plays a pivotal role in P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and biofilm cells gaining their heightened resistance to antimicrobial agents, with SagS being the control point at which both pathways diverge. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the two distinct pathways leading to biofilm formation and biofilm drug tolerance...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Lactobacillus Bile Salt Hydrolase Repertoire Reveals Niche-Specific AdaptationBile acids play an integral role in shaping the gut microbiota and host physiology by regulating metabolic signaling, weight gain, and serum cholesterol and liver triglyceride levels. Given these important roles of bile acids, we investigated the presence of bile salt hydrolase (BSH) in Lactobacillus genomes representing 170 different species, determined strain- and species-specific patterns of occurrences, and expanded on the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMonoclonal Antibodies to Intracellular Stages of Cryptosporidium parvum Define Life Cycle Progression In VitroCryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes gastrointestinal disease in humans and animals. Currently, there is a limited array of antibodies available against the parasite, which hinders imaging studies and makes it difficult to visualize the parasite life cycle in different culture systems. In order to alleviate this reagent gap, we created a library of novel antibodies against the intracellular life cycle stages of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenes Activated by Vibrio cholerae upon Exposure to Caenorhabditis elegans Reveal the Mannose-Sensitive Hemagglutinin To Be Essential for ColonizationThe waterborne diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The facultative human pathogen persists as a natural inhabitant in the aquatic ecosystem between outbreaks. In contrast to the human host, V. cholerae requires a different set of genes to survive in this hostile...
