Latest Articles
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceThe Impact of Plasma Membrane Lipid Composition on Flagellum-Mediated Adhesion of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coliBacterial adhesion is a crucial step to allow bacteria to colonize their hosts, invade tissues, and form biofilm. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a human pathogen and the causative agent of diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis. Here, we use biomimetic membrane models and cell lines to decipher the impact of lipid content of the plasma membrane on...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyToxoplasma gondii AP2XII-2 Contributes to Proper Progression through S-Phase of the Cell CycleToxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that persists in its host by converting into a latent cyst stage. This work describes a new transcriptional factor called AP2XII-2 that plays a role in properly maintaining the growth rate of replicating parasites, which contributes to signals required for development into its dormant stage. Without AP2XII-2, ...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionGenomic Characterization of Invasive Meningococcal Serogroup B Isolates and Estimation of 4CMenB Vaccine Coverage in Finland4CMenB is a 4-component vaccine used against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB). We investigated the genetic variability of MenB in Finland and evaluated 4CMenB strain coverage by 2 different methods: MATS (meningococcal antigen typing system) and gMATS (genetic MATS). In a set of MenB isolates, 78% (MATS) and 86...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDolosigranulum pigrum Cooperation and Competition in Human Nasal MicrobiotaStaphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans. For both, nasal colonization is a risk factor for infection. Studies of nasal microbiota identify Dolosigranulum pigrum...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMimicry Embedding Facilitates Advanced Neural Network Training for Image-Based Pathogen DetectionIn biology, the use of deep neural networks (DNNs) for analysis of pathogen infection is hampered by a lack of large verified data sets needed for rapid network evolution. Artificial neural networks detect handwritten digits with high precision thanks to large data sets, such as MNIST, that allow nearly unlimited training. Here, we developed a novel strategy we call mimicry embedding, which allows artificial intelligence (AI)-based...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Major Chromosome Condensation Factors Smc, HBsu, and Gyrase in Bacillus subtilis Operate via Strikingly Different Patterns of MotionAll types of cells need to compact their chromosomes containing their genomic information several-thousand-fold in order to fit into the cell. In eukaryotes, histones achieve a major degree of compaction and bind very tightly to DNA such that they need to be actively removed to allow access of polymerases to the DNA. Bacteria have evolved a basic, highly dynamic system of DNA compaction, accommodating rapid adaptability to changes in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhosphorylation of Toxoplasma gondii Secreted Proteins during Acute and Chronic Stages of InfectionToxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that infects up to one-third of the human population. Initially, the parasite grows rapidly, infecting and destroying cells of the host, but subsequently switches to a slow-growing form and establishes chronic infection. In both stages, the parasite lives within a membrane-bound vacuole within the host cell, but in the chronic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCalcium Binding Protein Ncs1 Is Calcineurin Regulated in Cryptococcus neoformans and Essential for Cell Division and VirulenceCryptococcus neoformans is the major cause of fungal meningitis in HIV-infected patients. Several studies have highlighted the important contributions of Ca2+ signaling and homeostasis to the virulence of C. neoformans. Here, we identify the cryptococcal ortholog of neuronal calcium...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEnrofloxacin Shifts Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolic Profiling and Hinders Recovery from Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Typhimurium Infection in Neonatal ChickensIn this study, we examined the effects of S. Typhimurium infection and enrofloxacin treatment on the microbiota and metabolite synthesis in chicken cecum, in order to identify target metabolites that may promote S. Typhimurium colonization and aggravate inflammation and to evaluate the important microbiota that may be associated with these metabolites. Our findings may facilitate the use of antibiotics to prevent S...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Tweaking Organellar Purification ApproachesDiego Huet studies the organelles involved in the metabolic adaptations of the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the paper “Absolute quantification of matrix metabolites reveals the dynamics of mitochondrial metabolism” by Chen et al. (W. W. Chen, E. Freinkman, T. Wang, K. Birsoy, and D. M. Sabatini, Cell...