Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMultidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Isolates Are Resistant to Antibiotics That Influence Their Swimming and Swarming MotilitySalmonella is one of the most common causes of bacterial foodborne infections in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control consider multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella a “Serious Threat Level pathogen.” Because MDR Salmonella can lead to more severe disease in patients than that caused by antibiotic-sensitive strains, it is important to identify the role that antibiotics may play in enhancing...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental SciencePlasticity of the MFS1 Promoter Leads to Multidrug Resistance in the Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria triticiDisease control through fungicides remains an important means to protect crops from fungal diseases and to secure the harvest. Plant-pathogenic fungi, especially Zymoseptoria tritici, have developed resistance against most currently used active ingredients, reducing or abolishing their efficacy. While target site modification is the most common resistance mechanism against single modes of action, active efflux of multiple drugs...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGene Acquisition by a Distinct Phyletic Group within Streptococcus pneumoniae Promotes Adhesion to the Ocular EpitheliumChanges in the gene content of pathogens can modify their ability to colonize and/or survive in different body sites in the human host. In this study, we investigate a gene acquisition event and its role in the pathogenesis of Streptococccus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Our findings suggest that the gene encoding the predicted surface protein SspB has been transferred from...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMicrobiota Diversification and Crash Induced by Dietary Oxalate in the Mammalian Herbivore Neotoma albigulaThe bacteria associated with mammalian hosts exhibit extensive interactions with overall host physiology and contribute significantly to the health of the host. Bacteria are vital to the mitigation of the toxic effects of oxalate specifically as mammals do not possess the enzymes to degrade this compound, which is present in the majority of kidney stones. Contrary to the body of literature on a few oxalate-degrading specialists, our...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDifferential Roles for Inner Membrane Complex Proteins across Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona DevelopmentThe inner membrane complex (IMC) is a defining feature of apicomplexan parasites key to both their motility and unique cell division. To provide further insights into the IMC, we analyzed the dynamics and functions of representative alveolin domain-containing IMC proteins across developmental stages. Our work shows universal but distinct roles for IMC1, -3, and -7 during Toxoplasma asexual division but more specialized...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionEssential Assembly Factor Rpf2 Forms Novel Interactions within the 5S RNP in Trypanosoma bruceiTrypanosoma brucei is the parasitic protozoan that causes African sleeping sickness. Ribosome assembly is essential for the survival of this parasite through the different host environments it encounters during its life cycle. The assembly of the 5S ribonucleoprotein particle (5S RNP) functions as one of the regulatory checkpoints during ribosome biogenesis. We have...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSynergistic Activity between Two Antifungal Proteins, the Plant Defensin NaD1 and the Bovine Pancreatic Trypsin InhibitorThis work describes the increased activity of a natural antifungal peptide in the presence of another antifungal peptide from a different family. This is termed antifungal synergy. Synergy is important for decreasing the amount of antifungal molecule needed to control the disease. Traditionally, naturally occurring antifungal molecules are assayed in isolation. Identification of synergistic interactions between antifungal peptides means...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCopper Chaperone CupA and Zinc Control CopY Regulation of the Pneumococcal cop OperonAs mechanisms of copper toxicity are emerging, bacterial processing of intracellular copper, specifically inside Streptococcus pneumoniae, remains unclear. In this study, we investigated two proteins encoded by the copper export operon: the repressor, CopY, and the copper chaperone, CupA. Zinc suppressed transcription of the copper export operon by increasing the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNorovirus Escape from Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Is Limited to Allostery-Like MechanismsThe simplest and most common way for viruses to escape antibody neutralization is by mutating residues that are essential for antibody binding. Escape mutations are strongly selected for by their effect on viral fitness, which is most often related to issues of protein folding, particle assembly, and capsid function. The studies presented here demonstrated that a broadly neutralizing antibody to mouse norovirus binds to an exposed...
