Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInteraction of the Human Papillomavirus E1 Helicase with UAF1-USP1 Promotes Unidirectional Theta Replication of Viral GenomesHuman papillomaviruses (HPVs) are important pathogens that replicate their double-stranded circular DNA genome in the nucleus of infected cells. HPV genomes replicate in infected cells via bidirectional theta replication and a poorly understood unidirectional mechanism, and the onset of viral replication requires the engagement of cellular DNA damage response pathways. In this study, we showed that the previously described interaction...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStromal Fibroblasts Drive Host Inflammatory Responses That Are Dependent on Chlamydia trachomatis Strain Type and Likely Influence Disease OutcomesChlamydia trachomatis is a human pathogen and the leading cause of preventable blindness and sexually transmitted diseases in the world. Certain C. trachomatis strains cause ocular disease, while others cause upper genital tract pathology. However, little is known about the cellular or immunologic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHelicobacter pylori VacA Targets Myeloid Cells in the Gastric Lamina Propria To Promote Peripherally Induced Regulatory T-Cell Differentiation and Persistent InfectionHelicobacter pylori has coexisted with humans for at least 60.000 years and has evolved persistence strategies that allow it to evade host immunity and colonize its host for life. The VacA protein is expressed by all H. pylori strains and is required for high-level persistent infection in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcal Superantigens Stimulate Epithelial Cells through CD40 To Produce ChemokinesMenstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a serious infectious disease associated with vaginal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus producing the exotoxin TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1). We show that menstrual TSS occurs after TSST-1 interaction with an immune costimulatory molecule called CD40 on the surface of vaginal epithelial cells. Other related toxins, where the entire...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySerum Amyloid P Component Binds Fungal Surface Amyloid and Decreases Human Macrophage Phagocytosis and Secretion of Inflammatory CytokinesMacrophages are a key part of our innate immune system and are responsible for recognizing invading microbes, ingesting them, and sending appropriate signals to other immune cells. We have found that human macrophages can recognize invading yeast pathogens that have a specific molecular pattern of proteins on their surfaces: these proteins have structures similar to the structures of amyloid aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases like...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenome-Wide Screening for Enteric Colonization Factors in Carbapenem-Resistant ST258 Klebsiella pneumoniaeKlebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of bloodstream infections in immunocompromised and hospitalized patients, and over the last 2 decades, some strains have acquired resistance to nearly all available antibiotics, including broad-spectrum carbapenems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed carbapenem-resistant...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGlycolysis Is an Intrinsic Factor for Optimal Replication of a NorovirusViruses depend on the host cells they infect to provide the machinery and substrates for replication. Host cells are highly dynamic systems that can alter their intracellular environment and metabolic behavior, which may be helpful or inhibitory for an infecting virus. In this study, we show that macrophages, a target cell of murine norovirus (MNV), increase glycolysis upon viral infection, which is important for early steps in MNV...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe ESCRT-Related ATPase Vps4 Is Modulated by Interferon during Herpes Simplex Virus 1 InfectionNeurons rely on IFNs and autophagy as major defenses against viral infections, and HSV must overcome such defenses in order to replicate. In addition to controlling host immunity, HSV must also control host membranes in order to complete its life cycle. HSV uses the host ESCRT membrane scission machinery for viral production and transport. Here we present evidence of a new IFN-dependent mechanism used by the host to prevent ESCRT...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel In Vivo Infection Model To Study Papillomavirus-Mediated Disease of the Female Reproductive TractTractable and efficient models of papillomavirus-induced pathogenesis are limited due to the strict species-specific and tissue-specific tropism of these viruses. Here, we report a novel preclinical murine model of papillomavirus-induced cervicovaginal disease in wild-type, immunocompetent mice using the recently discovered murine papillomavirus, MmuPV1. In this model, MmuPV1 establishes persistent viral infections in the mucosal...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA DNase from a Fungal Phytopathogen Is a Virulence Factor Likely Deployed as Counter Defense against Host-Secreted Extracellular DNAWe document that the absence of a single gene encoding a DNase in a fungal plant pathogen results in significantly reduced virulence to a plant host. We compared a wild-type strain of the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus and an isogenic mutant lacking a candidate secreted DNase-encoding gene and demonstrated that the mutant is reduced in virulence on leaves...