Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyS Protein-Reactive IgG and Memory B Cell Production after Human SARS-CoV-2 Infection Includes Broad Reactivity to the S2 SubunitThe recent rapid worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 has established a pandemic of potentially serious disease in the highly susceptible human population. Key issues are whether humans have preexisting immune memory that provides some protection against SARS-CoV-2 and whether SARS-CoV-2 infection generates lasting immune protection against reinfection. Our analysis focused on pre- and postinfection IgG and IgG memory B cells (MBCs) reactive...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenotoxic Effect of Salmonella Paratyphi A Infection on Human Primary Gallbladder CellsBacterial infections are increasingly being recognized as risk factors for the development of adenocarcinomas. The strong epidemiological evidence linking Helicobacter pylori infection to stomach cancer has paved the way to the demonstration that bacterial infections cause DNA damage in the host cells, initiating transformation. In this regard, the role of bacterial...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBiophysical and Biochemical Characterization of TP0037, a d-Lactate Dehydrogenase, Supports an Acetogenic Energy Conservation Pathway in Treponema pallidumBecause T. pallidum lacks a Krebs cycle and the capability for oxidative phosphorylation, historically it has been difficult to reconcile how the syphilis spirochete generates sufficient ATP to fulfill its energy needs, particularly for its robust motility, solely from glycolysis. We have postulated the existence in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMinimal Elements Required for the Formation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Cytoplasmic Inclusion Bodies In Vivo and In VitroRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infants, elderly, and immunocompromised people. No vaccine or efficient antiviral treatment is available against this virus. The replication and transcription steps of the viral genome are appealing mechanisms to target for the development of new antiviral strategies. These activities take place within cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs) that...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIntergenerational Pathogen-Induced Diapause in Caenorhabditis elegans Is Modulated by mir-243Persistent infection of the bacterivore nematode C. elegans with bacteria such as P. aeruginosa and S. enterica makes the worm diapause or hibernate. By doing this, the worm closes its mouth, avoiding infection. This response...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Small Protein RmpD Drives Hypermucoviscosity in Klebsiella pneumoniaeCapsule is a critical virulence factor in Klebsiella pneumoniae, in both antibiotic-resistant classical strains and hypervirulent strains. Hypervirulent strains usually have a hypermucoviscosity (HMV) phenotype that contributes to their heightened virulence capacity, but the production of HMV is not understood. The transcriptional regulator RmpA is required for HMV...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyImpaired Cytotoxic CD8+ T Cell Response in Elderly COVID-19 PatientsCytotoxic T cells are responsible for the elimination of infected cells and are key players in the control of viruses. CD8+ T cells with an effector phenotype express cytotoxic molecules and are able to perform target cell killing. COVID-19 patients with a mild disease course were analyzed for the differentiation status and cytotoxic profile of CD8+ T cells. SARS-CoV-2 infection induced a vigorous cytotoxic CD8...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyExPortal and the LiaFSR Regulatory System Coordinate the Response to Cell Membrane Stress in Streptococcus pyogenesBacterial two-component systems sense and induce transcriptional changes in response to environmental stressors, including antimicrobials and human antimicrobial peptides. Since the stresses imposed by the host’s defensive responses may act as markers of specific temporal stages of disease progression or host compartments, pathogens often coordinately regulate stress response programs with virulence factor expression. The mechanism by...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Potent Postentry Restriction to Primate Lentiviruses in a Yinpterochiropteran BatThe COVID-19 pandemic suggests that bat innate immune systems are insufficiently characterized relative to the medical importance of these animals. Retroviruses, e.g., HIV-1, can be severe pathogens when they cross species barriers, and bat restrictions corresponding to retroviruses are comparatively unstudied. Here, we compared the abilities of retroviruses from three genera (Lentivirus, Gammaretrovirus, and ...
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyIt’s the Little Things (in Viral RNA)Chemical modifications of viral RNA are an integral part of the viral life cycle and are present in most classes of viruses. To date, more than 170 RNA modifications have been discovered in all types of cellular RNA. Only a few, however, have been found in viral RNA, and the function of most of these has yet to be elucidated. Those few we have discovered and whose functions we understand have a varied effect on each virus. They...