Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAxl Promotes Zika Virus Entry and Modulates the Antiviral State of Human Sertoli CellsRecent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have identified sexual transmission as a new route of disease spread not reported for other flaviviruses. ZIKV crosses the blood-testis barrier and establishes infection in seminiferous tubules, the site for spermatozoa development. Currently, there are no therapies to treat ZIKV infection, and the immune mechanisms underlying testicular persistence are unclear. We found that multiple human testicular...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyClinical Persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis Sexually Transmitted Strains Involves Novel Mutations in the Functional αββα Tetramer of the Tryptophan Synthase OperonChlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most common sexually transmitted bacterium with more than 131 million cases occurring annually worldwide. Ct infections are often asymptomatic, persisting for many years despite treatment. In vitro recovery from persistence occurs when indole is utilized by the organism’s tryptophan synthase to synthesize...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyToxoplasma GRA15 Activates the NF-κB Pathway through Interactions with TNF Receptor-Associated FactorsThe parasite Toxoplasma can cause birth defects and severe disease in immunosuppressed patients. Strain differences in pathogenicity exist, and these differences are due to polymorphic effector proteins that Toxoplasma secretes into the host cell to coopt host cell functions. The effector protein GRA15 of some Toxoplasma strains activates the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, which plays an important...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRocA Binds CsrS To Modulate CsrRS-Mediated Gene Regulation in Group A StreptococcusBacterial two-component regulatory systems, comprising a membrane-bound sensor kinase and cytosolic response regulator, are critical in coordinating the bacterial response to changing environmental conditions. More recently, auxiliary regulators which act to modulate the activity of two-component systems, allowing integration of multiple signals and fine-tuning of bacterial responses, have been identified. RocA is a regulatory protein...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEndophytic Fungus Drives Nodulation and N2 Fixation Attributable to Specific Root ExudatesEndophytic fungi play an important role in balancing the ecosystem and boosting host growth; however, the underpinning mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we found that endophytic fungal colonization with P. liquidambaris significantly increased the productivity, nodulation, and N2 fixation of peanuts through the secretion of specific root exudates....
Editor's Pick Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyCauses and Effects of Loss of Classical Nonhomologous End Joining Pathway in Parasitic EukaryotesParasites tend to evolve small and compact genomes, generally endowed with a high mutation rate, compared with those of their free-living relatives. However, the mechanisms by which they achieve these features, independently in unrelated lineages, remain largely unknown. We argue that the loss of the classical nonhomologous end joining pathway components may be one of the crucial steps responsible for characteristic features of parasite...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Pathogen Genomic Differences That Impact Human Immune Response and Disease during Cryptococcus neoformans InfectionEven with the best available care, mortality rates in cryptococcal meningitis range from 20% to 60%. Disease is often due to infection by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and involves a complex interaction between the human host and the fungal pathogen. Although previous studies have suggested genetic differences in the pathogen impact human disease, it has proven...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCrypt- and Mucosa-Associated Core Microbiotas in Humans and Their Alteration in Colon Cancer PatientsDue to the huge number of bacteria constituting the human colon microbiota, alteration in the balance of its constitutive taxa (i.e., dysbiosis) is highly suspected of being involved in colorectal oncogenesis. Indeed, bacterial signatures in association with CRC have been described. These signatures may vary if bacteria are identified in feces or in association with tumor tissues. Here, we show that bacteria colonize human colonic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhylosymbiosis Impacts Adaptive Traits in Nasonia WaspsPhylosymbiosis is an ecoevolutionary hypothesis and emerging pattern in animal-microbiota studies whereby the host phylogenetic relationships parallel the community relationships of the host-associated microbiota. A central prediction of phylosymbiosis is that closely related hosts exhibit a lower microbiota beta diversity than distantly related hosts. While phylosymbiosis has emerged as a widespread trend in a field often challenged to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Extracellular Domain of the β2 Integrin β Subunit (CD18) Is Sufficient for Escherichia coli Hemolysin and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Leukotoxin Cytotoxic ActivityUrinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains are responsible for more than 80% of community-acquired urinary tract infections. Although we have known for nearly a century that severe infections stemming from urinary tract infections, including kidney or bloodstream infections are associated...