Host-Microbe Biology

All multicellular organisms are associated with a diverse and specific community of microorganisms; consequently, the microbiome is of fundamental importance for health and fitness of the multicellular host. However, studies on microbiome contribution to host fitness are in their infancy, in particular, for less well-established hosts such as the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita. Here, we studied the impact of the native...

Mucus plays a pivotal role in protecting the respiratory tract against microbial infections. It acts as a primary contact site to entrap microbes and facilitates their removal from the respiratory tract via the coordinated beating of motile cilia. The major components of airway mucus are heavily O-glycosylated mucin glycoproteins, divided into gel-forming mucins and transmembrane mucins. The gel-forming mucins MUC5AC and MUC5B...

Many insects harbor obligate bacterial symbionts that can be vertically transmitted to offspring by female insects through eggs. Here, we report that leafhopper vitellogenin (Vg) recognizes and binds a surface channel molecule (porin) on the envelope of obligate bacterial symbiont Nasuia, which potentially induces the opening of porin channels for Vg to access the cytoplasm of Nasuia. Thus, Vg can exploit bacterial...

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) asymptomatically colonizes the female reproductive tract but is a common causative agent of meningitis. GBS meningitis is characterized by extensive infiltration of neutrophils carrying high concentrations of calprotectin, a metal chelator. To persist within inflammatory sites and cause invasive disease, GBS must circumvent host starvation attempts. Here, we identified global requirements for GBS...