Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIntercellular Transmission of a Synthetic Bacterial Cytotoxic Prion-Like Protein in Mammalian CellsProteotoxic amyloid seeds can be transmitted between mammalian cells, arguing that the intercellular exchange of prion-like protein aggregates can be a common phenomenon. RepA-WH1 is derived from a bacterial intracellular functional amyloid protein, engineered to become cytotoxic in Escherichia coli. Here, we have studied if such bacterial aggregates can also be...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Sensitive Yellow Fever Virus Entry Reporter Identifies Valosin-Containing Protein (VCP/p97) as an Essential Host Factor for Flavivirus UncoatingFlaviviruses are an important group of RNA viruses that cause significant human disease. The mechanisms by which flavivirus nucleocapsids are disassembled during virus entry remain unclear. Here, we used a yellow fever virus entry reporter, which expresses a sensitive reporter enzyme but does not replicate, to show that nucleocapsid disassembly requires the cellular protein-disaggregating enzyme valosin-containing protein, also known as...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Neutrophils Produce Antifungal Extracellular Vesicles against Aspergillus fumigatusInvasive fungal infections caused by the mold Aspergillus fumigatus are a growing concern in the clinic due to the increasing use of immunosuppressive therapies and increasing antifungal drug resistance. These infections result in high rates of mortality, as treatment and diagnostic options remain limited. In healthy individuals, neutrophilic granulocytes are critical...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNonproteolytic K29-Linked Ubiquitination of the PB2 Replication Protein of Influenza A Viruses by Proviral Cullin 4-Based E3 LigasesSuccessful infection by influenza A virus, a pathogen of major public health importance, involves fine regulation of the multiple functions of the viral proteins, which often relies on post-translational modifications (PTMs). The PB2 protein of influenza A viruses is essential for viral replication and a key determinant of host range. While PTMs of PB2 inducing its degradation have been identified, here we show that PB2 undergoes a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Virus Hosted in Malaria-Infected Blood Protects against T Cell-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases by Impairing DC Function in a Type I IFN-Dependent MannerAny infection modifies the host immune status, potentially ameliorating or aggravating the pathophysiology of a simultaneous inflammatory condition. In the course of investigating how malaria infection modulates the severity of contemporaneous inflammatory diseases, we identified a nonpathogenic mouse virus in stabilates of two widely used rodent parasite lines: Plasmodium...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMetabolism of Gluconeogenic Substrates by an Intracellular Fungal Pathogen Circumvents Nutritional Limitations within MacrophagesHistoplasma is a primary human fungal pathogen that survives and proliferates within host immune cells, particularly within the macrophage phagosome compartment. The phagosome compartment is a nutrient-limited environment, requiring Histoplasma yeasts to be able to assimilate available carbon sources within the phagosome to meet their nutritional needs. In this study, we showed that Histoplasma yeasts do not...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyModulation of the Gut Microbiota during High-Dose Glycerol Monolaurate-Mediated Amelioration of Obesity in Mice Fed a High-Fat DietObesity and associated metabolic disorders are worldwide public health issues. The gut microbiota plays a key role in the pathophysiology of diet-induced obesity. Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is a widely consumed food emulsifier with antibacterial properties. Here, we explore the anti-obesity effect of GML (1,600 mg/kg of body weight) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. HFD-fed mice were treated with 1,600 mg/kg GML. Integrated microbiome,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEpistatic Interplay between Type IV Secretion Effectors Engages the Small GTPase Rab2 in the Brucella Intracellular CycleBacterial pathogens with an intracellular lifestyle modulate many host cellular processes to promote their infectious cycle. They do so by delivering effector proteins into host cells via dedicated secretion systems that target specific host functions. While the roles of many individual effectors are known, how their modes of action are coordinated is rarely understood. Here, we show that the zoonotic bacterium...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNucleic Acid-Sensing Toll-Like Receptors Play a Dominant Role in Innate Immune Recognition of PneumococciThe pneumococcus is a bacterium that frequently causes infections in the lungs, ears, sinus cavities, and meninges. During these infections, body defenses are triggered by tissue-resident cells that use specialized receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), to sense the presence of bacteria. We show here that pneumococci are predominantly detected by TLRs that are located inside intracellular vacuoles, including endosomes, where...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBordetella Dermonecrotic Toxin Is a Neurotropic Virulence Factor That Uses CaV3.1 as the Cell Surface ReceptorBordetella pertussis, which causes pertussis, a contagious respiratory disease, produces three major protein toxins, pertussis toxin, adenylate cyclase toxin, and dermonecrotic toxin (DNT), for which molecular actions have been elucidated. The former two toxins are known to be involved in the emergence of some clinical symptoms and/or contribute to the establishment...