Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Small-Molecule Modulator of Metal Homeostasis in Gram-Positive PathogensStaphylococcus aureus is a leading agent of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in the world. S. aureus tightly controls metal homeostasis during infection, and disruption of metal uptake systems impairs staphylococcal virulence. We identified small molecules that interfere with metal handling...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDDX56 Binds to Chikungunya Virus RNA To Control InfectionArthropod-borne viruses are diverse pathogens and include the emerging virus chikungunya virus, which is associated with human disease. Through genetic screening, we found that the conserved RNA binding protein DDX56 is antiviral against chikungunya virus in insects and humans. DDX56 relocalizes from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it binds to a stem-loop in the viral genome and destabilizes incoming genomes. Thus, DDX56 is an...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEstimation of Full-Length TprK Diversity in Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidumSyphilis continues to be a significant public health issue in both low- and high-income countries, including the United States where the rate of syphilis infection has increased over the past 5 years. Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, carries the outer membrane protein TprK that undergoes segmental gene conversion to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPopulation Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Reveals a Cryptic, Highly Prevalent Superantigen SElW That Contributes to the Pathogenesis of BacteremiaStaphylococcus aureus is an important human and animal pathogen associated with an array of diseases, including life-threatening necrotizing pneumonia and infective endocarditis. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen has been linked in part to its ability to manipulate the host immune response...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHIV-1 Nef Interacts with LMP7 To Attenuate Immunoproteasome Formation and Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Antigen PresentationThe ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is essential for the degradation of damaged proteins, which takes place in the proteasome. Upon activation by cytokines, the catalytic subunits of the proteasome are replaced by distinct isoforms resulting in the formation of an immunoproteasome (iProteasome). iProteasome generates peptides used by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) for antigen presentation and is essential for immune...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHeterologous Production of 1-Tuberculosinyladenosine in Mycobacterium kansasii Models Pathoevolution towards the Transcellular Lifestyle of Mycobacterium tuberculosisThis work sheds light on the role of the lipid 1-tuberculosinyladenosine in the evolution of an environmental ancestor to M. tuberculosis. On a larger scale, it reinforces the importance of horizontal gene transfer in bacterial evolution and examines novel models and methods to provide a better understanding of the subtle effects of individual...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyAntibody Neutralization of HIV-1 Crossing the Blood-Brain BarrierHIV-1 can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to penetrate the brain and infect target cells, causing neurocognitive disorders as a result of neuroinflammation and brain damage. The HIV-1 envelope spike gp160 is partially required for viral transcytosis across the BBB endothelium. But do antibodies developing in infected individuals and targeting the HIV-1 gp160 glycoproteins block HIV-1 transcytosis through the BBB? We addressed this...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIP7-SPX Domain Interaction Controls Fungal Virulence by Stabilizing Phosphate Signaling MachineryInvasive fungal diseases pose a serious threat to human health globally with >1.5 million deaths occurring annually, 180,000 of which are attributable to the AIDS-related pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Here, we demonstrate that interaction of the inositol pyrophosphate, IP7, with the CDK inhibitor protein, Pho81, is instrumental in promoting fungal...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySARS-CoV-2 Is Restricted by Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein despite Preadaptation to the Low-CpG Environment in HumansAlthough interferons inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and have been evaluated for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the most effective types and antiviral effectors remain to be defined. Here, we show that IFN-γ is particularly potent in restricting SARS-CoV-2 and in inducing expression of the antiviral factor ZAP in human lung cells. Knockdown experiments revealed that endogenous ZAP significantly restricts SARS-CoV-2. We further...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHigher-Order Interactions Dampen Pairwise Competition in the Zebrafish Gut MicrobiomeUnderstanding the rules governing the composition of the diverse microbial communities that reside in the vertebrate gut environment will enhance our ability to manipulate such communities for therapeutic ends. Synthetic microbial communities, assembled from specific combinations of microbial species in germfree animals, allow investigation of the fundamental question of whether multispecies community composition can be predicted solely...