Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRegulatory Effects of CsrA in Vibrio choleraeVibrio cholerae, a Gram-negative bacterium, is a natural inhabitant of the aqueous environment. However, once ingested, this bacterium can colonize the human host and cause the disease cholera.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and Physiology(p)ppGpp/GTP and Malonyl-CoA Modulate Staphylococcus aureus Adaptation to FASII Antibiotics and Provide a Basis for Synergistic Bi-TherapyStaphylococcus aureus is a major human bacterial pathogen for which new inhibitors are urgently needed. Antibiotic development has centered on the fatty acid synthesis (FASII) pathway, which provides the building blocks for bacterial membrane phospholipids.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenetic Evidence for SecY Translocon-Mediated Import of Two Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition (CDI) ToxinsMany bacterial species interact via direct cell-to-cell contact using CDI systems, which provide a mechanism to inject toxins that inhibit bacterial growth into one another. Here, we find that two CDI toxins, one that depolarizes membranes and another that degrades RNA, exploit the universally conserved SecY translocon machinery used to export proteins for target cell entry.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNoc Corrals Migration of FtsZ Protofilaments during Cytokinesis in Bacillus subtilisIn bacteria, a condensed structure of FtsZ (Z-ring) recruits cell division machinery at the midcell, and Z-ring formation is discouraged over the chromosome by a poorly understood phenomenon called nucleoid occlusion. In B. subtilis, nucleoid occlusion has been reported to be mediated, at least in part, by the DNA-membrane bridging protein, Noc.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Compact Macronuclear Genome of the Ciliate Halteria grandinella: A Transcriptome-Like Genome with 23,000 NanochromosomesHow to achieve protein diversity by genome and transcriptome processing is essential for organismal complexity and adaptation. The present work identifies that the macronuclear genome of Halteria grandinella, a cosmopolitan unicellular eukaryote, is composed almost entirely of gene-sized nanochromosomes with extremely short nongenic regions.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTgIF2K-B Is an eIF2α Kinase in Toxoplasma gondii That Responds to Oxidative Stress and Optimizes PathogenicityToxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that infects nucleated cells of warm-blooded vertebrates, including one-third of the human population. The parasites are not cleared by the immune response and persist in the host by converting into a latent tissue cyst form.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyZ-Ring-Associated Proteins Regulate Clustering of the Replication Terminus-Binding Protein ZapT in Caulobacter crescentusRapidly growing bacteria experience dynamic changes in chromosome architecture during chromosome replication and segregation, reflecting the importance of mechanisms that organize the chromosome globally and locally within a cell to maintain faithful transmission of genetic material across generations. During cell division in the model bacterium Caulobacter crescentus...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTrehalose Recycling Promotes Energy-Efficient Biosynthesis of the Mycobacterial Cell EnvelopeThe mycomembrane layer of the mycobacterial cell envelope is a barrier to environmental, immune, and antibiotic insults. There is considerable evidence of mycomembrane plasticity during infection and in response to host-mimicking stresses.
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAntibiotic-Selected Gene Amplification Heightens Metal ResistanceTo inhibit bacterial transmission and infection, health care facilities use bactericidal metal coatings to prevent colonization of surfaces and implanted devices. In these environments, antibiotics are commonly used, but their effect on metal resistance is unclear.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySignal Recognition Particle Suppressor Screening Reveals the Regulation of Membrane Protein Targeting by the Translation RateInner membrane proteins (IMPs) are cotranslationally inserted into the inner membrane or endoplasmic reticulum by the signal recognition particle (SRP). Generally, the deletion of SRP can result in protein targeting defects in Escherichia coli.