Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPfEMP1 A-Type ICAM-1-Binding Domains Are Not Associated with Cerebral Malaria in Beninese ChildrenCerebral malaria pathophysiology remains unknown despite extensive research. PfEMP1 proteins have been identified as the main Plasmodium antigen involved in cerebrovascular endothelium sequestration, but it is unclear which var gene domain is involved in Plasmodium cytoadhesion. EPCR binding is a major determinant of cerebral malaria whereas the ICAM-1-binding role is still questioned. Our study confirmed the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Transcription Factor SomA Synchronously Regulates Biofilm Formation and Cell Wall Homeostasis in Aspergillus fumigatusThe cell wall is essential for fungal viability and is absent from human hosts; thus, drugs disrupting cell wall biosynthesis have gained more attention. Caspofungin is a member of a new class of clinically approved echinocandin drugs to treat invasive aspergillosis by blocking β-1,3-glucan synthase, thus damaging the fungal cell wall. Here, we demonstrate that caspofungin and other cell wall stressors can induce galactosaminogalactan (...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySubcellular Localization and Assembly Process of the Nisin Biosynthesis Machinery in Lactococcus lactisNisin is the model peptide for LanBC-modified lantibiotics that are commonly modified and exported by a putative synthetase complex. Although the mechanism of maturation, transport, immunity, and regulation is relatively well understood, and structural information is available for some of the proteins involved (B. Li, J. P. J. Yu, J. S. Brunzelle, G. N. Moll, et al., Science 311:1464–1467, 2006,...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Small Toxic Salmonella Protein TimP Targets the Cytoplasmic Membrane and Is Repressed by the Small RNA TimRNext-generation sequencing (NGS) has enabled the revelation of a vast number of genomes from organisms spanning all domains of life. To reduce complexity when new genome sequences are annotated, open reading frames (ORFs) shorter than 50 codons in length are generally omitted. However, it has recently become evident that this procedure sorts away ORFs encoding small proteins of high biological significance. For instance, tailored small...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLoss of the Conserved Alveolate Kinase MAPK2 Decouples Toxoplasma Cell Growth from Cell DivisionToxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular protozoan parasite that can cause severe and fatal disease in immunocompromised patients and the developing fetus. Rapid parasite replication is critical for establishing a productive infection. Here, we demonstrate that a Toxoplasma protein kinase called MAPK2 is conserved throughout the Alveolata and essential...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySPOR Proteins Are Required for Functionality of Class A Penicillin-Binding Proteins in Escherichia coliEscherichia coli has four SPOR proteins that bind peptidoglycan, of which FtsN is essential for cell division. DamX and DedD are suggested to have semiredundant functions in cell division based on genetic evidence. Here, we solved the structure of the SPOR domain of DedD, and we show that both DamX and DedD interact with and stimulate the synthetic activity of the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyOrigins and Molecular Evolution of the NusG Paralog RfaHIn all domains of life, NusG-like proteins make contacts similar to those of RNA polymerase and promote pause-free transcription yet may play different roles, defined by their divergent interactions with nucleic acids and accessory proteins, in the same cell. This duality is illustrated by Escherichia coli NusG and RfaH, which silence and activate xenogenes,...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDiscovery of a New Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type IV Pilus Assembly Factor, TfpCMost bacterial species express one or more extracellular organelles called pili/fimbriae that are required for many properties of each bacterial cell. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae type IV pilus is a major virulence and colonization factor for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. We have discovered a new protein of...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA CozE Homolog Contributes to Cell Size Homeostasis of Streptococcus pneumoniaePenicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), the proteins catalyzing the last steps of peptidoglycan assembly, are critical for bacteria to maintain cell size, shape, and integrity. PBPs are consequently attractive targets for antibiotics. Resistance to antibiotics in Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) are often associated with mutations in the PBPs. In this work, we...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAberrant Intracellular pH Regulation Limiting Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity in the Glucose-Sensitive Yeast tps1Δ MutantGlucose catabolism is the backbone of metabolism in most organisms. In spite of numerous studies and extensive knowledge, major controls on glycolysis and its connections to the other metabolic pathways remain to be discovered. A striking example is provided by the extreme glucose sensitivity of the yeast tps1Δ mutant, which undergoes apoptosis in the presence of just a few millimolar glucose. Previous work has shown that the...