Molecular Biology and Physiology
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Stress Response Monitoring Lipoprotein Trafficking to the Outer MembraneThe outer membrane built by Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli forms a barrier that prevents antibiotics from entering the cell, limiting clinical options at a time of prevalent antibiotic resistance. Stress responses ensure that barrier integrity is continuously maintained. We have identified the Cpx signal transduction system as a stress response that...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein Lrp Participates in Virulence Regulation Downstream of Small RNA ArcZ in Erwinia amylovoraFire blight disease continues to plague the commercial production of apples and pears despite more than a century of research into disease epidemiology and disease control. The causative agent of fire blight, Erwinia amylovora coordinates turning on or off specific virulence-associated traits at the appropriate time during disease development. The development of novel...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIndole Reverses Intrinsic Antibiotic Resistance by Activating a Novel Dual-Function ImporterRecently, signaling molecules were found to play a role in mediating antibiotic resistance. In this study, we demonstrated that indole reversed the intrinsic antibiotic resistance (IRAR) of multiple bacterial species by promoting the expression of a novel dual-function importer. In addition, population-dependent...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Substrate-Activated Efflux Pump, DesABC, Confers Zeamine Resistance to Dickeya zeaeZeamines are a family of newly identified phytotoxins and potent antibiotics produced by D. zeae EC1. Unlike most bacterial organisms, which are highly sensitive, D. zeae EC1 is tolerant to zeamines, but the mechanisms involved are unknown. Our study showed, for the first time, that a new RND efflux pump, DesABC, is indispensable for D. zeae EC1 against zeamines. We found that the DesABC efflux pump was...
![Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Mediated Metabolic Utilization of Benzo[<em>a</em>]Pyrene by <em>Aspergillus</em> Species](https://mbio.asm.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/externals/87a1b33830be69116cb130fcb2a68091.jpg?itok=ILcX07KB)
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Mediated Metabolic Utilization of Benzo[a]Pyrene by Aspergillus SpeciesWe are increasingly exposed to environmental pollutants, including the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), which has prompted extensive research into human metabolism of toxicants. However, little is known about metabolic mechanisms employed by fungi that are able to use some toxic pollutants as the substrates for growth, leaving innocuous by-products. This study systemically demonstrates that a common soil-dwelling fungus is able...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Bacterial DNA Binding Protein MatP Involved in Linking the Nucleoid Terminal Domain to the Divisome at Midcell Interacts with Lipid MembranesThe division of an E. coli cell into two daughter cells with equal genomic information and similar size requires duplication and segregation of the chromosome and subsequent scission of the envelope by a protein ring, the Z-ring. MatP is a DNA binding protein that contributes both to the positioning of the Z-ring at midcell and the temporal control of nucleoid...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Synthetic Phenotype of ΔbamB ΔbamE Double Mutants Results from a Lethal Jamming of the Bam Complex by the Lipoprotein RcsFProtein assembly into lipid bilayers is an essential process that ensures the viability of diverse organisms. In Gram-negative bacteria, the heteropentomeric β-barrel assembly machine (Bam) folds and inserts proteins into the outer membrane. Due to its essentiality, outer membrane protein (OMP) assembly by the Bam complex is an attractive target for antibiotic development. Here, we show that the conditional lethal phenotype of a mutant...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyBacterioferritin of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense Is a Heterotetraeicosameric Complex Composed of Functionally Distinct Subunits but Is Not Involved in Magnetite BiomineralizationMagnetotactic bacteria like Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense are able to orient along magnetic field lines due to the intracellular formation of magnetite nanoparticles. Biomineralization of magnetite has been suggested to require a yet-unknown ferritin-like ferrihydrite component. Here, we report the identification of a bacterioferritin as the source of ferrihydrite...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMycofactocin Is Associated with Ethanol Metabolism in MycobacteriaTuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant strains renders current treatment options ineffective. Although new antimycobacterial drugs are urgently required, their successful development often relies on complete understanding of the metabolic pathways—e.g., cholesterol assimilation—that are critical for...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyInitial Metabolic Step of a Novel Ethanolamine Utilization Pathway and Its Regulation in Streptomyces coelicolor M145Until now, knowledge of the utilization of ethanolamine in Streptomyces was limited. Our work represents the first attempt to reveal a novel ethanolamine utilization pathway in the actinobacterial model organism S. coelicolor through the characterization of the key enzyme gamma-glutamylethanolamide synthetase GlnA4, which is absolutely required for growth in...