Escherichia coli
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAdaptation of Arginine Synthesis among Uropathogenic Branches of the Escherichia coli Phylogeny Reveals Adjustment to the Urinary Tract HabitatUropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common cause of human urinary tract infection (UTI). Population bottlenecks during early stages of UTI make high-throughput screens impractical for understanding clinically important later stages of UTI, such as persistence and recurrence. As UPEC is hypothesized to be adapted to these later pathogenic stages, we...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGene Dispensability in Escherichia coli Grown in Thirty Different Carbon EnvironmentsWhile there has been much study of bacterial gene dispensability, there is a lack of comprehensive genome-scale examinations of the impact of gene deletion on growth in different carbon sources. In this context, a lot can be learned from such experiments in the model microbe Escherichia coli where much is already understood and there are existing tools for the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA Novel High-Potency Tetanus VaccineChemical inactivation is a clinically effective mechanism to detoxify protein toxins to produce vaccines against microbial infections and to serve as a platform for production of conjugate polysaccharide vaccines. This method is widely used for the production of protein toxin vaccines, including tetanus toxoid. However, chemical modification alters the protein structure with unknown effects on antigenicity. Here, a recombinant full-...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPhage-Antibiotic Synergy Is Driven by a Unique Combination of Antibacterial Mechanism of Action and StoichiometryBacteriophage (phage) therapy is a promising approach to combat the rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Currently, the preferred clinical modality is to pair phage with an antibiotic, a practice thought to improve efficacy. However, antagonism between phage and antibiotics has been reported, the choice of phage and antibiotic is not often empirically determined, and the effect of the host factors on the effectiveness is unknown. Here...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTumble Suppression Is a Conserved Feature of Swarming MotilityBacteria within a swarm move characteristically in packs, displaying an intricate swirling motion in which hundreds of dynamic rafts continuously form and dissociate as the swarm colonizes an increasing expanse of territory. The demonstrated property of E. coli to reduce its tumble bias and hence increase its run duration during swarming is expected to maintain and...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionOptimization of an Experimental Vaccine To Prevent Escherichia coli Urinary Tract InfectionUrinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common bacterial infection in humans, affecting half of all women at least once during their lifetimes. The rise in antibiotic resistance and health care costs emphasizes the need to develop a vaccine against the most common UTI pathogen, Escherichia coli. Vaccinating mice intranasally with a detoxified heat-labile...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFlagellum-Mediated Mechanosensing and RflP Control Motility State of Pathogenic Escherichia coliFlagella and motility are widespread virulence factors among pathogenic bacteria. Motility enhances the initial host colonization, but the flagellum is a major antigen targeted by the host immune system. Here, we demonstrate that pathogenic E. coli strains employ a mechanosensory function of the flagellar motor to activate flagellar expression under high loads, while...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Absence of (p)ppGpp Renders Initiation of Escherichia coli Chromosomal DNA Synthesis Independent of Growth RatesBacterial cells regulate their own chromosomal DNA synthesis and cell division depending on the growth conditions, producing more DNA when growing in nutritionally rich media than in poor media (i.e., human gut versus water reservoir). The accumulation of the nucleotide analog (p)ppGpp is usually viewed as serving to warn cells of impending peril due to otherwise lethal sources of stress, which stops growth and inhibits DNA, RNA, and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDistinct Requirements for Tail-Anchored Membrane Protein Biogenesis in Escherichia coliA subset of membrane proteins is targeted to and inserted into the membrane via a hydrophobic transmembrane domain (TMD) that is positioned at the very C terminus of the protein. The biogenesis of these so-called tail-anchored proteins (TAMPs) has been studied in detail in eukaryotic cells. Various partly redundant pathways were identified, the choice for which depends in part on the hydrophobicity of the TMD. Much less is known about...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyComplex Multilevel Control of Hemolysin Production by Uropathogenic Escherichia coliUropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the major cause of urinary tract infections and a frequent cause of sepsis. Nearly half of all UPEC strains produce the potent cytotoxin hemolysin, and its expression is associated with enhanced virulence. In this study, we explored hemolysin variation within the globally dominant UPEC ST131 clone, finding that strains from the ST131...