Escherichia coli
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Transferable Resistome of ProduceProduce is one of the most popular food commodities. Unfortunately, leafy greens can be a reservoir of transferable antibiotic resistance genes. We found that IncF and IncI plasmids were the most prevalent plasmid types in E. coli isolates from produce. This study highlights the importance of the rare microbiome associated with produce as a source of antibiotic...
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAn “Uncommon” Role for Cyclic Enterobacterial Common Antigen in Maintaining Outer Membrane IntegrityAlthough discovered over 50 years ago, the physiological role of enterobacterial common antigen, a surface antigen produced by all members of the Enterobacteriaceae, has been poorly understood. In the work of Mitchell et al. (mBio 9:e01321-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01321-18), the cyclized version of enterobacterial common antigen has been shown to play a role in...
- Research ArticleDisentangling Host-Microbiota Regulation of Lipid Secretion by Enterocytes: Insights from Commensals Lactobacillus paracasei and Escherichia coli
The specific contribution of each bacterial species within a complex microbiota to the regulation of host lipid metabolism remains largely unknown. Using two model commensal microorganisms, L. paracasei and E. coli, we demonstrated that both bacterial species impacted host lipid metabolism in a diet...
- Research ArticleEscherichia coli ST131-H22 as a Foodborne Uropathogen
E. coli ST131 is an important extraintestinal pathogen that can colonize the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and food animals. Here, we combined detection of accessory traits associated with avian adaptation (ColV plasmids) with high-resolution phylogenetics to quantify the portion of human infections caused by ST131 strains of food animal origin. Our results...
- Research ArticleEscherichia coli ZipA Organizes FtsZ Polymers into Dynamic Ring-Like Protofilament Structures
Bacterial cells use a membrane-attached ring of proteins to mark and guide formation of a division septum at midcell that forms a wall separating the two daughter cells and allows cells to divide. The key protein in this ring is FtsZ, a homolog of tubulin that forms dynamic polymers. Here, we use electron microscopy and confocal fluorescence imaging to show that one of the proteins required to attach FtsZ polymers to the membrane during...