Escherichia coli
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPreconceptual Priming Overrides Susceptibility to Escherichia coli Systemic Infection during PregnancyPregnancy makes women especially vulnerable to infection. The most common cause of bloodstream infection during pregnancy is by a bacterium called Escherichia coli.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDiscovery of Bacterial Fimbria–Glycan Interactions Using Whole-Cell Recombinant Escherichia coli ExpressionUnderstanding the tropism of pathogens for host and tissue requires a complete understanding of the host receptors targeted by fimbrial adhesins. Furthermore, blocking adhesion is a promising strategy to counter increasing antibiotic resistance and is enabled by the identification of host receptors.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHow Phagocytic Cells Kill Different Bacteria: a Quantitative Analysis Using Dictyostelium discoideumPhagocytic cells ingest and kill bacteria, a process essential for the defense of the human body against infections. Many potential killing mechanisms have been identified in phagocytic cells, including free radicals, toxic ions, enzymes, and permeabilizing peptides.
Research Article | Host-Microbe Biology5-Aminosalicylic Acid Ameliorates Colitis and Checks Dysbiotic Escherichia coli Expansion by Activating PPAR-γ Signaling in the Intestinal EpitheliumAn expansion of Enterobacterales in the fecal microbiota is a microbial signature of dysbiosis that is linked to many noncommunicable diseases, including ulcerative colitis. Here, we used Escherichia coli, a representative of the Enterobacterales, to show that its dysbiotic expansion during colitis can be remediated by modulating host epithelial...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceAvailability of the Molecular Switch XylR Controls Phenotypic Heterogeneity and Lag Duration during Escherichia coli Adaptation from Glucose to XyloseFor decades, it was thought that the lags observed when microorganisms switch from one substrate to another are inherent to the time required to adapt the molecular machinery to the new substrate. Here, the lag duration was found to be the time necessary for a subpopulation of adapted cells to emerge and become the main population.
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...