host-pathogen interactions
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHIV Vpr Modulates the Host DNA Damage Response at Two Independent Steps to Damage DNA and Repress Double-Strand DNA Break RepairThe DNA damage response (DDR) is a signaling cascade that safeguards the genome from genotoxic agents, including human pathogens. However, the DDR has also been utilized by many pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), to enhance infection. To properly treat HIV-positive individuals, we must understand how the virus usurps our own cellular processes. Here, we have found that an important yet poorly understood gene in HIV,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStructural Basis and Evolution of Glycan Receptor Specificities within the Polyomavirus FamilyVirus attachment to cell surface receptors is critical for productive infection. In this study, we have used a structure-based approach to investigate the cell surface recognition event for New Jersey polyomavirus (NJPyV) and human polyomavirus 12 (HPyV12). These viruses belong to the polyomavirus family, whose members target different tissues and hosts, including mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrates. Polyomaviruses are nonenveloped...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyToxoplasma gondii Co-opts the Unfolded Protein Response To Enhance Migration and Dissemination of Infected Host CellsCells that are infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exhibit heightened migratory activity, which facilitates dissemination of the infection throughout the body. In this report, we identify a new mechanism used by Toxoplasma to hijack its host cell and increase its mobility. We further show that the ability of Toxoplasma to increase host cell...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyErwinia carotovora Quorum Sensing System Regulates Host-Specific Virulence Factors and Development Delay in Drosophila melanogasterIntegration of genetic networks allows bacteria to rapidly adapt to changing environments. This is particularly important in bacteria that interact with multiple hosts. Erwinia carotovora is a plant pathogen that uses Drosophila melanogaster as a vector. To interact with these two hosts, Ecc15...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Rapidly Evolving Polybasic Motif Modulates Bacterial Detection by Guanylate Binding ProteinsMany infectious diseases are caused by microbes that enter and survive within host cells. Guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are a group of immune proteins which recognize and inhibit a variety of intracellular pathogenic microbes. We discovered that a short sequence within GBPs required for the detection of bacteria, the polybasic motif (PBM), has been rapidly evolving between primate species. By swapping PBMs between primate GBP1 genes...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHost Fatty Acid Utilization by Staphylococcus aureus at the Infection SiteThe shortage of antibiotics against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has led to the development of new drugs targeting the elongation cycle of fatty acid (FA) synthesis that are progressing toward the clinic. An objection to the use of FA synthesis inhibitors is that S. aureus can utilize...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructural Basis of Ca2+-Dependent Self-Processing Activity of Repeat-in-Toxin ProteinsThe Ca2+-dependent clip-and-link activity of large repeat-in-toxin (RTX) proteins is an exceptional posttranslational process in which an internal domain called a self-processing module (SPM) mediates Ca2+-dependent processing of a highly specific aspartate-proline (Asp-Pro) peptide bond and covalent linkage of the released aspartyl to an adjacent lysine residue through an isopeptide bond. Here, we report the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHost Mucin Is Exploited by Pseudomonas aeruginosa To Provide Monosaccharides Required for a Successful InfectionOne of the first lines of defense present at mucosal epithelial tissues is mucus, which is a highly viscous material formed by mucin glycoproteins. Mucins serve various functions, but importantly they aid in the clearance of pathogens and debris from epithelial barriers and serve as innate immune factors. In this study, we describe a requirement of host monosaccharides, likely derived from host mucins, for the ability of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThree-Dimensional Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Lungs To Dissect Local Host Immune-Aspergillus fumigatus InteractionsThe use of animal models of infection is essential to advance our understanding of the complex host-pathogen interactions that take place during Aspergillus fumigatus lung infections. As in the case of humans, mice need to suffer an immune imbalance in order to become susceptible to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), the most serious infection caused by...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBinding of Host Cell Surface Protein Disulfide Isomerase by Anaplasma phagocytophilum Asp14 Enables Pathogen InfectionAnaplasma phagocytophilum infects neutrophils to cause granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging potentially fatal disease and the second-most common tick-borne illness in the United States. Treatment options are limited, and no vaccine exists. Due to the bacterium’s obligatory intracellular lifestyle, A....