pathogenesis
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMetabolism of Gluconeogenic Substrates by an Intracellular Fungal Pathogen Circumvents Nutritional Limitations within Macrophages
Histoplasma is a primary human fungal pathogen that survives and proliferates within host immune cells, particularly within the macrophage phagosome compartment. The phagosome compartment is a nutrient-limited environment, requiring Histoplasma yeasts to be able to assimilate available carbon sources within the phagosome to meet their nutritional needs. In this study, we showed that Histoplasma yeasts do not...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEpistatic Interplay between Type IV Secretion Effectors Engages the Small GTPase Rab2 in the Brucella Intracellular Cycle
Bacterial pathogens with an intracellular lifestyle modulate many host cellular processes to promote their infectious cycle. They do so by delivering effector proteins into host cells via dedicated secretion systems that target specific host functions. While the roles of many individual effectors are known, how their modes of action are coordinated is rarely understood. Here, we show that the zoonotic bacterium...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPeptidoglycan Hydrolases RipA and Ami1 Are Critical for Replication and Persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Host
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global heath burden, with 1.6 million people succumbing to the disease every year. The search for new drugs to improve the current chemotherapeutic regimen is crucial to reducing this global health burden. The cell wall polymer peptidoglycan (PG) has emerged as a very successful drug target in bacterial pathogens, as many currently used antibiotics target the synthesis of this macromolecule. However, the...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAn Oral Inoculation Infant Rabbit Model for Shigella Infection
Shigella species are the leading bacterial cause of diarrheal death globally. The pathogen causes bacillary dysentery, a bloody diarrheal disease characterized by damage to the colonic mucosa and is usually spread through the fecal-oral route. Small animal models of shigellosis that rely on the oral route of infection are lacking. Here, we found that orogastric inoculation of infant rabbits with...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyUbiquitination of Listeria Virulence Factor InlC Contributes to the Host Response to Infection
The pathogenic potential of Listeria monocytogenes relies on the production of an arsenal of virulence determinants that have been extensively characterized, including surface and secreted proteins of the internalin family. We have previously shown that the Listeria secreted internalin InlC interacts with IκB kinase α to interfere with the host immune...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Multiorgan Trafficking Circuit Provides Purifying Selection of Listeria monocytogenes Virulence Genes
Listeria monocytogenes maintains capabilities for free-living growth in the environment and for intracellular replication in a wide range of hosts, including livestock and humans. Here, we characterized an enterocolitis model of foodborne L. monocytogenes infection. This work highlights a multiorgan...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Mouse Model of Enteric Vibrio parahaemolyticus Infection Reveals that the Type III Secretion System 2 Effector VopC Plays a Key Role in Tissue Invasion and Gastroenteritis
Vibrio parahaemolyticus causes severe gastroenteritis following consumption of contaminated seafood. Global warming has allowed this pathogen to spread worldwide, contributing to recent outbreaks. Clinical isolates are known to harbor an array of virulence factors, including T3SS1 and T3SS2; however, the precise role these systems play in intestinal disease remains...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Fungal Arrestin Protein Contributes to Cell Cycle Progression and Pathogenesis
To survive under unpredictable conditions, all organisms must adapt to stressors by regulating adaptive cellular responses. Arrestin proteins are conserved regulators of adaptive cellular responses in eukaryotes. Studies that have been limited to mammals and model fungi have demonstrated that the disruption of arrestin-regulated pathways is detrimental for viability. The human fungal pathogen...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCandida albicans rvs161Δ and rvs167Δ Endocytosis Mutants Are Defective in Invasion into the Oral Cavity
Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) is a common fungal infection that is associated with severe morbidity. Another concern is that patients at risk for developing OPC often take long courses of antifungal drugs, which can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant C. albicans strains. We therefore identified nine mutants with defects in undergoing invasive hyphal growth in...
- Minireview | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMolecular Imaging: a Novel Tool To Visualize Pathogenesis of Infections In Situ
Molecular imaging is an emerging technology that enables the noninvasive visualization, characterization, and quantification of molecular events within living subjects. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a clinically available molecular imaging tool with significant potential to study pathogenesis of infections in humans.