Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing Molecule Alters Skeletal Muscle Protein Homeostasis by Perturbing the Antioxidant Defense SystemPseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that is resistant to treatment, causes serious acute, persistent, and relapsing infections in humans. There is increasing evidence that bacterial excreted small molecules play a critical role during infection. We have shown that a quorum sensing (QS)-regulated excreted small molecule, 2-AA, which is abundantly produced by...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceResistance Evolution against Phage Combinations Depends on the Timing and Order of ExposureGlobally rising rates of antibiotic resistance have renewed interest in phage therapy where combinations of phages have been successfully used to treat multidrug-resistant infections. To optimize phage therapy, we first need to understand how bacteria evolve resistance against combinations of multiple phages. Here, we use simple laboratory experiments and genome sequencing to show that the timing and order of phage exposure determine...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDynamic Emergence of Mismatch Repair Deficiency Facilitates Rapid Evolution of Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Acute InfectionAntimicrobial resistance in bacteria represents one of the most consequential problems in modern medicine, and its emergence and spread threaten to compromise central advances in the treatment of infectious diseases. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) belongs to a new class of broad-spectrum beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations designed to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Understanding the emergence of...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyType IV Pili Can Mediate Bacterial Motility within Epithelial CellsHost cell invasion can contribute to disease pathogenesis by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Previously, we showed that the type III secretion system (T3SS) of invasive P. aeruginosa strains modulates cell entry and subsequent escape from vacuolar trafficking to host lysosomes....
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePseudomonas aeruginosa Interstrain Dynamics and Selection of Hyperbiofilm Mutants during a Chronic InfectionBacteria adapt to infections by evolving variants that are more fit and persistent. These recalcitrant variants are typically observed in chronic infections. However, it is unclear when and why these variants evolve. To address these questions, we used a porcine chronic wound model to study the evolutionary dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a mixed-strain...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Increases the Sensitivity of Biofilm-Grown Staphylococcus aureus to Membrane-Targeting Antiseptics and AntibioticsThe thick mucus in the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients predisposes them to frequent, polymicrobial respiratory infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently coisolated from the airways of individuals with CF, as well as from diabetic foot ulcers and other...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Regulatory Protein AnvM Controls Pathogenicity in Anaerobic Environments and Impacts Host DefenseInfections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most frequently isolated human pathogens, can create huge financial burdens. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa remains elusive. We identified AnvM as a novel regulator of virulence in...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCorrect Sorting of Lipoproteins into the Inner and Outer Membranes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the Escherichia coli LolCDE Transport SystemGram-negative bacteria build their outer membranes (OM) from components that are initially located in the inner membrane (IM). A fraction of lipoproteins is transferred to the OM by the transport machinery consisting of LolABCDE proteins. Our work demonstrates that the LolCDE complexes of the transport pathways of Escherichia coli and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Molecular Mechanism of Nitrate Chemotaxis via Direct Ligand Binding to the PilJ Domain of McpNNitrate is of central importance in bacterial physiology. Previous studies indicated that movements toward nitrate are due to energy taxis, which is based on the cytosolic sensing of consequences of nitrate metabolism. Here we present the first report on nitrate chemotaxis. This process is initiated by specific nitrate binding to the periplasmic ligand binding domain (LBD) of McpN. Nitrate chemotaxis is highly regulated and occurred...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRemodeling of O Antigen in Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa via Transcriptional Repression of wzz2Detection of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa, characterized by the overproduction of alginate, is correlated with the establishment of a chronic pulmonary infection and disease progression in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). In addition to the overproduction of alginate, loss of O antigen lipopolysaccharide production is also selected for in chronic infection isolates...