Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPredictive Rules of Efflux Inhibition and Avoidance in Pseudomonas aeruginosaEfflux pump avoidance and inhibition are desired properties for the optimization of antibacterial activities against Gram-negative bacteria. However, molecular and physicochemical interactions defining the interface between compounds and efflux pumps remain poorly understood. We identified properties that correlate with efflux avoidance and inhibition, are predictive of similar features in structurally diverse compounds, and allow...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPeptide-Conjugated Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers Retain Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa In Vitro and In VivoNumerous Gram-negative bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to multiple, if not all, classes of existing antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are a major cause of health care-associated infections in a variety of clinical settings, endangering patients who are immunocompromised or those who suffer from chronic infections, such as...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Stimulates Inflammation and Enhances Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus-Induced Cell Proliferation and Cellular Transformation through both Lipopolysaccharide and FlagellinKaposi’s sarcoma (KS), caused by infection with Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is one of the most common cancers in AIDS patients. KS is a highly inflammatory tumor, but how KSHV infection induces inflammation remains unclear. We have previously shown that KSHV infection upregulates Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), sensitizing cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGene Loss and Acquisition in Lineages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Evolving in Cystic Fibrosis Patient AirwaysBacterial airway infections, predominantly caused by P. aeruginosa, are a major cause of mortality and morbidity of CF patients. While short insertions and deletions as well as point mutations occurring during infection are well studied, there is a lack of understanding of how gene loss and acquisition play roles in bacterial adaptation to the human airways. Here, we...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMicron Scale Spatial Measurement of the O2 Gradient Surrounding a Bacterial Biofilm in Real TimeO2 is a fundamental environmental metabolite that affects all life on earth. While toxic to many microbes and obligately required by others, those that have appropriate physiological responses survive and can even benefit from various levels of O2, particularly in biofilm communities. Although most studies have focused on measuring O2 within biofilms, little is known about O2 gradients...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySex Steroids Induce Membrane Stress Responses and Virulence Properties in Pseudomonas aeruginosaMolecular mechanisms by which sex steroids interact with P. aeruginosa to modulate its virulence have yet to be reported. Our work provides the first characterization of a steroid-induced membrane stress mechanism promoting P. aeruginosa virulence, which includes the release of proinflammatory outer...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIntraspecies Signaling between Common Variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Increases Production of Quorum-Sensing-Controlled Virulence FactorsCoculture interactions between lasR loss-of-function and LasR+ Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains may explain the worse outcomes associated with the presence of LasR− strains. More broadly, this report illustrates how interactions within a genotypically diverse population, similar to those that frequently develop in natural settings, can promote unpredictably...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Genome-Based Model to Predict the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa IsolatesPseudomonas aeruginosa is a clinically important Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen. P. aeruginosa shows a large degree of genomic heterogeneity both through variation in sequences found throughout the species (core genome) and through the presence or absence of sequences in different isolates (...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Nitrite Transporter Facilitates Biofilm Formation via Suppression of Nitrite Reductase and Is a New Antibiofilm Target in Pseudomonas aeruginosaBacterial biofilms play roles in infections and avoidance of host defense mechanisms of medically important pathogens and increase the antibiotic resistance of the bacteria. Nitric oxide (NO) is reported to be involved in both biofilm formation and dispersal, which are conflicting processes. The mechanism by which NO regulates biofilm dispersal is relatively understood, but there are no reports about how NO is involved in biofilm...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEndoribonuclease YbeY Is Essential for RNA Processing and Virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosaThe increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance imposes a severe threat to human health. For the development of effective treatment and prevention strategies, it is critical to understand the mechanisms employed by bacteria to grow in the human body. Posttranscriptional regulation plays an important role in bacterial adaptation to environmental changes. RNases and small RNAs are key players in this regulation. In this study, we...