signaling
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPhosphorylation of Rhoptry Protein RhopH3 Is Critical for Host Cell Invasion by the Malaria Parasite
Host cell invasion by the malaria parasite is critical for establishing infection in human host and is dependent on discharge of key ligands from organelles like rhoptry and microneme, and these ligands interact with host RBC receptors. In the present study, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of a key rhoptry protein, RhopH3, is critical for host invasion. Phosphorylation regulates its localization to rhoptries and discharge from the...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhosphorylation-Dependent Assembly of a 14-3-3 Mediated Signaling Complex during Red Blood Cell Invasion by Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites
Invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites is a complex process that is regulated by intricate signaling pathways. Here, we used phosphoproteomic profiling to identify the key proteins involved in signaling events during invasion. We found changes in the phosphorylation of various merozoite proteins, including multiple kinases previously...
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceOptimal Response to Quorum-Sensing Signals Varies in Different Host Environments with Different Pathogen Group Size
Quorum sensing describes the ability of microbes to alter gene regulation according to their local population size. Some successful theory suggests that this is a form of cooperation, namely, investment in shared products is only worthwhile if there are sufficient bacteria making the same product. This theory can explain the genetic diversity in these signaling systems in Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus and ...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDistinct Chemotaxis Protein Paralogs Assemble into Chemoreceptor Signaling Arrays To Coordinate Signaling Output
The assembly of chemotaxis receptors and signaling proteins into polar arrays is universal in motile chemotactic bacteria. Comparative genome analyses indicate that most motile bacteria possess multiple chemotaxis signaling systems, and experimental evidence suggests that signaling from distinct chemotaxis systems is integrated. Here, we identify one such mechanism. We show that paralogs from two chemotaxis systems assemble together...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRole for a Filamentous Nuclear Assembly of IFI16, DNA, and Host Factors in Restriction of Herpesviral Infection
Mammalian cells exhibit numerous strategies to recognize and contain viral infections. The best-characterized antiviral responses are those that are induced within the cytosol by receptors that activate interferon responses or shut down translation. Antiviral responses also occur in the nucleus, yet these intranuclear innate immune responses are poorly defined at the receptor-proximal level. In this study, we explored the ability of...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDistinct Roles of Extracellular Domains in the Epstein-Barr Virus-Encoded BILF1 Receptor for Signaling and Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Downregulation
G protein-coupled receptors constitute the largest family of membrane proteins. As targets of >30% of the FDA-approved drugs, they are valuable for drug discovery. The receptor is composed of seven membrane-spanning helices and intracellular and extracellular domains. BILF1 is a receptor encoded by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which evades the host immune system by various strategies. BILF1 facilitates the virus immune evasion by...
- Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyEthanolamine Influences Human Commensal Escherichia coli Growth, Gene Expression, and Competition with Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7
The microbiota protects the host from invading pathogens by limiting access to nutrients. In turn, bacterial pathogens selectively exploit metabolites not readily used by the microbiota to establish infection. Ethanolamine has been linked to pathogenesis of diverse pathogens by serving as a noncompetitive metabolite that enhances pathogen growth as well as a signal that modulates virulence. Although ethanolamine is abundant in the...
- Research ArticleCytokinin Signaling in Mycobacterium tuberculosis