transcriptional regulation
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySubcellular Architecture of the xyl Gene Expression Flow of the TOL Catabolic Plasmid of Pseudomonas putida mt-2The transfer of information between DNA, RNA, and proteins in a bacterium is often compared to the decoding of a piece of software in a computer. However, the tridimensional layout and the relational logic of the cognate biological hardware, i.e., the nucleoid, the RNA polymerase, and the ribosomes, are habitually taken for granted.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Enterococcus faecalis Heme Transport Regulator (FhtR) Senses Host Heme To Control Its Intracellular HomeostasisEnterococcus faecalis, a normal and harmless colonizer of the human intestinal flora can cause severe infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, particularly those that have been heavily treated with antibiotics. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that promote its resistance and its virulence....
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTranscriptional Silencing by TsrA in the Evolution of Pathogenic Vibrio cholerae BiotypesPathogenic Vibrio cholerae strains express multiple virulence factors that are encoded by bacteriophage and chromosomal islands. These include cholera toxin and the intestinal colonization pilus called the toxin-coregulated pilus, which are essential for causing severe disease in humans. However, it is presently unclear how the expression of these horizontally...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInvertases in Phytophthora infestans Localize to Haustoria and Are Programmed for Infection-Specific ExpressionOomycetes cause hundreds of diseases in economically and environmentally significant plants. How these microbes acquire host nutrients is not well understood. Many oomycetes insert specialized hyphae called haustoria into plant cells, but unlike their fungal counterparts, a role in nutrition has remained unproven. The discovery that Phytophthora invertases localize to haustoria provides the first strong evidence that these...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of a Novel LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator in Staphylococcus aureus That Is Crucial for Secondary Tissue Colonization during Metastatic Bloodstream InfectionStaphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that can disseminate via the bloodstream and establish metastatic infections in distant organs. To achieve a better understanding of the bacterial factors facilitating the development of these metastatic infections, we used in this study a Staphylococcus...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTranslational Regulation Promotes Oxidative Stress Resistance in the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformansFungal survival in a mammalian host requires the coordinated expression and downregulation of a large cohort of genes in response to cellular stresses. Initial infection with C. neoformans occurs in the lungs, where it interacts with host macrophages. Surviving macrophage-derived cellular stresses, such as the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, is...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe TK0271 Protein Activates Transcription of Aromatic Amino Acid Biosynthesis Genes in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensisThe mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in archaea are still poorly understood. In this study, we identified a transcriptional regulator in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis that activates the transcription of three operons involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids. The study represents one of only a few that identifies a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInteraction of the Ankyrin H Core Effector of Legionella with the Host LARP7 Component of the 7SK snRNP ComplexFor intracellular pathogens to thrive in host cells, an environment that supports survival and replication needs to be established. L. pneumophila accomplishes this through the activity of the ∼330 effector proteins that are injected into host cells during infection. Effector functions range from hijacking host trafficking pathways to altering host cell machinery,...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionCould Dampening Expression of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae mtrCDE-Encoded Efflux Pump Be a Strategy To Preserve Currently or Resurrect Formerly Used Antibiotics To Treat Gonorrhea?The emergence of gonococcal strains resistant to past or currently used antibiotics is a global public health concern, given the estimated 78 million infections that occur annually. The dearth of new antibiotics to treat gonorrhea demands that alternative curative strategies be considered to counteract antibiotic resistance expressed by gonococci. Herein, we show that decreased expression of a drug efflux pump that participates in...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceA Central Small RNA Regulatory Circuit Controlling Bacterial Denitrification and N2O EmissionsN2O is an important greenhouse gas and a major cause of ozone depletion. Denitrifying bacteria play vital roles in the production and consumption of N2O in many environments. Complete denitrification consists of the conversion of a soluble N-oxyanion, nitrate (NO3-), to an inert gaseous N-oxide, dinitrogen (N2). Incomplete denitrification can occur if conditions are prohibitive, for...