Latest Articles
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 | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Molecular Complex between Staphylococcal Adhesin SpsD and Fibronectin Sustains Mechanical Forces in the Nanonewton RangeBinding of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius surface proteins SpsD and SpsL to fibronectin (Fn) plays a critical role in the invasion of canine epithelial cells. Here, we discover that both adhesins have different mechanisms for binding to Fn. The force required to separate SpsD from Fn is extremely strong, consistent with the unusual β-sheet organization of a high-...
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyPathogenesis of COVID-19 from the Perspective of the Damage-Response FrameworkThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) presents the medical community with a significant challenge. COVID-19 is an entirely new disease with disparate clinical manifestations that are difficult to reconcile with a single pathogenic principle. Here, we explain how the flexible paradigm of the “damage-response framework” (DRF) of microbial pathogenesis...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIsolated Heme A Synthase from Aquifex aeolicus Is a TrimerHeme A is a vital redox cofactor unique for the terminal cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria and many microorganisms. It plays a key role in oxygen reduction by serving as an electron carrier and as the oxygen-binding site. Heme A is synthesized from heme O by an integral membrane protein, heme A synthase (HAS). Defects in HAS impair cellular respiration and have been linked to various human diseases, e.g., fatal infantile...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTornadic Shear Stress Induces a Transient, Calcineurin-Dependent Hypervirulent Phenotype in Mucorales MoldsGiven the limited efficacy of current medical treatments in trauma-related necrotizing mucormycosis, there is a dire need to better understand the Mucoralean pathophysiology in order to develop novel strategies to counteract fungal tissue invasion following severe trauma. Here, we describe that tornadic shear stress challenge transiently induces a hypervirulent phenotype in various pathogenic Mucorales species but not in other molds...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyBerberine Chloride is an Alphavirus Inhibitor That Targets Nucleocapsid AssemblyThe alphavirus chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an example of an emerging human pathogen with increased and rapid global spread. Although an acute CHIKV infection is rarely fatal, many patients suffer from debilitating chronic arthralgia for years. Antivirals against chikungunya and other alphaviruses have been identified in vitro, but to date none have been shown to be efficacious and have been licensed for human use. Here, we...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceLateral Gene Transfer Drives Metabolic Flexibility in the Anaerobic Methane-Oxidizing Archaeal Family MethanoperedenaceaeAOM by microorganisms limits the atmospheric release of the potent greenhouse gas methane and has consequent importance for the global carbon cycle and climate change modeling. While the oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate by consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea and bacteria is well documented, several other potential electron acceptors have also been reported to support AOM. In this study, we identify a number of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTemporal Control of the Helicobacter pylori Cag Type IV Secretion System in a Mongolian Gerbil Model of Gastric CarcinogenesisThe “hit-and-run model” of carcinogenesis proposes that an infectious agent triggers carcinogenesis during initial stages of infection and that the ongoing presence of the infectious agent is not required for development of cancer. H. pylori infection and actions of CagA (an effector protein designated a bacterial oncoprotein, secreted by the Cag T4SS) are proposed to...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Trait Repertoire Enabling Cyanobacteria to Bloom Assessed through Comparative Genomic Complexity and MetatranscriptomicsWe pragmatically delineate the trait repertoire that enables organismal niche specialization. We based our approach on the tenet, derived from evolutionary and complex-system considerations, that genomic units that can significantly contribute to fitness in a certain habitat will be comparatively more complex in organisms specialized to that habitat than their genomic homologs found in organisms from other habitats. We tested this in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Neutrally Charged Diarylurea Compound PQ401 Kills Antibiotic-Resistant and Antibiotic-Tolerant Staphylococcus aureusMembrane-damaging antimicrobial agents have great potential to treat multidrug-resistant or multidrug-tolerant bacteria against which conventional antibiotics are not effective. However, their therapeutic applications are often hampered due to their low selectivity to bacterial over mammalian membranes or their potential for cross-resistance to a broad spectrum of cationic membrane-active antimicrobial agents. We discovered that the...