Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAntibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity-Competent Antibodies against HIV-1-Infected Cells in Plasma from HIV-Infected SubjectsHIV Env-specific nonneutralizing Abs (NnAbs) able to mediate ADCC have been implicated in protection from HIV infection. However, Env-specific NnAbs have the capacity to support ADCC of both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected bystander cells, potentially leading to misinterpretations when the assay used to measure ADCC does not distinguish between the two target cell types present in HIV cultures. Using a novel ADCC assay, which...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyReassessing the Role of the Type II MqsRA Toxin-Antitoxin System in Stress Response and Biofilm Formation: mqsA Is Transcriptionally Uncoupled from mqsRThere is growing controversy regarding the role of chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems in bacterial physiology. mqsRA is a peculiar toxin-antitoxin system, as the gene encoding the toxin precedes that of the antitoxin. This system was previously shown to play a role in stress response and biofilm formation. In this work, we identified two promoters specifically driving the constitutive expression of the antitoxin, thereby...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyShigella sonnei O-Antigen Inhibits Internalization, Vacuole Escape, and Inflammasome ActivationDiarrheal disease remains the second leading cause of death in children under five. Shigella remains a significant cause of diarrheal disease with two species, S. flexneri and S. sonnei, causing the majority of infections....
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceTime after Time: Temporal Variation in the Effects of Grass and Forb Species on Soil Bacterial and Fungal CommunitiesOur findings highlight how soil fungal and bacterial communities respond to time, season, and plant species identity. We found that succession shapes the soil bacterial community, while plant species and the type of plant species that grows in the soil drive the assembly of soil fungal communities. Future research on the effects of plants on soil microbes should take into consideration the relative roles of both time and plant growth on...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyQuantitative Visualization of Gene Expression in Mucoid and Nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aggregates Reveals Localized Peak Expression of Alginate in the Hypoxic ZoneA goal for microbial ecophysiological research is to reveal microbial activities in natural environments, including sediments, soils, or infected human tissues. Here, we report the application of the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) v3.0 to quantitatively measure microbial gene expression in situ at single-cell resolution in bacterial aggregates. Using quantitative image analysis of thousands of...
Letter to the Editor | Host-Microbe BiologyGenomics and Chlamydial Persistence In Vivo
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Mouse Model of Enteric Vibrio parahaemolyticus Infection Reveals that the Type III Secretion System 2 Effector VopC Plays a Key Role in Tissue Invasion and GastroenteritisVibrio parahaemolyticus causes severe gastroenteritis following consumption of contaminated seafood. Global warming has allowed this pathogen to spread worldwide, contributing to recent outbreaks. Clinical isolates are known to harbor an array of virulence factors, including T3SS1 and T3SS2; however, the precise role these systems play in intestinal disease remains...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTryptophan Metabolism Activates Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Mediated Pathway To Promote HIV-1 Infection and ReactivationCellular metabolic pathways that are altered by HIV-1 infection may accelerate disease progression. Dysfunction in tryptophan (Trp) metabolism has been observed clinically in association with accelerated HIV-1 pathogenesis, but the mechanism responsible was not known. This study demonstrates that Trp metabolites augment the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, to promote HIV-1 infection...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMining the Methylome Reveals Extensive Diversity in Staphylococcus epidermidis Restriction ModificationStaphylococcus epidermidis is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, especially those related to implanted medical devices. Understanding how S. epidermidis causes disease and devising ways to combat these infections have been hindered by an inability to genetically manipulate clinically...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyIntracellular Mycobacterium leprae Utilizes Host Glucose as a Carbon Source in Schwann CellsLeprosy remains a major problem in the world today, particularly affecting the poorest and most disadvantaged sections of society in the least developed countries of the world. The long-term aim of research is to develop new treatments and vaccines, and these aims are currently hampered by our inability to grow the pathogen in axenic culture. In this study, we probed the metabolism of...