Latest Articles
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCharacterization of the Streptomyces coelicolor Glycoproteome Reveals Glycoproteins Important for Cell Wall BiogenesisIn prokaryotes, the role of protein glycosylation is poorly understood due to our limited understanding of their glycoproteomes. In some Actinobacteria, defects in protein O-glycosylation have been shown to retard growth and result in hypersensitivity to cell wall-targeting antibiotics, suggesting that this modification is important for maintaining cell wall structure. Here, we have characterized the glycoproteome in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTwo Accessory Proteins Govern MmpL3 Mycolic Acid Transport in MycobacteriaThe cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes the disease tuberculosis, is a complex structure composed of abundant lipids and glycolipids, including the signature lipid of these bacteria, mycolic acids. In this study, we identified two new components of the transport machinery that constructs this complex cell wall. These two accessory...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTranscriptomic Analysis of Streptococcus pyogenes Colonizing the Vaginal Mucosa Identifies hupY, an MtsR-Regulated Adhesin Involved in Heme UtilizationColonization of the host requires the ability to adapt to an environment that is often low in essential nutrients such as iron. Here we present data showing that the transcriptome of the important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes shows extensive remodeling during in vivo growth, resulting in, among many other differentially expressed genes and pathways,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Structure of an Injectisome Export Gate Demonstrates Conservation of Architecture in the Core Export Gate between Flagellar and Virulence Type III Secretion SystemsAlthough predicted on the basis of sequence conservation, the work presented here formally demonstrates that all classes of type III secretion systems, flagellar or virulence, share the same architecture at the level of the core structures. This absolute conservation of the unusual extramembrane structure of the core export gate complex now allows work to move to focusing on both mechanistic studies of type III but also on fundamental...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySelf-Labeling Enzyme Tags for Analyses of Translocation of Type III Secretion System Effector ProteinsType III secretion systems mediate translocation of effector proteins into mammalian cells. These proteins interfere with host cell functions, being main virulence factors of Gram-negative pathogens. Analyses of the process of translocation, the subcellular distribution, and the dynamics of effector proteins in host cells have been hampered by the lack of suitable tags and detection systems. Here we describe the use of self-labeling...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyElectronic Health Informatics Data To Describe Clearance Dynamics of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and e Antigen (HBeAg) in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus InfectionAdvances in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are urgently required if we are to meet international targets for elimination by the year 2030. Here we demonstrate how routine clinical data can be harnessed through an unbiased electronic pipeline, showcasing the significant potential for amassing large clinical data sets that can help to inform advances in patient care and provide insights that...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyKingella kingae Surface Polysaccharides Promote Resistance to Neutrophil Phagocytosis and KillingKingella kingae is a Gram-negative commensal in the oropharynx and represents a leading cause of joint and bone infections in young children. The mechanisms by which K. kingae evades host innate immunity during pathogenesis of disease remain poorly understood. In this study, we established that the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyUnique, Diverged, and Conserved Mitochondrial Functions Influencing Candida albicans RespirationCandida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of major clinical concern. The virulence of this pathogen is intimately intertwined with its metabolic behavior, and mitochondria have a central role in that metabolism. Mitochondria have undergone many evolutionary changes, which include lineage-specific adaptations in association with their eukaryotic host. Seven...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHIV Silencing and Inducibility Are Heterogeneous and Are Affected by Factors Intrinsic to the VirusA reservoir of infected cells in which the HIV genome is transcriptionally silent is acknowledged to be the principal barrier to eradicating the virus from an infected person. A number of cellular processes are implicated in this silencing; however, the viral factors that may contribute remain underexplored. Here we examined mutations altering the correct splicing of HIV gene products as a model to study whether differences in viral...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCicada Endosymbionts Have tRNAs That Are Correctly Processed Despite Having Genomes That Do Not Encode All of the tRNA Processing MachineryThe smallest bacterial genomes, in the range of about 0.1 to 0.5 million base pairs, are commonly found in the nutritional endosymbionts of insects. These tiny genomes are missing genes that encode proteins and RNAs required for the translation of mRNAs, one of the most highly conserved and important cellular processes. In this study, we found that the bacterial endosymbionts of cicadas have genomes which encode incomplete tRNA sets and...