Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyExPortal and the LiaFSR Regulatory System Coordinate the Response to Cell Membrane Stress in Streptococcus pyogenesBacterial two-component systems sense and induce transcriptional changes in response to environmental stressors, including antimicrobials and human antimicrobial peptides. Since the stresses imposed by the host’s defensive responses may act as markers of specific temporal stages of disease progression or host compartments, pathogens often coordinately regulate stress response programs with virulence factor expression. The mechanism by...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPlacental Alkaline Phosphatase Promotes Zika Virus Replication by Stabilizing Viral Proteins through BIPZIKV is a recently emerged mosquito-borne flavivirus that can cause devastating congenital Zika syndrome in pregnant women and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, but how ZIKV specifically targets the placenta is not well understood. Here, we identified an alkaline phosphatase (ALPP) that is expressed primarily in placental tissue and promotes ZIKV infection by colocalizing with ZIKV proteins and preventing their proteasome-mediated...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMitochondrial Targeting of the Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Map Triggers Calcium Mobilization, ADAM10-MAP Kinase Signaling, and Host Cell ApoptosisEnteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) is an important human diarrhea-causing bacterium. The pathogenic effects of EPEC largely depend upon its ability to inject a series of proteins, termed effectors, into the host cells. One such effector is the mitochondrion-associated protein (Map). Map has been shown to induce actin-rich projections (i.e., filopodia) on the infected...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyOffloading Role of a Discrete Thioesterase in Type II Polyketide BiosynthesisType II polyketides are a group of secondary metabolites with various biological activities. In nature, biosynthesis of type II polyketides involves multiple enzymatic steps whereby key enzymes, including ketoacyl-synthase (KSα), chain length factor (KSβ), and acyl carrier protein (ACP), are utilized to elongate the polyketide chain through a repetitive condensation reaction. During each condensation, the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe RNase J-Based RNA Degradosome Is Compartmentalized in the Gastric Pathogen Helicobacter pyloriHelicobacter pylori is a bacterial pathogen that chronically colonizes the stomach of half of the human population worldwide. Infection by H. pylori can lead to the development of gastric pathologies such as ulcers and adenocarcinoma, which causes up to 800,000 deaths in the world each year....
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionCD4+ T Cell-Mimicking Nanoparticles Broadly Neutralize HIV-1 and Suppress Viral Replication through AutophagyHIV-1 is a major global health challenge. The development of an effective vaccine and/or a therapeutic cure is a top priority. The creation of vaccines that focus an antibody response toward a particular epitope of a protein has shown promise, but the genetic diversity of HIV-1 hinders this progress. Here we developed an approach using nanoengineered CD4+ T cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (TNP). Not only do TNP effectively...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCsrA-Mediated Translational Activation of ymdA Expression in Escherichia coliThe Csr system of E. coli controls gene expression and physiology on a global scale. CsrA protein, the central component of this system, represses translation initiation of numerous genes by binding to target transcripts, thereby competing with ribosome binding. Variations of this mechanism are so common that CsrA is sometimes called a translational repressor....
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyAntiviral Activity of Type I, II, and III Interferons Counterbalances ACE2 Inducibility and Restricts SARS-CoV-2Repurposing existing, clinically approved, antiviral drugs as COVID-19 therapeutics is a rapid way to help combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Interferons (IFNs) usually form part of the body’s natural innate immune defenses against viruses, and they have been used with partial success to treat previous new viral threats, such as HIV, hepatitis C virus, and Ebola virus. Nevertheless, IFNs can have undesirable side effects, and recent...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNetwork Rewiring: Physiological Consequences of Reciprocally Exchanging the Physical Locations and Growth-Phase-Dependent Expression Patterns of the Salmonella fis and dps GenesWe assessed the impact on Salmonella physiology of reciprocally translocating the genes encoding the Fis and Dps nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) and of inverting their growth-phase production patterns such that Fis was produced in stationary phase (like Dps) and Dps was produced in exponential phase (like Fis). Changes to peak binding of Fis were detected by ChIP-seq on the chromosome, as were widespread impacts on the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMolecular Dialogues between Early Divergent Fungi and Bacteria in an Antagonism versus a MutualismAnimals and plants interact with microbes by engaging specific surveillance systems, regulatory networks, and response modules that allow for accommodation of mutualists and defense against antagonists. Antimicrobial defense responses are mediated in both animals and plants by innate immunity systems that owe their functional similarities to convergent evolution. Like animals and plants, fungi interact with bacteria. However, the...