Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAnopheles Salivary Gland Architecture Shapes Plasmodium Sporozoite Availability for TransmissionMalaria continues to have a devastating impact on human health. With growing resistance to insecticides and antimalarial drugs, as well as climate change predictions indicating expansion of vector territories, the impact of malaria is likely to increase. Additional insights regarding pathogen migration through vector mosquitoes are needed to develop novel methods to prevent transmission to new hosts. Pathogens, including the microbes...
Author Reply | Applied and Environmental ScienceReply to Sun et al., “Identifying Composition Novelty in Microbiome Studies: Improvement of Prediction Accuracy”
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...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructural Basis for the Differential Regulatory Roles of the PDZ Domain in C-Terminal Processing ProteasesPrc, also known previously as Tsp, is the founding member of the carboxyl-terminal processing protease (CTP) family of PDZ domain-containing proteases that include CtpA and CtpB. The substrate-binding PDZ domain is responsible for regulating the protease activity of CTP proteases; however, the regulatory role of PDZ domain is stimulatory in Prc but inhibitory in CtpA/B. By determining a series of crystal structures of Prc in the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRegulation of Iron Storage by CsrA Supports Exponential Growth of Escherichia coliIron is an essential micronutrient for nearly all living organisms but is toxic in excess. Consequently, the maintenance of iron homeostasis is a critical biological process, and the genes involved in this function are tightly regulated. Here, we explored a new role for the bacterial RNA binding protein CsrA in the regulation of iron homeostasis. CsrA was shown to be a key regulator of iron storage genes in...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFinding of Agr Phase Variants in Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is responsible for a broad range of infections. This pathogen has a vast arsenal of virulence factors at its disposal, but avirulent strains are frequently isolated as the cause of clinical infections. These isolates have a mutated agr locus and have been believed to have no evolutionary future. Here we show that a fraction of Agr-...
Author Reply | Host-Microbe BiologyReply to Wood and Lee, “Precedence for the Role of Indole with Pathogens”
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHepatitis C Virus Infection Induces Hepatic Expression of NF-κB-Inducing Kinase and Lipogenesis by Downregulating miR-122Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global public health problem. Infection often leads to severe liver injury that may progress to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. HCV coopts cellular machineries for propagation and triggers pathological processes in the liver. We previously identified a pivotal role of IKK-α in regulating cellular lipid metabolism and HCV assembly. In this study, we characterized NIK as...
Letter to the Editor | Applied and Environmental SciencePrecedence for the Role of Indole with Pathogens
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCellular Dynamics and Genomic Identity of Centromeres in Cereal Blast FungusMagnaporthe oryzae is an important fungal pathogen that causes a loss of 10% to 30% of the annual rice crop due to the devastating blast disease. In most organisms, kinetochores are clustered together or arranged at the metaphase plate to facilitate synchronized anaphase separation of sister chromatids in mitosis. In this study, we showed that the initially clustered...