Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA New Mechanism for Ribosome Rescue Can Recruit RF1 or RF2 to Nonstop RibosomesFrancisella tularensis is a highly infectious intracellular pathogen that kills more than half of infected humans if left untreated. F. tularensis has also been classified as a potential bioterrorism agent with a great risk for deliberate misuse. Recently, compounds that inhibit ribosome rescue have...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTrypanosoma brucei PRMT1 Is a Nucleic Acid Binding Protein with a Role in Energy Metabolism and the Starvation Stress ResponseTrypanosoma brucei infection causes human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, a disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate when untreated. Current drugs are expensive, toxic, and highly impractical to administer, prompting the community to explore various unique aspects of T. brucei...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAn Infant Mouse Model of Influenza Virus Transmission Demonstrates the Role of Virus-Specific Shedding, Humoral Immunity, and Sialidase Expression by Colonizing Streptococcus pneumoniaeThis study provides insight into the role of the virus strain, age, immunity, and URT flora on IAV shedding and transmission efficiency. Using the infant mouse model, we found that (i) differences in viral shedding of various IAV strains are dependent on specific hemagglutinin (HA) and/or neuraminidase (NA) proteins, (ii) host age plays a key role in the efficiency of IAV transmission, (iii) levels of IAV-specific immunoglobulins are...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTranscriptional Profiling of Patient Isolates Identifies a Novel TOR/Starvation Regulatory Pathway in Cryptococcal VirulenceCryptococcus is a fungal pathogen that kills an estimated quarter of a million individuals yearly and is the most common cause of nonviral meningitis in the United States. The fungus is carried in about 10% of the adult population and, after reactivation, causes disease in a wide variety of immunosuppressed individuals, including the HIV infected and patients...
Minireview | Therapeutics and PreventionRepurposing Estrogen Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Infectious DiseaseThe concept of repurposing previously approved medications to the treatment of new indications by taking advantage of off-target effects has gained traction in recent years, particularly in areas of medicine that do not offer large profits to pharmaceutical firms. As infectious disease discovery research has declined among large pharmaceutical companies, the potential payoff of repurposing has become attractive.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructure-Function Analysis of the Bifunctional CcsBA Heme Exporter and Cytochrome c SynthetaseThe movement or trafficking of heme is critical for cellular functions (e.g., oxygen transport and energy production); however, intracellular heme is tightly regulated due to its inherent cytotoxicity. These factors, combined with the transient nature of transport, have resulted in a lack of direct knowledge on the mechanisms of heme binding and trafficking. Here, we used the cytochrome c biogenesis system II pathway as a model...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionSynergistic Lethality of a Binary Inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis KasACell wall biosynthesis inhibitors have proven highly effective for treating tuberculosis (TB). We discovered and validated members of the indazole sulfonamide class of small molecules as inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis KasA—a key component for biosynthesis of the mycolic acid layer of the bacterium’s cell wall and the same pathway as that inhibited by the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNetwork-Guided Discovery of Influenza Virus Replication Host FactorsIntegrating virus-host interactions with host protein-protein interactions, we have created a method using these established network practices to identify host factors (i.e., proteins) that are likely candidates for antiviral drug targeting. We demonstrate that interaction cascades between host proteins that directly interact with viral proteins and host factors that are important to influenza virus replication are enriched for...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Expanded Universe of Prokaryotic Argonaute ProteinsThe eukaryotic Ago proteins and the RNA interference pathways they are involved in are widely used as a powerful tool in research and as potential therapeutics. In contrast, the properties and functions of prokaryotic Ago (pAgo) proteins have remained poorly understood. Understanding the diversity and functions of pAgos holds a huge potential for discovery of new cellular pathways and novel tools for genome manipulations. Only few pAgos...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyIntrinsic Class D β-Lactamases of Clostridium difficileC. difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium which causes infection of the large intestine with high mortality rates. The C. difficile infection is difficult to prevent and treat, as the pathogen is resistant to many antimicrobial agents. Prolonged use of β-lactam antibiotics for treatment of...