Table of Contents
Spotlight
Molecular Pathogenesis
- Molecular PathogenesisAcetylation of PhoP K88 Is Involved in Regulating Salmonella Virulence
The PhoP-PhoQ two-component regulation system of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is involved in the response to various environmental stresses and is essential for bacterial virulence. Our previous studies showed that acetylation plays an important role in regulating the activity of PhoP, which consequently mediates the change in virulence of S....
- Molecular PathogenesisSalmonella enterica Serovars Dublin and Enteritidis Comparative Proteomics Reveals Differential Expression of Proteins Involved in Stress Resistance, Virulence, and Anaerobic Metabolism
The Enteritidis and Dublin serovars of Salmonella enterica are phylogenetically closely related yet differ significantly in host range and virulence. S. Enteritidis is a broad-host-range serovar that commonly causes self-limited gastroenteritis in humans, whereas S. Dublin is a cattle-adapted serovar that can infect humans, often resulting in...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular Interactions
- Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsComparative Genomics of Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli from Kittens and Children Identifies Bacterial Factors Associated with Virulence in Kittens
Typical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (tEPEC) is a leading cause of diarrhea and associated death in children worldwide. Atypical EPEC (aEPEC) lacks the plasmid encoding bundle-forming pili and is considered less virulent, but the molecular mechanism of virulence is poorly understood.
Host Response and Inflammation
- Host Response and InflammationModification of the Pulmonary MyD88 Inflammatory Response Underlies the Role of the Yersinia pestis Pigmentation Locus in Primary Pneumonic Plague
Pneumonic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a rapidly progressing bronchopneumonia involving focal bacterial growth, neutrophilic congestion, and alveolar necrosis. Within a short time after inhalation of Y. pestis, inflammatory cytokines are expressed via the Toll/interleukin-1 (IL-1) adaptor...
- Host Response and InflammationAnnexin A1 Attenuates Neutrophil Migration and IL-6 Expression through Fpr2 in a Mouse Model of Streptococcus suis-Induced Meningitis
Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is a crucial pathogenic cause of bacterial meningitis, a life-threatening disease with neurological sequelae and high rates of mortality. Inflammation triggered by S. suis infection must be precisely regulated to prevent further tissue damage.
Fungal and Parasitic Infections
- Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsIdentification of Candida glabrata Transcriptional Regulators That Govern Stress Resistance and Virulence
The mechanisms by which Candida glabrata resists host defense peptides and caspofungin are incompletely understood. To identify transcriptional regulators that enable C. glabrata to withstand these classes of stressors, a library of 215 ...
- Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsSTAT3 Promotes Schistosome-Induced Liver Injury by Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Proliferation, and Apoptosis Signal Pathway
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic helminth disease that can cause organ lesions leading to health damage. During a schistosome infection, schistosome eggs can flow into the liver along the portal vein.
Microbial Immunity and Vaccines
- Microbial Immunity and VaccinesEstablishment and Validation of Pathogenic CS17+ and CS19+ Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Challenge Models in the New World Primate Aotus nancymaae
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of diarrheal illness in the military, travelers, and children living in low- to-middle income countries. Increased antibiotic resistance, the absence of a licensed vaccine, and the lack of broadly practical therapeutics perpetuate the significant health and financial burden resulting from ETEC infection.
... - Microbial Immunity and VaccinesInnate IFN-γ Is Essential for Systemic Chlamydia muridarum Control in Mice, While CD4 T Cell-Dependent IFN-γ Production Is Highly Redundant in the Female Reproductive Tract
Protective immunity against the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia has long been thought to rely on CD4 T cell-dependent gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production. Nevertheless, whether IFN-γ is produced by other cellular sources during Chlamydia infection and how CD4 T cell-dependent and -independent IFN-γ contribute differently to host resistance have not been carefully evaluated.
- Microbial Immunity and VaccinesSystematic Evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Proteins for Antigenic Properties Identifies Rv1485 and Rv1705c as Potential Protective Subunit Vaccine Candidates
The lack of efficacious vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection is a limiting factor in the prevention and control of tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of death from an infectious agent. Improvement or replacement of the BCG vaccine with one that reliably protects all age groups is urgent.
- Microbial Immunity and Vaccines | SpotlightIntranasal Immunization with Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Results in Long-Term Immunity to Bordetella pertussis in Mice
Bordetella pertussis colonizes the respiratory mucosa of humans, inducing an immune response seeded in the respiratory tract. An individual, once convalescent, exhibits long-term immunity to the pathogen.
Host-Associated Microbial Communities
- Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesGenetic Variation in Toll-Like Receptor 5 and Colonization with Flagellated Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Bacteria
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a vaginal dysbiotic condition linked to negative gynecological and reproductive sequelae. Flagellated bacteria have been identified in women with BV, including Mobiluncus spp. and BV-associated bacterium-1 (BVAB1), an uncultivated, putatively flagellated species.
- Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesSlipped-Strand Mispairing in the Gene Encoding Sialidase NanH3 in Gardnerella spp.
Cell wall proteins with sialidase activity are involved in carbohydrate assimilation, adhesion to mucosal surfaces, and biofilm formation. Gardnerella spp. inhabit the human vaginal microbiome and encode up to three sialidase enzymes, two of which are suspected to be cell wall associated. Here, we demonstrate that the gene encoding extracellular sialidase NanH3 is found almost exclusively in...
Commentary
Atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) are associated with diarrhea worldwide, yet genome-wide investigations to probe their virulome are lacking. V.