phase variation
- 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...
- Microbial Immunity and VaccinesEvaluation of the Protective Ability of the Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum Tp0126 OmpW Homolog in the Rabbit Model of Syphilis
In silico analyses of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum genomes and predicted proteomes to search for homologs of known bacterial outer membrane proteins (OMPs) led to the identification of tp0126 as a gene encoding a putative member of the OmpW family of porins/virulence factors. Our previous investigations on the role of Tp0126 in...
- Molecular PathogenesisAnalysis of Invasive Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Isolates Reveals Selection for the Expression State of Particular Phase-Variable Lipooligosaccharide Biosynthetic Genes
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major human pathogen, responsible for several acute and chronic infections of the respiratory tract. The incidence of invasive infections caused by NTHi is increasing worldwide.
- Molecular PathogenesisPhasevarion-Regulated Virulence in the Emerging Pediatric Pathogen Kingella kingae
- Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsSalmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigen Modification Impact on Serum Resistance and Antibody Recognition