Table of Contents
Spotlight
Minireview
- MinireviewUpdates to Clostridium difficile Spore Germination
Germination of Clostridium difficile spores is a crucial early requirement for colonization of the gastrointestinal tract. Likewise, C. difficile cannot cause disease pathologies unless its spores germinate into metabolically active, toxin-producing cells.
Research Articles
- Research ArticleEffector Gene xopAE of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria 85-10 Is Part of an Operon and Encodes an E3 Ubiquitin Ligase
Xanthomonas bacteria utilize a type III secretion system to cause disease in many crops. This study provides insights into the evolution, translocation, and biochemical function of the XopAE type III secreted effector, contributing to the understanding of Xanthomonas-host interactions. We establish...
- Research ArticleCpxR/CpxA Controls scsABCD Transcription To Counteract Copper and Oxidative Stress in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium
Copper intoxication triggers both specific and nonspecific responses in Salmonella. The scs locus, which codes for periplasmic thiol/disulfide-oxidoreductase/isomerase-like proteins, has been the focus of attention because it is necessary for copper resistance, oxidative stress responses, and virulence and because it is not present in nonpathogenic...
- Research ArticleIdentification of the Thioredoxin Partner of Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase in Mycobacterial Disulfide Bond Formation
Disulfide bond formation has a great impact on bacterial pathogenicity. Thus, disulfide-bond-forming proteins represent new targets for the development of antibacterials, since the inhibition of disulfide bond formation would result in the simultaneous loss of the activity of several classes of virulence factors. Here, we identified five candidate proteins encoded by the M....
- Research ArticleLegionella pneumophila Is Directly Sensitive to 2-Deoxyglucose-Phosphate via Its UhpC Transporter but Is Indifferent to Shifts in Host Cell Glycolytic Metabolism
We explored the relationship between macrophage glycolysis and replication of an intracellular bacterial pathogen, Legionella pneumophila. Previous studies demonstrated that a glycolysis inhibitor, 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), blocks replication of L. pneumophila during infection of macrophages, leading to...
- Research ArticleActivity of a Holin-Endolysin System in the Insecticidal Pathogenicity Island of Yersinia enterocolitica
The knowledge of how pathogens survive in the environment is pivotal for our understanding of bacterial virulence. The insecticidal and nematocidal activity of Yersinia spp., by which the bacteria gain access to nutrients and thus improve their environmental fitness, is conferred by the toxin complex (Tc) encoded on a highly conserved pathogenicity island termed Tc-...
- Research Article | SpotlightComplex Control of a Genomic Island Governing Biofilm and Rugose Colony Development in Vibrio vulnificus
Biofilm and rugose colony formation are developmental programs that underpin the evolution of Vibrio vulnificus as a potent opportunistic human pathogen and successful environmental organism. A better understanding of the regulatory pathways governing theses phenotypes promotes the development and implementation of strategies to mitigate food chain contamination by...
- Research ArticleResistance to UV Irradiation Caused by Inactivation of nurA and herA Genes in Thermus thermophilus
Many nucleases and helicases are engaged in homologous recombination-mediated DNA repair. Previous in vitro analyses in archaea indicated that NurA and HerA are the recombination-related nuclease and helicase. However, their cellular function had not been fully understood, especially in bacterial cells. In this study, we performed in vivo analyses to address the cellular function of nurA and herA in...
- Research ArticleRpoN-Dependent Direct Regulation of Quorum Sensing and the Type VI Secretion System in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1
As a global regulator, RpoN controls a wide range of biological pathways, including virulence in P. aeruginosa PAO1. This work shows that RpoN plays critical and global roles in the regulation of bacterial pathogenicity and fitness. ChIP-seq provided a useful database to characterize additional functions and targets of RpoN in the future. The functional...
- Research ArticlePseudomonas aeruginosa Regulated Intramembrane Proteolysis: Protease MucP Can Overcome Mutations in the AlgO Periplasmic Protease To Restore Alginate Production in Nonmucoid Revertants
Infection by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality seen in CF patients. Poor patient prognosis correlates with the genotypic and phenotypic change of the bacteria from a typical nonmucoid to a mucoid form in the CF lung, characterized by the overproduction of alginate. The expression of this exopolysaccharide...
- Research ArticlePhenotypic Assessment Suggests Multiple Start Codons for HetN, an Inhibitor of Heterocyst Differentiation, in Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120
The proper placement of different cell types during a developmental program requires the creation and maintenance of a biological pattern to define the cells that will differentiate. Here we show that the HetN inhibitor, responsible for pattern maintenance of specialized nitrogen-fixing heterocyst cells in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena, may be produced from...
- Research ArticleCytochrome bd Oxidase Has an Important Role in Sustaining Growth and Development of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) under Oxygen-Limiting Conditions
Respiring with oxygen is an efficient means of conserving energy in biological systems. The spore-forming, filamentous actinobacterium Streptomyces coelicolor grows only aerobically, synthesizing two enzyme complexes for O2 reduction, the cytochrome bcc-aa3 cytochrome oxidase supercomplex and the cytochrome bd oxidase. We show...
- Research ArticleAssociation of Mycobacterium Proteins with Lipid Droplets
Mycobacterium spp. are one of the few prokaryotes known to produce lipid droplets (LDs), and their production has been linked to aspects of persistent infection by M. tuberculosis. Unfortunately, little is known about LD production in these organisms, including how LDs are formed, their function, or...
- Research Article | SpotlightSurface Display of Small Affinity Proteins on Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 Mediated by Fusion to the Major Type IV Pilin PilA1
Cyanobacteria are gaining interest for their potential as autotrophic cell factories. Development of efficient surface display strategies could improve their suitability for large-scale applications by providing options for designed microbial consortia, cell immobilization, and biomass harvesting. Here, surface display of small affinity proteins was realized by fusing them to the major subunit of the native type IV pili in...
- Research ArticleRsmV, a Small Noncoding Regulatory RNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa That Sequesters RsmA and RsmF from Target mRNAs
The members of the CsrA/RsmA family of RNA-binding proteins play important roles in posttranscriptional control of gene expression. The activity of CsrA/RsmA proteins is controlled by small noncoding RNAs that function as decoys to sequester CsrA/RsmA from target mRNAs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has two CsrA family proteins (RsmA and RsmF) and at least four sequestering...
- Research Article | SpotlightA Phosphofructokinase Homolog from Pyrobaculum calidifontis Displays Kinase Activity towards Pyrimidine Nucleosides and Ribose 1-Phosphate
The discovery of the pentose bisphosphate pathway in Thermococcus kodakarensis has clarified how this archaeon can degrade nucleosides. Homologs of the enzymes of this pathway are present in many members of the Thermococcales, suggesting that this metabolism occurs in these organisms. However, this is not the case in other archaea, and degradation mechanisms for...
- Research ArticleGenotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of the O-Linked Protein Glycosylation System Reveals High Glycan Diversity in Paired Meningococcal Carriage Isolates
Bacterial meningitis is a serious global health problem, and one of the major causative organisms is Neisseria meningitidis, which is also a common commensal in the upper respiratory tract of healthy humans. In bacteria, numerous loci involved in biosynthesis of surface-exposed antigenic structures that are involved in the interaction between bacteria and host are...
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Commentary
The affordability of bacterial genome sequencing has provided a helpful tool for sequencing large strain collections. Bente Børud (J.