Table of Contents
Spotlight
Minireview
- MinireviewRelationship between the Viable but Nonculturable State and Antibiotic Persister Cells
Bacteria have evolved numerous means of survival in adverse environments with dormancy, as represented by “persistence” and the “viable but nonculturable” (VBNC) state, now recognized to be common modes for such survival. VBNC cells have been defined as cells which, induced by some stress, become nonculturable on media that would normally support their growth but which can be demonstrated by various methods to be alive and capable of...
Research Articles
- Research ArticleA Novel Bvg-Repressed Promoter Causes vrg-Like Transcription of fim3 but Does Not Result in the Production of Serotype 3 Fimbriae in Bvg− Mode Bordetella pertussis
In Bordetella pertussis, the promoter Pfim3-15C for the major fimbrial subunit gene fim3 is activated by the two-component system BvgAS in the Bvg+ mode but not in the Bvg− mode. However, many transcriptional profiling studies have shown that fim3 is transcribed in the Bvg− mode even when Pfim3 is in...
- Research ArticlePolar Localization Hub Protein PopZ Restrains Adaptor-Dependent ClpXP Proteolysis in Caulobacter crescentus
Regulated proteolysis is critical for the cell cycle progression of bacteria, such as Caulobacter crescentus. According to one model, this regulated proteolysis requires localization of the ClpXP protease at the stalked pole for its subsequent degradation of substrates, such as CtrA. This study offers evidence that supports an alternative model to explain how...
- Research Article | SpotlightEssH Peptidoglycan Hydrolase Enables Staphylococcus aureus Type VII Secretion across the Bacterial Cell Wall Envelope
Gene clusters encoding WXG-like proteins and FtsK/SpoIIIE-like P loop ATPases in Firmicutes encode type 7b secretion systems (T7bSS) for the transport of select protein substrates. The Staphylococcus aureus T7bSS assembles in the bacterial membrane and promotes the secretion of WXG-like proteins and...
- Research ArticleHigh-Resolution Analysis of the Peptidoglycan Composition in Streptomyces coelicolor
Streptomycetes are bacteria with a complex lifestyle and are model organisms for bacterial multicellularity. From a single spore, a large multigenomic multicellular mycelium is formed, which differentiates to form spores. Programmed cell death is an important event during the onset of morphological differentiation. In this work, we provide new insights into the changes in the peptidoglycan composition and over time, highlighting changes...
- Research Article | SpotlightRole for GrgA in Regulation of σ28-Dependent Transcription in the Obligate Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis
Chlamydia trachomatis is the number one sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen worldwide. A substantial proportion of C. trachomatis-infected women develop infertility, pelvic inflammatory syndrome, and other serious complications. C....
- Research ArticleGenetic, Biochemical, and Molecular Characterization of Methanosarcina barkeri Mutants Lacking Three Distinct Classes of Hydrogenase
Methanogenic archaea are key players in the global carbon cycle due to their ability to facilitate the remineralization of organic substrates in many anaerobic environments. The consequences of biological methanogenesis are far-reaching, with impacts on atmospheric methane and CO2 concentrations, agriculture, energy production, waste treatment, and human health. The data presented here clarify the in vivo function of...
- Research ArticleBiochemical and Phylogenetic Study of SltF, a Flagellar Lytic Transglycosylase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Flagellar biogenesis is a highly orchestrated event where the flagellar structure spans the bacterial cell envelope. The rod diameter of approximately 4 nm is larger than the estimated pore size of the peptidoglycan layer; hence, its insertion requires the localized and controlled lysis of the cell wall. We found that a 47-residue domain of the C terminus of the lytic transglycosylase (LT) SltF of...
Commentary
Two recent studies (T. D. Mand, G. Kulkarni, and W. W. Metcalf, J. Bacteriol 200:e00342-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00342-18, and G. Kulkarni, T. D. Mand, and W. W. Metcalf, mBio 9:e01256-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01256-18) analyzed an impressive array of hydrogenase-deficient mutant strains of...