Table of Contents
Spotlight
Minireview
MinireviewMore than a Feeling: Microscopy Approaches to Understanding Surface-Sensing MechanismsThe mechanisms by which bacteria sense and respond to surface attachment have long been a mystery. Our understanding of the structure and dynamics of bacterial appendages, notably type IV pili (T4P), provided new insights into the potential ways that bacteria sense surfaces. T4P are ubiquitous, retractable hair-like adhesins that until recently, due to their nanoscale size, were difficult to image in the absence of fixation. This review...
Research Articles
Research ArticleMeasurable Genomic Changes in Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis after Long-Term Adaptation in Acanthamoeba lenticulata and Reduced Persistence in MacrophagesShort-term interaction between Acanthamoeba and M. avium has been demonstrated to increase infectivity in human and murine models of infection, establishing the paradigm that amoebae “train” M. avium in the environment by selecting for phenotypes capable of enduring in human cells. We...
Research ArticleThe Transcription Regulator and c-di-GMP Phosphodiesterase PdeL Represses Motility in Escherichia coliBacteria adopt different lifestyles depending on their environment and physiological conditions. In Escherichia coli and other enteric bacteria, the transition between the motile and the sessile states is controlled at multiple levels from the regulation of gene expression to the modulation of various processes by the second messenger c-di-GMP as a signaling molecule...
Research ArticleProtein Dosage of the lldPRD Operon Is Correlated with RNase E-Dependent mRNA ProcessingAdjustment of gene expression is critical for proper cell function. In the case of polycistronic transcripts, posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms can be used to fine-tune the expression of individual cistrons.
Research ArticlePolysaccharide Copolymerase WzzB/WzzE Chimeras Reveal that the Transmembrane 2 Region of WzzB Is Important for Interaction with WzyBBacteria synthesize complex polysaccharide chains at a controlled number of repeating units; this has wide implications for a range of bacterial activities involved in virulence. Examples of complex polysaccharide chains include the Oag component of lipopolysaccharide and the ECA; both of these examples are predominantly synthesized by their own independent Wzy-dependent pathway.
Research Article | SpotlightThe Conserved Translation Factor LepA Is Required for Optimal Synthesis of a Porin Family in Mycobacterium smegmatisThe mycobacterial cell wall is a promising target for new antibiotics due to the abundance of important membrane-associated proteins. Defining mechanisms of synthesis of the membrane proteome will be critical to uncovering and validating drug targets.
Research Article | SpotlightLipopolysaccharide Transport Involves Long-Range Coupling between Cytoplasmic and Periplasmic Domains of the LptB2FGC ExtractorGram-negative bacteria are intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics due to the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at their cell surface. LPS is transported from its site of synthesis at the inner membrane to the outer membrane by the Lpt machine.
Research ArticleDefects in the First Step of Lipoprotein Maturation Underlie the Synthetic Lethality of Escherichia coli Lacking the Inner Membrane Proteins YciB and DcrB...A distinguishing feature of Gram-negative bacteria is their double-membraned cell envelope, which presents a formidable barrier against environmental stress. In E. coli, more than a quarter of the cellular proteins reside at the inner membrane, but about a third of these proteins are functionally unassigned or their function is incompletely understood.
Research ArticleGenetic Analysis of the Role of the Conserved Inner Membrane Protein CvpA in Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Resistance to DeoxycholateSeveral enteric pathogens, including enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strains, require CvpA to robustly colonize the intestine. This inner membrane protein is also important for secretion of a colicin and for EHEC resistance to the bile salt deoxycholate (DOC), but its function is unknown.
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