Scholarly Work - Microbiology & Immunology
Recent Submissions
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Epidemic Clostridioides difficile Ribotype 027 Lineages: Comparisons of Texas Versus Worldwide Strains
(2019-02)Background The epidemic Clostridioides difficile ribotype 027 strain resulted from the dissemination of 2 separate fluoroquinolone-resistant lineages: FQR1 and FQR2. Both lineages were reported to originate in North ... -
Mixing of meteoric and geothermal fluids supports hyperdiverse chemosynthetic hydrothermal communities
(2019-02)Little is known of how mixing of meteoric and geothermal fluids supports biodiversity in non-photosynthetic ecosystems. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to investigate a chemosynthetic microbial community in a hot spring ... -
Resident Alveolar Macrophages Are Susceptible to and Permissive of Coxiella burnetii Infection
(2012-12)Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a zoonotic disease with potentially life-threatening complications in humans. Inhalation of low doses of Coxiella bacteria can result in infection of the host alveolar ... -
The polymorphic pseudokinase ROP5 controls virulence in Toxoplasma gondii by regulating the active kinase ROP18
(2012-11)Secretory polymorphic serine/threonine kinases control pathogenesis of Toxoplasma gondii in the mouse. Genetic studies show that the pseudokinase ROP5 is essential for acute virulence, but do not reveal its mechanism of ... -
Discovery of a splicing regulator required for cell cycle progression
(2013-02)In the G1 phase of the cell division cycle, eukaryotic cells prepare many of the resources necessary for a new round of growth including renewal of the transcriptional and protein synthetic capacities and building the ... -
Alpha-toxin Induces Programmed Cell Death of Human T cells, B cells, and Monocytes During USA300 Infection
(2012-05)This investigation examines the influence of alpha-toxin (Hla) during USA300 infection of human leukocytes. Survival of an USA300 isogenic deletion mutant of hla (USA300Δhla) in human blood was comparable to the parental ... -
Virus-like Particle-Induced Protection against MRSA Pneumonia Is Dependent on IL-13 and Enhancement of Phagocyte Function
(2012-07)The importance of the priming of the lung environment by past infections is being increasingly recognized. Exposure to any given antigen can either improve or worsen the outcome of subsequent lung infections, depending on ... -
Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of the Aspergillus fumigatus hypoxia response using an oxygen-controlled fermenter
(2012-02)Background Aspergillus fumigatus is a mold responsible for the majority of cases of aspergillosis in humans. To survive in the human body, A. fumigatus must adapt to microenvironments that are often characterized by low ... -
The SaeR/S gene regulatory system induces a pro-inflammatory cytokine response during Staphylococcus aureus infection
(2011-05)Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounts for a large portion of the increased staphylococcal disease incidence and can cause illness ranging from mild skin infections to rapidly fatal sepsis ... -
A systematic screen to discover and analyze apicoplast proteins identifies a conserved and essential protein import factor
(2011-12)Parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa cause diseases that impact global health and economy. These unicellular eukaryotes possess a relict plastid, the apicoplast, which is an essential organelle and a validated drug target. ... -
Regulation of human formyl peptide receptor 1 synthesis: role of single nucleotide polymorphisms, transcription factors, and inflammatory mediators
(2011-12)The gene encoding the human formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) is heterogeneous, containing numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Here, we examine the effect of these SNPs on gene transcription and protein ... -
Nuclease modulates biofilm formation in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(2011-11)Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an emerging contributor to biofilm-related infections. We recently reported that strains lacking sigma factor B (sigB) in the USA300 lineage of ... -
In vivo hypoxia and a fungal alcohol dehydrogenase influence the pathogenesis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
(2011-07)Currently, our knowledge of how pathogenic fungi grow in mammalian host environments is limited. Using a chemotherapeutic murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and 1H-NMR metabolomics, we detected ethanol ... -
SREBP coordinates iron and ergosterol homeostasis to mediate triazole drug and hypoxia responses in the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
(2011-12)Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are a class of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors that regulate diverse cellular responses in eukaryotes. Adding to the recognized importance of SREBPs in human ... -
Hepatocytes lacking thioredoxin reductase 1 have normal replicative potential during development and regeneration
(2010-07)Cells require ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) activity for DNA replication. In bacteria, electrons can flow from NADPH to RNR by either a thioredoxin-reductase- or a glutathione-reductase-dependent route. Yeast and plants ... -
Metagenomes from high-temperature chemotrophic systems reveal geochemical controls on microbial community structure and function
(2010-03)The Yellowstone caldera contains the most numerous and diverse geothermal systems on Earth, yielding an extensive array of unique high-temperature environments that host a variety of deeply-rooted and understudied Archaea, ... -
T. gondii RP promoters & knockdown reveal molecular pathways associated with proliferation and cell-cycle arrest
(2010-11)Molecular pathways regulating rapid proliferation and persistence are fundamental for pathogens but are not elucidated fully in Toxoplasma gondii. Promoters of T. gondii ribosomal proteins (RPs) were analyzed by EMSAs and ... -
Coordinated progression through two subtranscriptomes underlies the tachyzoitecycle of Toxoplasma gondii
(2010-08)Background Apicomplexan parasites replicate by varied and unusual processes where the typically eukaryotic expansion of cellular components and chromosome cycle are coordinated with the biosynthesis of parasite-specific ... -
Inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue elicited by a protein cage nanoparticle enhances protection in mice against diverse respiratory viruses
(2009-09)Background Destruction of the architectural and subsequently the functional integrity of the lung following pulmonary viral infections is attributable to both the extent of pathogen replication and to the host-generated ... -
Cytoprotective Nrf2 pathway is induced in chronically txnrd 1-deficient hepatocytes
(2009-07)"Background Metabolically active cells require robust mechanisms to combat oxidative stress. The cytoplasmic thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin (Txnrd1/Txn1) system maintains reduced protein dithiols and provides electrons ...
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