Article
Microbiology
Roya Akar, Matthias J. Fink, Deike J. Omnus, Kristina Jonas
Summary: Lon protease plays an important regulatory role in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. This study identifies a novel Lon substrate, sigma(T), in Caulobacter crescentus, and confirms the direct role of Lon in degrading sigma(T). The presence of Lon activity regulator LarA enhances the degradation of sigma(T) and highlights the importance of Lon in adjusting the concentrations of stress response regulators during the recovery phase.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco Javier Marcos-Torres, Aurelio Moraleda-Munoz, Francisco Javier Contreras-Moreno, Jose Munoz-Dorado, Juana Perez
Summary: Extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors are subunits of RNA polymerase specialized in activating the transcription of genes responding to specific environmental conditions. They can be activated by diverse signal-transduction pathways, with the most common mechanism involving a membrane-bound anti-sigma factor. However, there are many ECF sigma factors that exhibit non-canonical regulatory mechanisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Zeqiong Cai, Fan Yang, Xiaolong Shao, Zhuo Yue, Zhenpeng Li, Yuqin Song, Xiaolei Pan, Yongxin Jin, Zhihui Cheng, Un-Hwan Ha, Jie Feng, Liang Yang, Xin Deng, Weihui Wu, Fang Bai
Summary: The ECF sigma factor HxuI in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is rapidly induced in response to host stresses and activates multiple metabolic and virulence pathways, promoting bacterial colonization and pathogenicity in host infections. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of HxuI in the adaptability and virulence of P. aeruginosa during infection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Kevin Gozzi, Raul Salinas, Viet D. D. Nguyen, Michael T. T. Laub, Maria A. A. Schumacher
Summary: DNA damage repair systems are crucial for maintaining genomic integrity. Researchers have discovered a SOS-independent damage response system in Caulobacter crescentus, controlled by the transcription activator DriD. They have found that DriD binds to specific promoter DNA sites through its N-terminal HTH domain, activating the transcription of genes like the cell division inhibitor didA.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Biology
Michele Felletti, Cedric Romilly, E. Gerhart H. Wagner, Kristina Jonas
Summary: A novel mechanism has been discovered in Caulobacter crescentus that adjusts DnaA synthesis according to nutrient availability, influenced by a sequence downstream of the dnaA start codon in the mRNA. Specific amino acids in the growing DnaA nascent chain tune translational efficiency.
Review
Microbiology
Volkmar Braun, Marcus D. Hartmann, Klaus Hantke
Summary: Bacteria have developed sophisticated iron transport and regulation systems to overcome iron deficiency. The binding of iron carriers to the cell surface initiates gene transcription, providing the bacteria with the necessary iron. This process involves signal recognition and signal transmission into the cytoplasm.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Samar A. Mahmoud, Berent Aldikacti, Peter Chien
Summary: This study reveals that the specificity of AAA+ proteases in degrading substrates in bacteria is determined by the rate of ATP hydrolysis. A mutation in the ATP binding site of ClpX alters its specificity, shifting it from Lon-restricted substrates to others, but it also impairs the degradation of ClpXP targets. These findings suggest that the substrate preference of a given protease can be modulated by regulating the rate of ATP hydrolysis, possibly through conformational changes of the AAA+ machine.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Haibi Wang, Zichu Yang, Bryan Swingle, Brian H. Kvitko
Summary: Pseudomonas syringae is capable of deploying specialized functions to cope with various stresses, using a just-in-time strategy of gene regulation. The ECF sigma factors play a crucial role in transducing environmental signals and adjusting bacterial physiology, structure, or behavior for survival. AlgU, a broadly conserved ECF sigma factor, controls the expression of over 800 genes in P. syringae, contributing to suppression of plant immunity and bacterial fitness in plants.
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sivakoti Ramana, Awadhesh Kumar Tripathi, Ajay Kumar, Pradip Dey, Jayanta Kumar Saha, Ashok Kumar Patra
Summary: Furcraea foetida has the potential for phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils, showing good tolerance to 200 mg/kg of cadmium in soil with accumulation mainly in the roots.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Samir A. Salama, Ahmed M. Mohamadin, Mohamed S. Abdel-Bakky
Summary: Arctigenin exhibited a protective effect against cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity by improving renal function, reducing oxidative damage, alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress, and targeting Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways.
Article
Cell Biology
Manisha Siwach, Lokesh Kumar, Saravanan Palani, Samada Muraleedharan, Gael Panis, Coralie Fumeaux, Binny M. Mony, Soumyajit Sanyal, Patrick H. Viollier, Sunish Kumar Radhakrishnan
Summary: The regulator MadA controls transcription of flagellar and cell-division genes in Caulobacter crescentus by promoting FliX activation through binding with FlhA. MadA safeguards the divisome stoichiometry to license cell division.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jeffrey K. J. Cheng, Tanja Dapa, Ivan Y. L. Chan, Thomas. O. O. MacCreath, Ross Slater, Meera Unnikrishnan
Summary: Pathogens like Clostridioides difficile use alternative transcriptional factors like sigma factor B (sigma(B)) to respond to different stresses. The regulatory role of RsbW in C. difficile physiology was investigated, and it was found that the RsbW mutant showed defects in spore and biofilm formation but increased adhesion to human gut epithelia. This study provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms and stress responses of C. difficile.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Kiyonobu Honma, Haruka Sasaki, Nobushiro Hamada, Ashu Sharma
Summary: In this study, a regulatory system comprising an ECF sigma factor and a FecR-like anti-sigma factor was identified in T. forsythia, which plays an important role in the induction of beta-glucanase in response to F. nucleatum. The findings suggest the potential development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting beta-glucanase activity or the TfSigG/TfFecR system as therapeutic drugs against dental plaque formation and periodontitis.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ilhan Cem Duru, Florentina Ionela Bucur, Margarita Andreevskaya, Bahareh Nikparvar, Anne Ylinen, Leontina Grigore-Gurgu, Tone Mari Rode, Peter Crauwels, Pia Laine, Lars Paulin, Trond Lovdal, Christian U. Riedel, Nadav Bar, Daniela Borda, Anca Ioana Nicolau, Petri Auvinen
Summary: The study found that L. monocytogenes activated a general stress response after high-pressure processing, with the phosphotransferase system, protein folding, and cobalamin biosynthesis being the most upregulated genes in the recovery process. Cell-division-related genes were downregulated while peptidoglycan-synthesis genes were upregulated, suggesting cell wall repair is involved in the recovery from HPP damage. Additionally, a non-coding RNA (Rli47) was predicted to play a role in HPP damage recovery, and gene-deletion experiments showed pbp2A mutants are more sensitive to HPP.
Article
Microbiology
Sudarshan S. Thapa, Ahmed Al-Tohamy, Anne Grove
Summary: In Burkholderia thailandensis, disruption of the mftR gene leads to increased virulence, enhanced biofilm formation, and elevated motility. MftR is shown to control the production of the siderophore malleobactin, a primary siderophore in this bacterium. These findings highlight the role of MftR in regulating bacterial survival in a host environment through various phenotypes.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Andre L. Gomes-Vieira, Jeremy G. Wideman, Lisvane Paes-Vieira, Suely L. Gomes, Thomas A. Richards, Jose Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
FUNGAL GENETICS AND BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Mycology
Luis Alberto Luevano-Martinez, Camille C. Caldeira da Silva, Gianlucca G. Nicastro, Robert Schumacher, Alicia J. Kowaltowski, Suely L. Gomes
Article
Microbiology
Arnab Pradhan, Gabriela M. Avelar, Judith M. Bain, Delma S. Childers, Daniel E. Larcombe, Mihai G. Netea, Elena Shekhova, Carol A. Munro, Gordon D. Brown, Lars P. Erwig, Neil A. R. Gow, Alistair J. P. Brown
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arnab Pradhan, Gabriela M. Avelar, Judith M. Bain, Delma Childers, Chloe Pelletier, Daniel E. Larcombe, Elena Shekhova, Mihai G. Netea, Gordon D. Brown, Lars Erwig, Neil A. R. Gow, Alistair J. P. Brown
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
Juliana Falcao Rodrigues, Rogerio Ferreira Lourenco, Denicar Lina Nascimento Fabris Maeda, Mariana de Jesus Cintra, Naomi Nakao, Camila Mathias-Santos, Wilson Barros Luiz, Luis Carlos de Souza Ferreira
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Mycology
Raphaela Castro Georg, Leticia Harumi Oshiquiri, Jomal Rodrigues Barbosa-Filho, Suely Lopes Gomes
Article
Mycology
Leticia Harumi Oshiquiri, Suely Lopes Gomes, Raphaela Castro Georg
Article
Microbiology
Rogerio F. Lourenco, Saumya Saurabh, Jonathan Herrmann, Soichi Wakatsuki, Lucy Shapiro
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Judith M. Bain, M. Fernanda Alonso, Delma S. Childers, Catriona A. Walls, Kevin Mackenzie, Arnab Pradhan, Leanne E. Lewis, Johanna Louw, Gabriela M. Avelar, Daniel E. Larcombe, Mihai G. Netea, Neil A. R. Gow, Gordon D. Brown, Lars P. Erwig, Alistair J. P. Brown
Summary: Innate immunity is vital in protecting against fungal infections, but pathogens have evolved ways to evade immune cells. Researchers found that macrophages can counteract pathogen evasion by folding fungal hyphae, promoting successful fungal clearance through engulfment and inhibition of hyphal growth.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luis Javier Galindo, David S. Milner, Suely Lopes Gomes, Thomas A. Richards
Summary: Diverse light-sensing organs have evolved in animals, and similar subcellular analogs have been found in eukaryotic microbes. In fungi, a CyclOp-organelle light perception system has been discovered, consisting of an eyespot and a membrane enriched with type I rhodopsins. Fungi are able to sense light across a range of wavelengths using different systems, including blue-green-light detection.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Guy Leonard, Luis Javier Galindo, David S. Milner, Gabriela Mol Avelar, Andre L. Gomes-Vieira, Suely L. Gomes, Thomas A. Richards
Summary: This article reports the highly contiguous genome assembly and gene annotation of the Blastocladiella emersonii strain. The study assesses the diversity of sensory system encoding genes in this species, identifying a rich complement of G-protein-coupled receptors, ion transporters, and nucleotide cyclases. The findings suggest that the sensory-signaling systems of B. emersonii have diversified through domain recombination and tandem duplication.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Leandro Jose de Assis, Judith M. Bain, Corin Liddle, Ian Leaves, Christian Hacker, Roberta Peres da Silva, Raif Yuecel, Attila Bebes, David Stead, Delma S. Childers, Arnab Pradhan, Kevin Mackenzie, Katherine Lagree, Daniel E. Larcombe, Qinxi Ma, Gabriela Mol Avelar, Mihai G. Netea, Lars P. Erwig, Aaron P. Mitchell, Gordon D. Brown, Neil A. R. Gow, Alistair J. P. Brown
Summary: This study reveals that beta-1,3-glucan exposure on the surface of Candida albicans cells is targeted during phagocytosis, and lactate-induced masking reduces beta-1,3-glucan exposure. Downstream effectors of protein kinase A (PKA), Sin3 and Mig1/Mig2, regulate the secretion of glucanases and modulate beta-1,3-glucan exposure. Perturbing PKA, Sin3, or Mig1/Mig2 attenuates the virulence of lactate-exposed C. albicans cells.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Amanda Luiz Pires Maciel, Cristiane Schmitt, Marcia Maria Baraldi, Caio de Lima Silva, Luiz Felipe Valter de Oliveira, Jorge Luiz Mello Sampaio, Rogerio Ferreira Lourenco, Anna Sara Levin, Icaro Boszczowski
REVISTA DO INSTITUTO DE MEDICINA TROPICAL DE SAO PAULO
(2020)
Article
Biology
M. S. Baptista, M. J. M. Alves, G. M. Arantesc, H. A. Armelin, O. Augusto, R. L. Baldini, D. S. Basseres, E. J. H. Bechara, A. Bruni-Cardoso, H. Chaimovichm, P. Colepicolo Neto, W. Collie, I. M. Cuccovia, A. M. Da-Silva, P. Di Mascio, S. C. Farahm, C. Ferreira, F. L. Forti, R. J. Giordano, S. L. Gomes, F. J. Gueiros Fllho, N. C. Hoch, C. T. Hotta, L. Labriola, C. Lameu, M. T. Machini, B. Malnic, S. R. Marana, M. H. G. Medeiros, F. C. Meotti, S. Miyamoto, C. C. Oliveira, N. C. Souza-Pinto, E. M. Reis, G. E. Ronsein, R. K. Salinas, D. Schechtman, S. Schreier, J. C. Setubal, M. C. Sogayar, G. M. Souza, W. R. Terra, D. R. Truzzi, H. Ulrich, S. Verjovski-Almeida, F. Winck, B. Zingales, A. J. Kowaltowski
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2019)