Article
Microbiology
Laura Martinez-Garcia, Jose Maria Gonzalez-Alba, Teresa Puerta, Alicia Comunion, Maria Concepcion Rodriguez-Jimenez, Eva Orviz, Matilde Sanchez-Conde, Mario Rodriguez-Dominguez, Rafael Canton, Juan Carlos Galan
Summary: This study proposed a new combination of molecular markers based on the most variable genes of L-genotype genomes to improve the characterization of the current LGV epidemic in Madrid, Spain. The new combination of molecular markers demonstrated higher diversity and improved discrimination of LGV strains compared to the previously published MLST scheme based on hypervariable genes.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li Zhang, Jingli Chen, Liqun Zhang, Ying Wei, Yajuan Li, Xinyun Xu, Hui Wu, Zhong-Nan Yang, Jirong Huang, Fenhong Hu, Weihua Huang, Yong-Lan Cui
Summary: The plastid-localized PPR protein EMB1270 is essential for chloroplast biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana, playing a crucial role in the accumulation of photosynthetic proteins and splicing efficiency of specific plastid introns. EMB1270 interacts with CFM2 to facilitate the splicing of group II introns, highlighting its importance in coordinating chloroplast and nuclear gene expression.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Masahiro C. Miura, Shohei Nagata, Satoshi Tamaki, Masaru Tomita, Akio Kanai
Summary: This study developed a bioinformatic pipeline to systematically collect and analyze Group II introns (G2Is) in prokaryotes. The results showed the presence of G2Is in both bacteria and archaea, with their numbers defined almost at the phylum level. Furthermore, a comprehensive sequence analysis led to the identification of three new categories of intron-encoded proteins (IEPs), and it was observed that about 30% of IEPs are non-canonical. The study also analyzed the relationship between genomic signatures and the mechanism of G2I increases.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nadia Assal, Ryan Boone, Richard A. Harris, Michelle Gabriel, Michael Sasges, Brian Petri, Hosahalli Ramaswamy, John W. Austin
Summary: This study found that 254 nm UV radiation (UV-C) can effectively kill spores of Clostridium botulinum, with doses required for log reduction ranging from 2.87 to 6.15 mJ/cm2. Additionally, it was discovered that C. sporogenes spores have higher resistance than the C. botulinum strains. This study lays the foundation for using UV-C technology to inactivate C. botulinum spores in beverages or other liquids.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Macy G. Olson-Wood, Lisa M. Jorgenson, Scot P. Ouellette, Elizabeth A. Rucks
Summary: Overexpression of specific Incs alters the composition of Incs within the inclusion membrane and reduces the recruitment of associated host cell proteins, ultimately impacting the development of Chlamydia trachomatis.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Cole E. Bothun, Sasha A. Mansukhani, Timothy T. Xu, Tina M. Hendricks, David O. Hodge, Brian G. Mohney
Summary: This study described the incidence and clinical characteristics of conjunctivitis in infants during the first year of life in Olmsted County. The results showed that approximately 10% of infants in this population-based cohort had conjunctivitis. More than half of the cases involved both eyes, and one-quarter were identified within the first 30 days of life. Sight-threatening infectious agents were rare.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ketan Dighe, Parikshit Moitra, Nivetha Gunaseelan, Maha Alafeef, Tor Jensen, Carla Rafferty, Dipanjan Pan
Summary: Novel single-stranded DNA probes targeting Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are designed and attached to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to create an absorbance-based assay. The assay shows high sensitivity and specificity in detecting CT and NG DNA in clinical samples, and can be adapted for point-of-care (POC) use on a lateral flow platform without the need for complicated DNA extraction and purification steps.
Article
Ecology
Felix LaRoche-Johnston, Catherine Prattico, Caroline Monat, Olivier Hinse, Benoit Cousineau
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive evolutionary history of a bacterial group II intron. It reveals that the Ll.LtrB homologs in Lactococci originated from a single lateral transfer event from Enterococcus faecalis. The study also demonstrates the dissemination of these introns in Lactococci through recurrent episodes of independent mobility events and lateral transfer.
Article
Plant Sciences
Leila Feiz, Yukari Asakura, Linyong Mao, Susan R. Strickler, Zhangjun Fei, Margarita Rojas, Alice Barkan, David B. Stern
Summary: A new study shows that CRM Family Member1 (CFM1) facilitates the splicing of chloroplast introns in plants, particularly those not previously known to require CRM domain proteins. Deficiencies in these introns result in compromised chloroplast protein synthesis, leading to whole-plant chlorotic phenotypes.
Article
Microbiology
Emmanuel Enoch Dzakah, Liping Huang, Yaohua Xue, Shuai Wei, Xiaolin Wang, Hongliang Chen, Jingwei Shui, Foster Kyei, Farooq Rashid, Heping Zheng, Bing Yang, Shixing Tang
Summary: This study identified differential expression of host cell mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs at different stages of Chlamydia trachomatis development, as well as modulation of specific signaling pathways. Host genes showed varying regulation at different time points post-infection, with a significant downregulation observed in the presence of IFN-gamma. These findings suggest potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of the disease.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Ron Mizrahi, Sofia Shevtsov-Tal, Oren Ostersetzer-Biran
Summary: Mitochondria are organelles responsible for cellular energy production. Plant mitochondria have introns that play a significant role in protein splicing. These splicing processes are regulated by various protein factors and may be associated with cellular and environmental signals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Dolores Molina-Sanchez, Fernando Manuel Garcia-Rodriguez, Eduardo Andres-Leon, Nicolas Toro
Summary: In this study, we investigated the binding sites of RmInt1 in the Sinorhizobium meliloti genome using chromatin-immunoprecipitation coupled with next-generation sequencing. Our results showed that RmInt1 binding sites mainly cluster around the replication origin of each replicon in the S. meliloti genome. This study provides new evidence linking the mobility of group II introns to host DNA replication.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Zhong-Ting Li, Xuan Leng
Summary: Two new Cu(II)-containing coordination polymers were synthesized using a mixed-ligand synthesis approach. The biological activity of the compounds against Chlamydia trachomatis was evaluated, and the mechanism of action was explored. The compounds showed antibacterial effects and affected the expression of survival genes in Chlamydia trachomatis.
INORGANIC AND NANO-METAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yanping Long, Jinbu Jia, Weipeng Mo, Xianhao Jin, Jixian Zhai
Summary: The FLEP-seq method allows simultaneous detection of RNA polymerase II position, splicing status, polyadenylation site, and poly(A) tail length in plants. It enables calculation of cotranscriptional splicing kinetics and identification of polyadenylated transcripts with unspliced introns at specific positions posttranscriptionally.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dario Monachello, Marc Lauraine, Sandra Gillot, Francois Michel, Maria Costa
Summary: Mobile group II introns are retrotransposable elements that insert themselves into DNA target sites with the help of base-pairing interactions and the reverse transcriptase enzyme. A new base-pairing interaction named EBS2a-IBS2a has been identified, which is crucial for intron mobility by driving unwinding of the DNA duplex and is stabilized by the reverse transcriptase in a non-sequence-specific manner. This discovery has important implications for the biotechnological applications of group II introns in bacterial gene targeting.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Mathilde M. Cosse, Michael L. Barta, Derek J. Fisher, Lena K. Oesterlin, Beatrice Niragire, Stephanie Perrinet, Gael A. Millot, P. Scott Hefty, Agathe Subtil
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Ja E. Claywell, Lea M. Matschke, Kyle N. Plunkett, Derek J. Fisher
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Microbiology
Nicholas A. Wood, Krystal Y. Chung, Amanda M. Blocker, Nathalia Rodrigues de Almeida, Martin Conda-Sheridan, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara V. Pais, Charlotte E. Key, Vitor Borges, Ines S. Pereira, Joao Paulo Gomes, Derek J. Fisher, Luis Jaime Mota
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Mohammed A. Seleem, Nathalia Rodrigues de Almeida, Yashpal Singh Chhonker, Daryl J. Murry, Zaira da Rosa Guterres, Amanda M. Blocker, Shiomi Kuwabara, Derek J. Fisher, Emilse S. Leal, Manuela R. Martinefski, Mariela Bollini, Maria Eugenia Monge, Scot P. Ouellette, Martin Conda-Sheridan
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Nicholas A. Wood, Amanda M. Blocker, Mohamed A. Seleem, Martin Conda-Sheridan, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette
Article
Food Science & Technology
Prachi Pahariya, Derek J. Fisher, Ruplal Choudhary
Summary: The study evaluated the efficacy of different sanitizing solutions on microbial reduction and quality of leafy greens, finding that peracetic acid (PAA) may be a better alternative to chlorine solutions for postharvest sanitization of fresh produce.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nicholas A. Wood, Abigail R. Swoboda, Amanda M. Blocker, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette
Summary: Despite its reduced genome, Chlamydia trachomatis undergoes complex developmental transitions which involve targeted protein degradation mediated by ClpX and recognition of SsrA-tagged substrates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jahaun Azadmanesh, Mohamed A. Seleem, Lucas Struble, Nicholas A. Wood, Derek J. Fisher, Jeffrey J. Lovelace, Antonio Artigues, Aron W. Fenton, Gloria E. O. Borgstahl, Scot P. Ouellette, Martin Conda-Sheridan
Summary: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection that can cause preventable blindness. The pathogenic bacteria's Caseinolytic proteases (ClpP) are attractive targets for antibiotics, especially against persister colonies with resistance to common antibiotics. The crystal structure of full-length ClpP2 has been determined, providing valuable information for drug design and understanding the activation of ClpP complex within this important human pathogen.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Luana Janaina de Campos, Mohamed A. . Seleem, Jiachen Feng, Kelly Mari Pires de Oliveira, Joao Victor de Andrade dos Santos, Shivdeep Hayer, Jonathan B. Clayton, Sharvath Kathi, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette, Martin Conda-Sheridan
Summary: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the main cause of sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the United States. The lack of drug selectivity poses a challenge for current antichlamydial pharmacotherapy. By studying the disruption of CT-ClpXP by dihydrothiazepines, we synthesized a library of these compounds and evaluated their antichlamydial activity. We also demonstrated the inhibitory effect of our lead compound on ClpX ATPase activity and its promising selectivity, cytotoxicity, mutagenic potential, and in vitro stability. We generated a 2D QSAR model to aid in the identification of more potent antichlamydial molecules. This study suggests that dihydrothiazepines are a promising starting point for the development of selective antichlamydial drugs.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Abigail R. Swoboda, Nicholas A. Wood, Elizabeth A. Saery, Derek J. Fisher, Scot P. Ouellette
Summary: The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of preventable infectious blindness and bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide. This study reveals that the tail-specific protease (Tsp) plays a critical role in the developmental cycle of Chlamydia trachomatis.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Stefan Pan, Aaron A. Jensen, Nicholas A. Wood, Beate Henrichfreise, Heike Broetz-Oesterhelt, Derek J. Fisher, Peter Sass, Scot P. Ouellette
Summary: Bacterial AAA+ unfoldases, such as ClpC, play crucial roles in bacterial physiology by recognizing and unfolding specific substrates for degradation. In this study, we investigated the function of chlamydial ClpC using in vitro and cell culture approaches. We found that ClpC exhibits ATPase and chaperone activities, and can form a functional protease with ClpP1P2 complexes. Depletion or overexpression of ClpC significantly affected chlamydial growth, highlighting its essentiality in Chlamydia. These findings suggest that ClpC could be a potential target for the development of antichlamydial agents.
Article
Immunology
Shiomi Kuwabara, Evan R. Landers, Derek J. Fisher
Summary: Chlamydia trachomatis is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness. The bacterium senses host cell and bacterial energy levels and metabolites to ensure that development and growth coincide with nutrient availability. The partner switching mechanism (PSM) plays a key role in this sensing and response process.
PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Prabesh Joshi, Nathalie Becerra-Mora, Annie Y. Vargas-Lizarazo, Punit Kohli, Derek J. Fisher, Ruplal Choudhary
Summary: Blackberries, an important seasonal fruit crop, are negatively impacted by their short shelf-life. This study found that blackberries coated with edible alginate and limonene-liposomes exhibited lower weight loss and CO2 release rate, and inhibited microbial growth under refrigeration. Quality indices such as total soluble solids, pH, total polyphenol content, and total anthocyanin content did not significantly deviate from non-coated blackberries.
Article
Immunology
Nita Shillova, Savannah E. Howe, Besmir Hyseni, Deahneece Ridgell, Derek J. Fisher, Vjollca Konjufca
Summary: The study demonstrates that oral infection or immunization provides protection against Chlamydia, reducing bacterial burden in the FRT and speeding up Chlamydia clearance. In contrast, subcutaneous immunization does not provide protection. Furthermore, IgA produced in orally immunized animals plays a neutralizing role in vaginal secretions.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2021)