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Medical Microbiology

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2011

Genetics

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

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Coordinated Regulation By Agra, Sara, And Sarr To Control Agr Expression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Dindo Reyes, Diego O. Andrey, Antoinette Monod, William L. Kelley, Gongyi Zhang, Ambrose L. Cheung Sep 2011

Coordinated Regulation By Agra, Sara, And Sarr To Control Agr Expression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Dindo Reyes, Diego O. Andrey, Antoinette Monod, William L. Kelley, Gongyi Zhang, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

The agr locus of Staphylococcus aureus is composed of two divergent transcripts (RNAII and RNAIII) driven by the P2 and P3 promoters. The P2-P3 intergenic region comprises the SarA/SarR binding sites and the four AgrA boxes to which AgrA binds. We reported here the role of AgrA, SarA, and SarR on agr P2 and P3 transcription. Using real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and promoter fusion studies with selected single, double, triple, and complemented mutants, we showed that AgrA is indispensable to agr P2 and P3 transcription, whereas SarA activates and SarR represses P2 transcription. In vitro runoff transcription assays revealed that …


Step-Wise Loss Of Bacterial Flagellar Torsion Confers Progressive Phagocytic Evasion, Rustin R. Lovewell, Ryan M. Collins, Julie L. Acker, George A. O'Toole, Matthew J. Wargo, Brent Berwin, Craig R. Roy Sep 2011

Step-Wise Loss Of Bacterial Flagellar Torsion Confers Progressive Phagocytic Evasion, Rustin R. Lovewell, Ryan M. Collins, Julie L. Acker, George A. O'Toole, Matthew J. Wargo, Brent Berwin, Craig R. Roy

Dartmouth Scholarship

Phagocytosis of bacteria by innate immune cells is a primary method of bacterial clearance during infection. However, the mechanisms by which the host cell recognizes bacteria and consequentially initiates phagocytosis are largely unclear. Previous studies of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa have indicated that bacterial flagella and flagellar motility play an important role in colonization of the host and, importantly, that loss of flagellar motility enables phagocytic evasion. Here we use molecular, cellular, and genetic methods to provide the first formal evidence that phagocytic cells recognize bacterial motility rather than flagella and initiate phagocytosis in response to this motility. We demonstrate …


Characterization Of Vibrio Cholerae O1 El Tor Biotype Variant Clinical Isolates From Bangladesh And Haiti, Including A Molecular Genetic Analysis Of Virulence Genes, Mike S. Son, Christina J. Megli, Gabriela Kovacikova, Firdausi Qadri, Ronald K. Taylor Aug 2011

Characterization Of Vibrio Cholerae O1 El Tor Biotype Variant Clinical Isolates From Bangladesh And Haiti, Including A Molecular Genetic Analysis Of Virulence Genes, Mike S. Son, Christina J. Megli, Gabriela Kovacikova, Firdausi Qadri, Ronald K. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera, is divided into two biotypes: classical and El Tor. Both biotypes produce the major virulence factors toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) and cholera toxin (CT). Although possessing genotypic and phenotypic differences, El Tor biotype strains displaying classical biotype traits have been reported and subsequently were dubbed El Tor variants. Of particular interest are reports of El Tor variants that produce various levels of CT, including levels typical of classical biotype strains. Here, we report the characterization of 10 clinical isolates from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, and …


Systematic Analysis Of Diguanylate Cyclases That Promote Biofilm Formation By Pseudomonas Fluorescens Pf0-1, Peter D. Newell, Shiro Yoshioka, Kelli L. Hvorecny, Russell D. Monds, George A. O'Toole Jul 2011

Systematic Analysis Of Diguanylate Cyclases That Promote Biofilm Formation By Pseudomonas Fluorescens Pf0-1, Peter D. Newell, Shiro Yoshioka, Kelli L. Hvorecny, Russell D. Monds, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a broadly conserved, intracellular second-messenger molecule that regulates biofilm formation by many bacteria. The synthesis of c-di-GMP is catalyzed by diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) containing the GGDEF domain, while its degradation is achieved through the phosphodiesterase activities of EAL and HD-GYP domains. c-di-GMP controls biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 by promoting the cell surface localization of a large adhesive protein, LapA. LapA localization is regulated posttranslationally by a c-di-GMP effector system consisting of LapD and LapG, which senses cytoplasmic c-di-GMP and modifies the LapA protein in the outer membrane. Despite the apparent requirement for c-di-GMP for …


Non-Identity-Mediated Crispr-Bacteriophage Interaction Mediated Via The Csy And Cas3 Proteins, Kyle C. Cady, George A. O'Toole Mar 2011

Non-Identity-Mediated Crispr-Bacteriophage Interaction Mediated Via The Csy And Cas3 Proteins, Kyle C. Cady, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies of the Escherichia, Neisseria, Thermotoga, and Mycobacteria clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) subtypes have resulted in a model whereby CRISPRs function as a defense system against bacteriophage infection and conjugative plasmid transfer. In contrast, we previously showed that the Yersinia-subtype CRISPR region of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain UCBPP-PA14 plays no detectable role in viral immunity but instead is required for bacteriophage DMS3-dependent inhibition of biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa. The goal of this study is to define the components of the Yersinia-subtype CRISPR region required to mediate this bacteriophage-host interaction. We show that the Yersinia-subtype-specific CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins …