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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
A Search For The Counter-Immune Mechanisms Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Meghan Alida Kirksey
A Search For The Counter-Immune Mechanisms Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Meghan Alida Kirksey
Student Theses and Dissertations
Tuberculosis is characterized by dynamic interactions between M. tuberculosis (Mtb) and the human immune response. The cytokine IFN-γ triggers macrophage production of bactericidal nitric oxide by inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) and is essential for mammalian control of Mtb infection. Mice lacking NOS2 are unable to control replication of Mtb and rapidly succumb to infection. The persistent nature of TB infection suggests that Mtb has evolved counter-immune mechanisms to survive in the face of NOS2 and other pathways downstream of IFN-γ. A differential signature-tagged transposon mutagenesis screen was conducted to identify mutants attenuated in NOS2-/- mice, but retaining virulence in …
Glyoxylate Metabolism In Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Lubomir Nikolaev Merkov
Glyoxylate Metabolism In Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Lubomir Nikolaev Merkov
Student Theses and Dissertations
Much has been learned about Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, “the great white plague,†since the bacterium was isolated and initially characterized by Robert Koch over a century ago. Over the last decade, new genetic tools for manipulation of the bacterium have been developed, its genome has been sequenced, and the search for new vaccines and drug targets has greatly intensified. Yet, surprisingly little is known about which mycobacterial genes are truly important for the organism’s ability to persist in the tissues of its human hosts. The metabolic pathways used by the tubercle bacillus to establish and maintain …
Differential Screening In Immunodeficient Mice Reveals Bacterial Enzymes With Unexpected Roles In Host-Pathogen Interactions, Katherine B. Hisert
Differential Screening In Immunodeficient Mice Reveals Bacterial Enzymes With Unexpected Roles In Host-Pathogen Interactions, Katherine B. Hisert
Student Theses and Dissertations
Over centuries of co-existence with their hosts, microbes that are exclusively vertebrate pathogens have evolved mechanisms for manipulation of host cells and evasion of the immune system. Some pathogens dodge the immune response by altering the functions of and hiding within the very cells that should be consuming and digesting them: macrophages. The aim of these studies was to explore the dynamic interactions the host with two microbes that opt to live within the macrophage phagosome: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Salmonella typhimurium. In order to identify bacterial genes that provide protection against specific host immune pathways, we have developed the …