Life Sciences Commons^™

Mechanisms Responsible For A Φx174 Mutant's Ability To Infect Escherichia Coli By Phosphorylation, Jennifer Cox, Catherine Putonti

Catherine Putonti

The ability for a virus to expand its host range is dependent upon a successful mode of viral entry. As such, the host range of the well-studied ΦX174 bacteriophage is dictated by the presence of a particular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the bacterial surface. The mutant ΦX174 strain JACS-K, unlike its ancestor, is capable of infecting both its native host Escherichia coli C and E. coli K-12, which does not have the necessary LPS. The conversion of an alanine to a very reactive threonine on its virion surface was found to be responsible for the strain's expanded host range.

Assessment Of A Metaviromic Dataset Generated From Nearshore Lake Michigan, Siobhan C. Watkins, Neil Kuehnle, C Anthony Ruggeri, Kema Malki, Katherine Bruder, Jinan Elayyan, Kristina Damisch, Naushin Vahora, Paul O'Malley, Brianne Ruggles-Sage, Zachary Romer, Catherine Putonti

Catherine Putonti

Bacteriophages are powerful ecosystem engineers. They drive bacterial mortality rates and genetic diversity, and affect microbially mediated biogeochemical processes on a global scale. This has been demonstrated in marine environments; however, phage communities have been less studied in freshwaters, despite representing a potentially more diverse environment. Lake Michigan is one of the largest bodies of freshwater on the planet, yet to date the diversity of its phages has yet to be examined. Here, we present a composite survey of viral ecology in the nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. Sequence analysis was performed using a web server previously used to analyse …

Enhancement Of Reactive Oxygen Species Production And Chlamydial Infection By The Mitochondrial Nod-Like Family Member Nlrx1, Ali A. Abdul-Sater, Najwene Saïd-Sadier, Verissa M. Lam, Bhavni Singh, Matthew A. Pettengill, Fraser Soares, Ivan Tattoli, Simone Lipinski, Stephen E. Girardin, Philip Rosenstiel, David M. Ojcius

David M. Ojcius

Chlamydia trachomatis infections cause severe and irreversible damage that can lead to infertility and blindness in both males and females. Following infection of epithelial cells, Chlamydia induces production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Unconventionally, Chlamydiae use ROS to their advantage by activating caspase-1, which contributes to chlamydial growth. NLRX1, a member of the Nod-like receptor family that translocates to the mitochondria, can augment ROS production from the mitochondria following Shigella flexneri infections. However, in general, ROS can also be produced by membrane-bound NADPH oxidases. Given the importance of ROS-induced caspase-1 activation in growth of the chlamydial vacuole, we investigated the …

The New Penicillin?, Nikki Huynh

Nikki Huynh