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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
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Full-Text Articles in Microbiology
Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence Factors Synthesis Is Controlled By Central Metabolism, Yefei Zhu
Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence Factors Synthesis Is Controlled By Central Metabolism, Yefei Zhu
School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen that can survive in diverse host environments. This versatility depends on its ability to sense nutrients and respond by modulating gene expression, including the synthesis of virulence determinants. In addition to its ability to synthesize virulence factors, the capacity of S. aureus to form biofilms is an important mediator of virulence in certain infections. Biofilms are a complex aggregation of bacteria commonly encapsulated by an adhesive exopolysaccharide matrix (polysaccharide intercellular adhesin; PIA). To study S. aureus biofilm formation, we assessed the metabolic requirements of S. aureus growing in a biofilm and found the bacteria …
The Glycoproteins Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus And Their Role In Infection And Immunity, Phani B. Das
The Glycoproteins Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus And Their Role In Infection And Immunity, Phani B. Das
School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an economically important pathogen of swine and is known to cause abortion and infertility in pregnant sows and respiratory distress in piglets. PRRSV contains a major glycoprotein (GP5) and three minor glycoproteins (GP2a, GP3, and GP4) on the virion envelope, all of which are required for infectious virus production. To study their interactions amongst each other and with a cellular receptor for PRRSV, CD163, I cloned each of the viral glycoproteins and CD163 in various expression vectors. My studies have shown that while the GP2a, GP3, and GP4 are co-translationally glycosylated, …