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Articles 1 - 28 of 28

Full-Text Articles in Medical Immunology

Cellular Dynamics And Disease Outcome Of Type 3 Streptococcus Pneumoniae Clinical Isolates Differ Between Strains, Taylor Rae Plunkett White Apr 2022

Cellular Dynamics And Disease Outcome Of Type 3 Streptococcus Pneumoniae Clinical Isolates Differ Between Strains, Taylor Rae Plunkett White

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterial pathogen that continues to be a major cause of disease around the world. It is not only the number one cause of bacterial pneumonia but also the cause of about 15% of the deaths of children under 5 around the world. There is a lot of research done on this organism, but with around 100 known serotypes and each one producing a unique capsule, there is still much more to be studied. The Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community (EPIC) study conducted by the CDC observed the burden of hospitalizations caused by pneumonia while determining …


Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding Aug 2020

Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts to decrease the global health burden of malaria, infections with Plasmodium species continue to cause over 200 million episodes of malaria each year which resulted in 405,000 deaths in 2018 [1]. One complication of malaria is increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections. Plasmodium infections impair host immunity to non-Typhoid Salmonella (NTS) through activities of heme oxygenase I (HO-I) )-induced release of immature granulocytes and myeloid cell-derived IL-10. Yet, it is not known if these mechanisms are specific to NTS. We show here, that Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL (Py) infected mice had impaired clearance of systemic Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) during …


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 Apr 2017

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 …


Rna-Seq Of Borrelia Burgdorferi In Multiple Phases Of Growth Reveals Insights Into The Dynamics Of Gene Expression, Transcriptome Architecture, And Noncoding Rnas, William K. Arnold, Christina R. Savage, Catherine A. Brissette, Janakiram Seshu, Jonathan Livny, Brian Stevenson Oct 2016

Rna-Seq Of Borrelia Burgdorferi In Multiple Phases Of Growth Reveals Insights Into The Dynamics Of Gene Expression, Transcriptome Architecture, And Noncoding Rnas, William K. Arnold, Christina R. Savage, Catherine A. Brissette, Janakiram Seshu, Jonathan Livny, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, differentially expresses numerous genes and proteins as it cycles between mammalian hosts and tick vectors. Insights on regulatory mechanisms have been provided by earlier studies that examined B. burgdorferi gene expression patterns during cultivation. However, prior studies examined bacteria at only a single time point of cultivation, providing only a snapshot of what is likely a dynamic transcriptional program driving B. burgdorferi adaptations to changes during culture growth phases. To address that concern, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of B. burgdorferi cultures at early-exponential, mid-exponential, and early-stationary phases …


Gene Deletion By Fluorescence-Reported Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis In Chlamydia Trachomatis, Konrad E. Mueller, Katerina Wolf, Kenneth A. Fields Jan 2016

Gene Deletion By Fluorescence-Reported Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis In Chlamydia Trachomatis, Konrad E. Mueller, Katerina Wolf, Kenneth A. Fields

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Although progress in Chlamydia genetics has been rapid, genomic modification has previously been limited to point mutations and group II intron insertions which truncate protein products. The bacterium has thus far been intractable to gene deletion or more-complex genomic integrations such as allelic exchange. Herein, we present a novel suicide vector dependent on inducible expression of a chlamydial gene that renders Chlamydia trachomatis fully genetically tractable and permits rapid reverse genetics by fluorescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM). We describe the first available system of targeting chlamydial genes for deletion or allelic exchange as well as curing plasmids from C. trachomatis …


Application Of Β-Lactamase Reporter Fusions As An Indicator Of Effector Protein Secretion During Infections With The Obligate Intracellular Pathogen Chlamydia Trachomatis , Konrad E. Mueller, Kenneth A. Fields Aug 2015

Application Of Β-Lactamase Reporter Fusions As An Indicator Of Effector Protein Secretion During Infections With The Obligate Intracellular Pathogen Chlamydia Trachomatis , Konrad E. Mueller, Kenneth A. Fields

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Chlamydia spp. utilize multiple secretion systems, including the type III secretion system (T3SS), to deploy host-interactive effector proteins into infected host cells. Elucidation of secreted proteins has traditionally required ectopic expression in a surrogate T3SS followed by immunolocalization of endogenous candidate effectors to confirm secretion by chlamydiae. The ability to transform Chlamydia and achieve stable expression of recombinant gene products has enabled a more direct assessment of secretion. We adapted TEM-1 β-lactamase as a reporter system for assessment of chlamydial protein secretion. We provide evidence that this system facilitates visualization of secretion in the context of infection. Specifically, our findings …


The Crispr/Cas Adaptive Immune System Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Mediates Resistance To Naturally Occurring And Engineered Phages, Kyle C. Cady, Joe Bondy-Denomy, Gary E. Heussler, Alan R. Davidson, George A. O'Toole Aug 2012

The Crispr/Cas Adaptive Immune System Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Mediates Resistance To Naturally Occurring And Engineered Phages, Kyle C. Cady, Joe Bondy-Denomy, Gary E. Heussler, Alan R. Davidson, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

Here we report the isolation of 6 temperate bacteriophages (phages) that are prevented from replicating within the laboratory strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 by the endogenous CRISPR/Cas system of this microbe. These phages are only the second identified group of naturally occurring phages demonstrated to be blocked for replication by a nonengineered CRISPR/Cas system, and our results provide the first evidence that the P. aeruginosa type I-F CRISPR/Cas system can function in phage resistance. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) and a proximal 8-nucleotide seed sequence in mediating CRISPR/Cas-based immunity. Through engineering of a protospacer …


Intracellular Bacteria Encode Inhibitory Snare-Like Proteins., Fabienne Paumet, Jordan Wesolowski, Alejandro Garcia-Diaz, Cedric Delevoye, Nathalie Aulner, Howard A Shuman, Agathe Subtil, James E Rothman Apr 2012

Intracellular Bacteria Encode Inhibitory Snare-Like Proteins., Fabienne Paumet, Jordan Wesolowski, Alejandro Garcia-Diaz, Cedric Delevoye, Nathalie Aulner, Howard A Shuman, Agathe Subtil, James E Rothman

Fabienne Paumet

Pathogens use diverse molecular machines to penetrate host cells and manipulate intracellular vesicular trafficking. Viruses employ glycoproteins, functionally and structurally similar to the SNARE proteins, to induce eukaryotic membrane fusion. Intracellular pathogens, on the other hand, need to block fusion of their infectious phagosomes with various endocytic compartments to escape from the degradative pathway. The molecular details concerning the mechanisms underlying this process are lacking. Using both an in vitro liposome fusion assay and a cellular assay, we showed that SNARE-like bacterial proteins block membrane fusion in eukaryotic cells by directly inhibiting SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. More specifically, we showed that …


Epithelial Interleukin-8 Responses To Oral Bacterial Biofilms, Rebecca Peyyala, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Lucia Novakova, Jeffrey L. Ebersole Oct 2011

Epithelial Interleukin-8 Responses To Oral Bacterial Biofilms, Rebecca Peyyala, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Lucia Novakova, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

An in vitro model of bacterial biofilms on rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (RGPLs) was developed to challenge oral epithelial cells. This novel model provided seminal data on oral biofilm-host cell interactions, and with selected bacteria, the biofilms were more effective than their planktonic counterparts at stimulating host cell responses.


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 Dec 2010

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

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

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 Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Magnesium Transporter Mgte Inhibits Transcription Of The Type Iii Secretion System, Gregory G. Anderson, Timothy L. Yahr, Rustin R. Lovewell, George A. O'Toole Dec 2010

The Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Magnesium Transporter Mgte Inhibits Transcription Of The Type Iii Secretion System, Gregory G. Anderson, Timothy L. Yahr, Rustin R. Lovewell, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes life-long pneumonia in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). These long-term infections are maintained by bacterial biofilm formation in the CF lung. We have recently developed a model of P. aeruginosa biofilm formation on cultured CF airway epithelial cells. Using this model, we discovered that mutation of a putative magnesium transporter gene, called mgtE, led to increased cytotoxicity of P. aeruginosa toward epithelial cells. This altered toxicity appeared to be dependent upon expression of the type III secretion system (T3SS). In this study, we found that mutation of mgtE results in increased T3SS …


Interactions Of Francisella Tularensis With Components Of The Host Fibrinolytic System, Shawn Russell Clinton Dec 2010

Interactions Of Francisella Tularensis With Components Of The Host Fibrinolytic System, Shawn Russell Clinton

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Francisella tularensis (FT) is a Gram-negative coccobacillus and causative agent of a life-threatening disease commonly referred to as tularemia. Due to the highly infectious nature of the organism, its previous development as a biowarfare agent and its potential use in acts of bioterrorism, this bacterium is listed as a Category A select agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Efforts to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of FT within the host environment are vital for the development of safe and effective vaccines, as well as treatments, against tularemia. Though considered an intracellular pathogen, FT research of late has …


The Staphylococcus-Specific Gene Rsr Represses Agr And Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Sandeep Tamber, Dindo Reyes, Niles P. Donegan, Joseph D. Schwartzman, Ambrose L. Cheung, Guido Memmi Aug 2010

The Staphylococcus-Specific Gene Rsr Represses Agr And Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Sandeep Tamber, Dindo Reyes, Niles P. Donegan, Joseph D. Schwartzman, Ambrose L. Cheung, Guido Memmi

Dartmouth Scholarship

The expression of virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus is tightly coordinated by a vast network of regulatory molecules. In this report, we characterize a genetic locus unique to staphylococci called rsr that has a role in repressing two key virulence regulators, sarR and agr. Using strain SH1000, we showed that the transcription of virulence effectors, such as hla, sspA, and spa, is altered in an rsr mutant in a way consistent with agr upregulation. Analysis of RNAIII expression of the agr locus in rsr and rsr-sarR mutants indicated that rsr likely contributes to agr expression independently …


Role Of Pknb Kinase In Antibiotic Resistance And Virulence In Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strain Usa300, S. Tamber, J. Schwartzman, A. L. Cheung Jun 2010

Role Of Pknb Kinase In Antibiotic Resistance And Virulence In Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strain Usa300, S. Tamber, J. Schwartzman, A. L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

The regulation of cellular processes by eukaryote-like serine/threonine kinases is widespread in bacteria. In the last 2 years, several studies have examined the role of serine/threonine kinases in Staphylococcus aureus on cell wall metabolism, autolysis, and virulence, mostly in S. aureus laboratory isolates in the 8325-4 lineage. In this study, we showed that the pknB gene (also called stk1) of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain COL and the community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) strain USA300 is involved in cell wall metabolism, with the pknB mutant exhibiting enhanced sensitivity to β-lactam antibiotics but not to other classes of antibiotics, including aminoglycosides, ciprofloxacin, …


Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Evasion Of Phagocytosis Is Mediated By Loss Of Swimming Motility And Is Independent Of Flagellum Expression, Eyal Amiel, Rustin R. Lovewell, George A. O'Toole, Deborah A. Hogan, Brent Berwin May 2010

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Evasion Of Phagocytosis Is Mediated By Loss Of Swimming Motility And Is Independent Of Flagellum Expression, Eyal Amiel, Rustin R. Lovewell, George A. O'Toole, Deborah A. Hogan, Brent Berwin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium that causes severe opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals; in particular, severity of infection with P. aeruginosa positively correlates with poor prognosis in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Establishment of chronic infection by this pathogen is associated with downregulation of flagellar expression and of other genes that regulate P. aeruginosa motility. The current paradigm is that loss of flagellar expression enables immune evasion by the bacteria due to loss of engagement by phagocytic receptors that recognize flagellar components and loss of immune activation through flagellin-mediated Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. In this work, we employ bacterial …


Intracellular Bacteria Encode Inhibitory Snare-Like Proteins., Fabienne Paumet, Jordan Wesolowski, Alejandro Garcia-Diaz, Cedric Delevoye, Nathalie Aulner, Howard A Shuman, Agathe Subtil, James E Rothman Oct 2009

Intracellular Bacteria Encode Inhibitory Snare-Like Proteins., Fabienne Paumet, Jordan Wesolowski, Alejandro Garcia-Diaz, Cedric Delevoye, Nathalie Aulner, Howard A Shuman, Agathe Subtil, James E Rothman

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Pathogens use diverse molecular machines to penetrate host cells and manipulate intracellular vesicular trafficking. Viruses employ glycoproteins, functionally and structurally similar to the SNARE proteins, to induce eukaryotic membrane fusion. Intracellular pathogens, on the other hand, need to block fusion of their infectious phagosomes with various endocytic compartments to escape from the degradative pathway. The molecular details concerning the mechanisms underlying this process are lacking. Using both an in vitro liposome fusion assay and a cellular assay, we showed that SNARE-like bacterial proteins block membrane fusion in eukaryotic cells by directly inhibiting SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. More specifically, we showed that …


Uncoupling Scavenger Receptor A-Mediated Phagocytosis Of Bacteria From Endotoxic Shock Resistance, Eyal Amiel, Julie L. Acker, Ryan M. Collins, Brent Berwin Aug 2009

Uncoupling Scavenger Receptor A-Mediated Phagocytosis Of Bacteria From Endotoxic Shock Resistance, Eyal Amiel, Julie L. Acker, Ryan M. Collins, Brent Berwin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Unresolved infection by gram-negative bacteria can result in the potentially lethal condition known as endotoxic shock, whereby uncontrolled inflammation can lead to multiple organ failure and death of the infected host. Previous results have demonstrated that animals deficient in class A scavenger receptor (SRA), a trafficking receptor for bacteria and bacterium-derived molecules, are more susceptible to endotoxic shock. This has been proposed to be a result of impaired SRA-dependent phagocytic clearance of bacteria resulting in stronger proinflammatory stimuli. In this report, we test the hypothesis that there is an obligate reciprocal relationship between SRA-mediated phagocytosis of bacteria and susceptibility to …


Flagellum-Mediated Biofilm Defense Mechanisms Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Against Host-Derived Lactoferrin, Jeff G. Leid, Mathias Kerr, Candice Selgado, Chelsa Johnson, Gabriel Moreno, Alyssa Smith, Mark E. Shirtliff, Georg A. O'Toole, Emily K. Cope Aug 2009

Flagellum-Mediated Biofilm Defense Mechanisms Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Against Host-Derived Lactoferrin, Jeff G. Leid, Mathias Kerr, Candice Selgado, Chelsa Johnson, Gabriel Moreno, Alyssa Smith, Mark E. Shirtliff, Georg A. O'Toole, Emily K. Cope

Dartmouth Scholarship

Chronic infection with the gram-negative organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in human patients, despite high doses of antibiotics used to treat the various diseases this organism causes. These infections are chronic because P. aeruginosa readily forms biofilms, which are inherently resistant to antibiotics as well as the host's immune system. Our laboratory has been investigating specific mutations in P. aeruginosa that regulate biofilm bacterial susceptibility to the host. To continue our investigation of the role of genetics in bacterial biofilm host resistance, we examined P. aeruginosa biofilms that lack the flgK gene. This mutant …


Transcutaneous Immunization With Toxin-Coregulated Pilin A Induces Protective Immunity Against Vibrio Cholerae O1 El Tor Challenge In Mice, Julianne E. Rollenhagen, Anuj Kalsy, Francisca Cerda, Manohar John Oct 2006

Transcutaneous Immunization With Toxin-Coregulated Pilin A Induces Protective Immunity Against Vibrio Cholerae O1 El Tor Challenge In Mice, Julianne E. Rollenhagen, Anuj Kalsy, Francisca Cerda, Manohar John

Dartmouth Scholarship

Toxin-coregulated pilin A (TcpA) is the main structural subunit of a type IV bundle-forming pilus of Vibrio cholerae, the cause of cholera. Toxin-coregulated pilus is involved in formation of microcolonies of V. cholerae at the intestinal surface, and strains of V. cholerae deficient in TcpA are attenuated and unable to colonize intestinal surfaces. Anti-TcpA immunity is common in humans recovering from cholera in Bangladesh, and immunization against TcpA is protective in murine V. cholerae models. To evaluate whether transcutaneously applied TcpA is immunogenic, we transcutaneously immunized mice with 100 mug of TcpA or TcpA with an immunoadjuvant (cholera toxin [CT], …


Prophylaxis And Therapy Of Inhalational Anthrax By A Novel Monoclonal Antibody To Protective Antigen That Mimics Vaccine-Induced Immunity, Laura Vitale, Diann Blanset, Israel Lowy, Thomas O'Neill, Joel Goldstein, Stephen F. Little, Gerard P. Andrews, Gary Dorough, Ronald K. Taylor, Tibor Keler Oct 2006

Prophylaxis And Therapy Of Inhalational Anthrax By A Novel Monoclonal Antibody To Protective Antigen That Mimics Vaccine-Induced Immunity, Laura Vitale, Diann Blanset, Israel Lowy, Thomas O'Neill, Joel Goldstein, Stephen F. Little, Gerard P. Andrews, Gary Dorough, Ronald K. Taylor, Tibor Keler

Dartmouth Scholarship

The neutralizing antibody response to the protective antigen (PA) component of anthrax toxin elicited by approved anthrax vaccines is an accepted correlate for vaccine-mediated protection against anthrax. We reasoned that a human anti-PA monoclonal antibody (MAb) selected on the basis of superior toxin neutralization activity might provide potent protection against anthrax. The fully human MAb (also referred to as MDX-1303 or Valortim) was chosen from a large panel of anti-PA human MAbs generated using transgenic mice immunized with recombinant PA solely on the basis of in vitro anthrax toxin neutralization. This MAb was effective in prophylactic and postsymptomatic treatment of …


Staphylococcus Aureus Escapes More Efficiently From The Phagosome Of A Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cell Line Than From Its Normal Counterpart, Todd M. Jarry, Ambrose L. Cheung May 2006

Staphylococcus Aureus Escapes More Efficiently From The Phagosome Of A Cystic Fibrosis Bronchial Epithelial Cell Line Than From Its Normal Counterpart, Todd M. Jarry, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Staphylococcus aureus is frequently the initial bacterium isolated from young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and yet its role in CF disease progression has not been determined. Recent data from our lab demonstrates that S. aureus can invade and replicate within the CF tracheal epithelial cell line (CFT-1). Here we describe the finding that the fate of internalized S. aureus in CFT-1 cells differs from its complemented counterpart (LCFSN). S. aureus strain RN6390 was able to replicate within the mutant CFT-1 cells after invasion but not in the complemented LCFSN cells. At 1 h postinvasion, S. aureus containing vesicles within both …


Do Cd1-Restricted T Cells Contribute To Antibody-Mediated Immunity Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis?, Mark L. Lang, Aharona Glatman-Freedman Feb 2006

Do Cd1-Restricted T Cells Contribute To Antibody-Mediated Immunity Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis?, Mark L. Lang, Aharona Glatman-Freedman

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Role Of The Distal Sara Promoters In Sara Expression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Ambrose L. Cheung, Adhar C. Manna Jul 2005

Role Of The Distal Sara Promoters In Sara Expression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Ambrose L. Cheung, Adhar C. Manna

Dartmouth Scholarship

The global regulatory locus sarA comprises a 375-bp open reading frame that is driven by three promoters, the proximal P1 and distal P3 and P2 promoters. We mutated the weaker P3 and P2 promoters to ascertain the effect of the change on SarA protein and target gene expression. Our results indicated that the solely active P1 promoter led to a lower SarA protein level, which has an effect on agr transcription and subsequently had corresponding effects on hla, sspA, and spa transcription, probably in both agr-independent and agr-dependent manners.


Thymidine-Dependent Staphylococcus Aureus Small-Colony Variants Are Associated With Extensive Alterations In Regulator And Virulence Gene Expression Profiles, Barbara C. Kahl, Gunnar Belling, Petra Becker, Indranil Chatterjee, Katrin Wardecki, Karin Hilgert, Ambrose Cheung Jul 2005

Thymidine-Dependent Staphylococcus Aureus Small-Colony Variants Are Associated With Extensive Alterations In Regulator And Virulence Gene Expression Profiles, Barbara C. Kahl, Gunnar Belling, Petra Becker, Indranil Chatterjee, Katrin Wardecki, Karin Hilgert, Ambrose Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Chronic airway infection is a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF) and many CF patients are infected persistently by Staphylococcus aureus. Thymidine-dependent trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT)-resistant S. aureus small-colony variants (SCVs), often in combination with isogenic normal S. aureus phenotypes, are highly prevalent and persistent in airway secretions of CF patients due to long-term SXT therapy (B. Kahl, M. Herrmann, A. S. Everding, H. G. Koch, K. Becker, E. Harms, R. A. Proctor, and G.


Rat/Mgra, A Regulator Of Autolysis, Is A Regulator Of Virulence Genes In Staphylococcus Aureus, Susham Ingavale, Willem Van Wamel, Thanh T. Luong, Chia Y. Lee, Ambrose L. Cheung Mar 2005

Rat/Mgra, A Regulator Of Autolysis, Is A Regulator Of Virulence Genes In Staphylococcus Aureus, Susham Ingavale, Willem Van Wamel, Thanh T. Luong, Chia Y. Lee, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have previously identified mgrA (rat) as a regulator of autolysis in Staphylococcus aureus. Besides its effect on autolytic activity, we recently found alterations in the expression of regulator and target virulence genes in the mgrA mutant. Northern analysis and transcription fusion assays showed that inactivation of mgrA has led to the downregulation of RNAIII of agr and hla and upregulation of sarS and spa. Although both SarA and agr are activators of α-hemolysin and a repressors of protein A synthesis, we found that the transcription of sarA was not affected in the mgrA mutant and …


The Major Subunit Of The Toxin-Coregulated Pilus Tcpa Induces Mucosal And Systemic Immunoglobulin A Immune Responses In Patients With Cholera Caused By Vibrio Cholerae O1 And O139, Muhammad Asaduzzaman, Edward T. Ryan, Manohar John, Long Hang, Ashraful I. Khan, A. S. G. Faruque, Ronald K. Taylor Aug 2004

The Major Subunit Of The Toxin-Coregulated Pilus Tcpa Induces Mucosal And Systemic Immunoglobulin A Immune Responses In Patients With Cholera Caused By Vibrio Cholerae O1 And O139, Muhammad Asaduzzaman, Edward T. Ryan, Manohar John, Long Hang, Ashraful I. Khan, A. S. G. Faruque, Ronald K. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae is known to give long-lasting protection against subsequent life-threatening illness. The serum vibriocidal antibody response has been well studied and has been shown to correlate with protection. However, this systemic antibody response may be a surrogate marker for mucosal immune responses to key colonization factors of this organism, such as the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) and other factors. Information regarding immune responses to TCP, particularly mucosal immune responses, is lacking, particularly for patients infected with the El Tor biotype of V. cholerae O1 or V. cholerae O139 since highly purified TcpA from these strains has not …


Synthetic Fragments Of Vibrio Cholerae O1 Inaba O-Specific Polysaccharide Bound To A Protein Carrier Are Immunogenic In Mice But Do Not Induce Protective Antibodies, Michael D. Meeks, Rina Saksena, Xingquan Ma, Terri K. Wade, Ronald K. Taylor, Pavol Kováč, William F. Wade Jul 2004

Synthetic Fragments Of Vibrio Cholerae O1 Inaba O-Specific Polysaccharide Bound To A Protein Carrier Are Immunogenic In Mice But Do Not Induce Protective Antibodies, Michael D. Meeks, Rina Saksena, Xingquan Ma, Terri K. Wade, Ronald K. Taylor, Pavol Kováč, William F. Wade

Dartmouth Scholarship

Development of Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a cholera vaccine immunogen is justified by the correlation of vibriocidal anti-LPS response with immunity. Two V. cholerae O1 LPS serotypes, Inaba and Ogawa, are associated with endemic and pandemic cholera. Both serotypes induce protective antibody following infection or vaccination. Structurally, the LPSs that define the serotypes are identical except for the terminal perosamine moiety, which has a methoxyl group at position 2 in Ogawa but a hydroxyl group in Inaba. The terminal sugar of the Ogawa LPS is a protective B-cell epitope. We chemically synthesized the terminal hexasaccharides of V. cholerae serotype …


Antiparasitic And Antiproliferative Effects Of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Enzyme Expression In Human Fibroblasts., Sohan L. Gupta, Joseph M. Carlin, Padma Pyati, Wei Dai, Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, Martin J. Murphy Jr Jan 1994

Antiparasitic And Antiproliferative Effects Of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Enzyme Expression In Human Fibroblasts., Sohan L. Gupta, Joseph M. Carlin, Padma Pyati, Wei Dai, Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, Martin J. Murphy Jr

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies were carried out to evaluate the proposed role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (INDO) induction in the antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in human fibroblasts. The INDO cDNA coding region was cloned in the pMEP4 expression vector, containing the metallothionein (MTII) promoter in the sense (+ve) or the antisense (-ve) orientation. Human fibroblasts (GM637) stably transfected with the sense construct expressed INDO activity after treatment with CdCl2 or ZnSO4, but cells transfected with the antisense construct did not. The growth of Chlamydia psittaci was strongly inhibited in INDO +ve cells but not in INDO -ve cells after treatment …