Invasive Group A Streptoccoacal Infection, Host Factors and Bacterial Determinants

Epigenetic Modifications of Host Genes Induced by Bacterial Infection

Introduction: Epigenetic mechanisms regulate expression of the genome to generate various cell types during development or coordinate cellular responses to external stimulus. While epigenetics is of fundamental importance in eukaryotes, it plays a different role in bacteria. This article uncovers the most important recent data on how bacteria can alter epigenetic marks and can also contribute t...

Bacterial Hypoxic Responses Revealed as Critical Determinants of the Host-Pathogen Outcome by TnSeq Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Invasive Infection

Staphylococcus aureus is capable of infecting nearly every organ in the human body. In order to infiltrate and thrive in such diverse host tissues, staphylococci must possess remarkable flexibility in both metabolic and virulence programs. To investigate the genetic requirements for bacterial survival during invasive infection, we performed a transposon sequencing (TnSeq) analysis of S. aureus ...

Invasive and adherent bacterial pathogens co-Opt host clathrin for infection.

Infection by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes depends on host cell clathrin. To determine whether this requirement is widespread, we analyzed infection models using diverse bacteria. We demonstrated that bacteria that enter cells following binding to cellular receptors (termed "zippering" bacteria) invade in a clathrin-dependent manner. In contrast, bacteria that inject effector proteins in...

Candida and Host Determinants of Susceptibility to Invasive Candidiasis

Candida is the most common human fungal pathogen and the cause of invasive candidiasis, the fourth leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infection in the United States with an estimated annual cost of ,US$2 billion and mortality that exceeds 40% despite administration of antifungal therapy in modern intensive care unit facilities [1]. Hence, invasive candidiasis is an unmet medical condition ...

Bacterial Gene Targeting Using Group II Intron Ll.LtrB and the Role of Bacterial Host Factors in Ll.LtrB Splicing and Retrohoming