Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, in association with plant roots, can trigger induced systemic resistance (ISR). Considering that low-molecular weight volatile hormone analogues such as methyl jasmonate and methyl salicylate can trigger defense responses in plants, we examined whether volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with rhizobacteria can initiate ISR. In Arabidopsis seedlings...

During bacterial sepsis, proinflammatory cytokines contribute to multiorgan failure and death in a process regulated in part by cytolytic cell granzymes. When challenged with a sublethal dose of the identified mouse pathogen Brucella microti, wild-type (WT) and granzyme A (gzmA)(-/-) mice eliminate the organism from liver and spleen in 2 or 3 weeks, whereas the bacteria persist in mice lacking ...

Increasing antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens has rendered some infections untreatable with available antibiotics. Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacterial pathogen that has acquired high-level antibiotic resistance, is a common cause of pulmonary infections. Optimal clearance of K. pneumoniae from the host lung requires TNF and IL-17A. Herein, we demonstrate that inflammatory monocytes ...

The deleterious and sometimes fatal outcomes of bacterial infectious diseases are the net result of the interactions between the pathogen and the host, and the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a valuable tool for modeling the pathogen-host interactions of a wide variety of bacteria. These studies have revealed that there is a remarkable conservation of ba...

It has been shown by many researchers that SET-domain containing proteins modify chromatin structure and, as expected, genes coding for SET-domain containing proteins have been found in all eukaryotic genomes sequenced to date. However, during the last years, a great number of bacterial genomes have been sequenced and an important number of putative genes involved in histone post-translational ...

Chlamydia trachomatis is obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that remains a significant public health burden worldwide. A critical early event during infection is chlamydial entry into non-phagocytic host epithelial cells. Like other Gram-negative bacteria, C. trachomatis uses a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver virulence effector proteins into host cells. These effectors trigge...

Phagosomes containing the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila are transported to the ER after macrophage internalization. To modulate phagosome transport, Legionella use a specialized secretion system that injects bacterial proteins into eukaryotic cells. This review will focus on recent studies that have identified bacterial proteins and host processes that play a concerted role in trans...

A key virulence strategy of bacterial pathogens is the delivery of multiple pathogen effector proteins into host cells during infection. The Hrp outer protein Q (HopQ1) effector from Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pto) strain DC3000 is conserved across multiple bacterial plant pathogens. Here, we investigated the virulence function and host targets of HopQ1 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Tr...

To study evolved resistance/tolerance in an insect model, we carried out an experimental evolution study using D. melanogaster and the opportunistic pathogen B. cereus as the agent of selection. The selected lines evolved a 3.0- to 3.3-log increase in the concentration of spores required for 50% mortality after 18-24 generations of selection. In the absence of any treatment, selected lines evol...