Virulent E(9) and avirulent E(8) strains of Erwinia amylovora were shown by means of light, transmission, and scanning microscopy to be, respectively, encapsulated and unencapsulated. Difficulty was encountered in stabilizing the fibrillar-appearing capsular extracellular polysaccharide. We suggest that the ephemeral nature of extracellular polysaccharide is due to the collapse of its extended ...

The DNA sequence determination of the f1 operon between the genes encoding the F1 subunit (caf1) and chaperone-like protein (caf1M) revealed a large open reading frame that codes for a polypeptide similar to some E. coli proteins involved in the biogenesis of fimbria. The deletion and in trans complementation analyses showed that this gene is not necessary for extracellular transport of the F1 ...

capsules from a range of pathogenic bacteria are the key determinants of virulency. the capsule hasbeen implicated in virulence of pasteurella multocida. in this study a type-specific polymerase chain reaction(pcr) assay was used for capsular typing of 39 avian p. multocida isolates from iran. the pcr amplified afragment of 1044 bp from all of tested isolates. it was found that all avian p. mul...

Multilayer polyelectrolyte capsules made by layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged biodegradable polyelectrolytes were filled with a model of a nonactive prodrug, a self-quenched fluorescence-labeled protein. After capsule uptake by living cells, the walls of the capsules were actively degraded and digested by intracellular proteases. Upon capsule wall degradation, intracellular protease...

Gamma-interferon (G-IFN) exhibits antiproliferative effects, inhibits collagen synthesis by fibroblasts, and may help to regulate the turnover of fibrous tissue. Fibroblasts from Tenon's capsule are cellular components that contribute to unsuccessful glaucoma filtration surgery. Therefore, the authors studied the effects of G-IFN on growth, wound closure, collagen synthesis, and extracellular m...

Cryptococcus gattii, an emerging fungal pathogen of humans and animals, is found on a variety of trees in tropical and temperate regions. The ecological niche and virulence of this yeast remain poorly defined. We used Arabidopsis thaliana plants and plant-derived substrates to model C. gattii in its natural habitat. Yeast cells readily colonized scratch-wounded plant leaves and formed distincti...

BACKGROUND Contractile myofibroblasts (MFs) accumulate in the joint capsules of patients suffering from posttraumatic joint stiffness. MF activation is controlled by a complex local network of growth factors and cytokines, ending in the increased production of extracellular matrix components followed by soft tissue contracture. Despite the tremendous growth of knowledge in this field, inconsist...

INTRODUCTION Previous studies have shown that the number of myoblastically differentiated fibroblasts known as myofibroblasts (MFs) is significantly increased in stiff joint capsules, indicating their crucial role in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic joint stiffness. Although the mode of MFs' function has been well defined for different diseases associated with tissue fibrosis, the underlying ...

The pericellular microenvironment around articular cartilage chondrocytes must play a key role in regulating the interaction between the cell and its extracellular matrix. The potential contribution of type VI collagen to this interaction was investigated in this study using isolated canine tibial chondrons embedded in agarose monolayers. The immunohistochemical distribution of an anti-type VI ...

BACKGROUND The gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis survives in arthropods, fresh water amoeba, and mammals with both intracellular and extracellular phases and could reasonably be expected to express distinct phenotypes in these environments. The presence of a capsule on this bacterium has been controversial with some groups finding such a structure while other groups report that no ...