Bacteria employ a variety of tools to survive in a competitive environment. Salomon and Orth describe one such tool-the Type 6 Secretion Systems used by bacteria to deliver a variety of toxins into competing cells.

Bacteria and fungi constitute important organisms in many ecosystems, in particular terrestrial ones. Both organismal groups contribute significantly to biogeochemical cycling processes. Ecological theory postulates that bacteria capable of receiving benefits from host fungi are likely to evolve efficient association strategies. The purpose of this review is to examine the mechanisms that under...

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI; EC 5.3.1.9) is a ubiquitous cytosolic enzyme essential for glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. PGI is a multifunctional dimeric protein that extracellularly acts as a cytokine [autocrine motility factor (AMF)] eliciting mitogenic, motogenic, and differentiation functions through binding to its cell surface receptor gp78/AMF receptor (AMFR). AMFR contains a seven-trans...

jasminum amplexicaule buch.-ham. (oleaceae) has been commonly used in the traditional medicine in dysentery, diarrhoea and bellyache in china. in the present work, the methanol extract of jasminum amplexicaule (jme) was examined for pharmacology on human colonic epithelial cell line t84 by the short-circuit current technique. the results showed that pretreatment of t84 cells with jme produced a...

The influence of culture and ethnic background on women's experience of domestic violence has been explored in research only recently. Here the authors review research about the impact of culture and minority status in the United States on women's experience of domestic violence, considering family structure,immigration, acculturation, oppression, and community response. The authors encourage r...

The guardian of the genome, p53, is often mutated in cancer and may contribute to therapeutic resistance. Given that p53 is intact and functional in normal tissues, we harnessed its potential to inhibit the growth of p53-deficient cancer cells. Specific activation of p53 in normal fibroblasts selectively induced apoptosis in p53-deficient cancer cells. This paracrine effect was mediated by p53-...

recombinant human interferon alpha 2a (rhifn α -2a) production and cell growth were monitored in a set of genetically modified e. coli strains (msd1519, msd1520, msd 1521, msd 1522, msd 1523) producing rhifn α -2a. the growth was followed at od 600 nm, changes in cell physiology were detected by pyrolysis mass spectrometry (pyms) of cell biomass and recombinant protein production was determined...

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans exhibits an extreme resistance to ionizing radiation. A small subset of Deinococcus genus-specific genes were shown to be up-regulated upon exposure to ionizing radiation and to play a role in genome reconstitution. These genes include an SSB-like protein called DdrB. Here, we identified a novel protein encoded by the dr1245 gene as an interacting partner o...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium, synonymous with cystic fibrosis patients, which can cause chronic infection of the lungs. This pathogen is a model organism to study biofilms: a bacterial population embedded in an extracellular matrix that provide protection from environmental pressures and lead to persistence. A number of Chaperone-Usher Pathways, namely CupA-...