Microbiology, Virology & Host Pathogen Interaction
Inhibiting the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 through perturbations in human lung cell metabolic networkUsing genomic and structural information from SARS-CoV-2, we created a biomass function capturing its amino and nucleic acid requirements and incorporated this into a metabolic model of the human lung cell to predict metabolic perturbations that inhibit virus reproduction.
G-CSF shifts erythropoiesis from bone marrow into spleen in the setting of systemic inflammationGranulocyte colony-stimulating factor suppresses erythropoiesis of bone marrow and promotes splenic erythropoiesis during lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation in mice.
Characterization of ori and parS-like functions in secondary genome replicons in Deinococcus radioduransAn array of direct repeats upstream to parAB operon helps in secondary genome elements’ maintenance independent of primary chromosome in multipartite genome harboring bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans.
Leishmania-infected macrophages release extracellular vesicles that can promote lesion developmentMacrophages infected with Leishmania donovani release extracellular vesicles that are composed of parasite and host-derived molecules that have the potential to induce vascular changes in tissues.
Plasmodium DEH is ER-localized and crucial for oocyst mitotic division during malaria transmissionPlasmodium DEH localizes to the ER, with gene deletion resulting in degeneration of developing oocysts and complete ablation of sporogony in the mosquito midgut, blocking transmission.
Fungal mycelia and bacterial thiamine establish a mutualistic growth mechanismBacterial cells travel along fungal highway and pay thiamine as a toll to the fungus. Simultaneous spatial and metabolic interactions in communicating bacterial and fungal species establish a mutualism that facilitates them to obtain an environmental niche and nutrient.
The bacterial quorum sensing signal DSF hijacks Arabidopsis thaliana sterol biosynthesis to suppress plant innate immunityThis study highlights that DSF, the quorum sensing signal produced by bacterial phytopathogens, is able to directly modulate plant plasma membrane dynamics by interfering with host lipid profile and thereby, suppress plant immunity responses.
Peptide-based quorum sensing systems in Paenibacillus polymyxaDiscovery of conserved communication systems in the agriculturally important Paenibacillus bacteria. These systems are widespread, and some species encode more than 25 different peptide-receptor pairs.
An evolutionary approach to systematic discovery of novel deubiquitinases, applied to LegionellaThe analysis of the relationships between different deubiquitinase classes leads to the definition of an aromatic “gatekeeper” motif that distinguishes DUBs from other cysteine proteases and helps to predict new bacterial DUBs.
TMPRSS2 and furin are both essential for proteolytic activation of SARS-CoV-2 in human airway cellsThe spike protein S of SARS-CoV-2 is activated by TMPRSS2 and furin. Inhibition of either one of these proteases can render the S protein unable to mediate virus entry and, therefore, provides a promising approach for COVID-19 treatment.