Microbiology, Virology & Host Pathogen Interaction
Tamoxifen blocks retrograde trafficking of Shiga toxin 1 and 2 and protects against lethal toxicosisThis study reports an unexpected role of late endosome–lysosome fusion in early endosome-to-Golgi trafficking of Shiga toxins and identifies tamoxifen to be a potent inhibitor of Shiga toxicosis.
An unusual and vital protein with guanylate cyclase and P4-ATPase domains in a pathogenic protistToxoplasma gondii harbors an alveolate-specific guanylate cyclase linked to P-type ATPase motifs, which is an essential actuator of cGMP-dependent gliding motility, egress, and invasion during acute infection.
Evidence for vesicle-mediated antigen export by the human pathogen Babesia microtiThe human pathogen Babesia microti undergoes unique morphogenesis during its development within human and mouse red blood cells and uses a novel vesicle-based system for export of antigens into the host cell and environment.
The S. Typhi effector StoD is an E3/E4 ubiquitin ligase which binds K48- and K63-linked diubiquitinSalmonella Typhi is estimated to cause 100,000–200,000 deaths annually, yet its infection strategy remains elusive. This article reports of the first Typhi-specific effector, which has an E3/E4 ubiquitin ligase activity and can uniquely bind K48- and K63-linked diubiquitin.
PKAc is not required for the preerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium bergheiThe mutant salivary gland sporozoites lacking PKAc are able to glide, invade hepatocytes, and mature into hepatic merozoites, which release successfully from the merosome, however, fail to initiate blood stage infection when inoculated into mice.
Constitutive STAT5 activation regulates Paneth and Paneth-like cells to control Clostridium difficile colitisSTAT5 controls the intestinal epithelial stem cell niche by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and lack of active pYSTAT5 induces Clostridium difficile infection. STAT5 may be a transcription factor that restricts niche cell differentiation.
BZLF1 interacts with chromatin remodelers promoting escape from latent infections with EBVHow herpesviruses escape from their latent states is enigmatic, but BZLF1, an important transcription factor of EBV, recruits cellular chromatin remodelers to viral DNA to overcome its epigenetic repression and initiate viral transcription.
A dual role for SAMHD1 in regulating HBV cccDNA and RT-dependent particle genesisOur study highlights a dual role for SAMHD1 in regulating hepatitis B virus cccDNA levels and reverse transcriptase–dependent particle genesis.
Functional inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase disrupts infection by intracellular bacterial pathogensMany intracellular pathogens hijack cholesterol. Inhibiting acid sphingomyelinase alters cholesterol traffic to target different intracellular bacteria, signifying a host-directed approach for treating infectious disease.
Viperin controls chikungunya virus–specific pathogenic T cell IFNγ Th1 stimulation in miceThis study shows that Viperin controls the microenvironment pro-inflammatory response and CD4 T cell–mediated pathogenesis during anti-chikungunya virus immune response in mice.