No description available.

The Type 2 Secretion System (T2SS) is responsible for the transport of toxins and enzymes across the outer membrane of many Gram-negative bacteria. A crucial component of the T2SS is a large pore, composed of a multimer of EpsD, named the secretin. This pore inserts in the outer membrane with the assistance of a pilotin (EpsS) or assembly factors (EpsAB), both of which are present within the genome of Vibrio cholerae. The goal of this study was to determine whether or not both assembly mechanisms operate on the same secretin assembly in V. cholerae. Protease deficient mutants generated from an insertion transposon library in V. cholerae epsAB were analyzed. The transposon was found to disrupt the operon encoding VC1702 and epsS. Mutant strains of V. cholerae were constructed or obtained that are deficient in epsA, epsB, epsC, and epsS. Double mutants were constructed that were deficient in epsA and epsS or epsB and epsS. These mutants were tested for assembly of the secretin and secretion of lipase, protease, and cholera toxin. The epsA and epsB mutants have slightly reduced levels of secretion and secretin assembly, while the levels in the pilotin mutant are drastically reduced. The double mutants had little to no assembly, and secretion was reduced to the levels of the control mutant epsC. In an attempt to restore function epsAB was over-expressed in all strains. It successfully complemented the epsA and epsB mutants, and restored levels of secretion to epsS levels in the double mutant, epsAS. In a similar manner to epsAB complementation, epsS was over-expressed. It was found to require the preceding gene VC1702 to complement. The operon, encoding both epsS and VC1702, could complement both epsA and epsS mutations and over-expression increased secretin assembly and secretion to levels greater than wild-type levels. Lastly, a phylogenomic analysis demonstrates that the EpsAB protein complex is found in most orders of the gamma proteobacteria and is ancestral. The pilotins appear to be a late acquisition as they are only found in the family Enterobacteriales.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Toledo, 2009. / "In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences." Title from title page of PDF document. Bibliography: p. 70-80, p. 28-158.

Orientador: Jesus Aparecido Ferro / Coorientador: Marcelo Luiz de Laia / Banca: Agda Paula Facincani / Banca: José Belasque Junior / Banca: Haroldo Alves Pereira Junior / Banca: Eliana Gertrudes de Macedo Lemos / Resumo: O cancro cítrico é uma das principais doenças da cultura do citros, provocando lesões nas folhas, ramos e frutos, tendo como consequência a queda dos frutos e folhas, o que leva à perdas significativas na produção. A partir do sequenciamento completo do genoma da bactéria gram-negativa Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xac), agente causal do cancro cítrico, abriu-se a possibilidade da utilização de estratégias de análise genômica funcional no estudo da função de genes da bactéria relacionados com a infecção na planta e com o desenvolvimento da doença. Uma das estratégias utilizadas foi a obtenção de mutantes de Xac contendo genes relacionados à patogenicidade e virulência interrompidos pelo método de mutagênese insercional aleatória utilizando o transposon Tn5 (LAIA et al., 2009). No presente trabalho a técnica de microarranjos de DNA foi utilizada para avaliar a expressão global de genes de dois mutantes de Xac 72 h após a infecção in planta. Em um dos mutantes (8B7) o gene interrompido foi o xrvA, um regulador de virulência, e no outro mutante (18D6) o gene interrompido codifica uma histidina quinase híbrida sensora que faz parte de um sistema de transdução de sinal de dois componentes. Os resultados das hibridizações revelaram um total de 553 genes diferencialmente expressos para os dois mutantes estudados quando comparado com o genótipo selvagem (Xac 306), sendo 323 no mutante 8B7 e 230 no mutante 18D6. Esses genes foram divididos em diferentes categorias funcionais e uma análise funcional comparativa revelou que eles podem desempenhar um papel importante no processo de patogenicidade / Abstract: Citrus canker is a major disease affecting citrus crops worldwide, causing lesions on leaves, branches and fruits that results in the falling of fruit and leaves, leading to significant losses in orange production. The complete genome sequencing of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xac), a Gram-negative bacteria and the causal agent of citrus canker, allowed the possibility of using functional genomic strategies to study the function of genes related to plant infection and disease development in this bacteria. One strategy was to produce mutants for phatogenicity and virulence genes by random insertional mutagenesis using Tn5 Transposon (LAIA et al., 2009). In the present work DNA microarray analysis was used to evaluate the global gene expression profile of two Xac mutants after 72 hours of plant infection. One mutant (8B7) carry a mutation in the xrvA gene (XAC1495), a virulence regulator, and the other (18D6) carry a mutation in a hybrid histidine quinase sensor of a two-component signal transduction system. The results revealed a total of 553 differentially expressed genes for the two mutant strains compared with Xac wild type, with 323 in the mutant 8B7, and 230 in the mutant 18D6. These genes were allocated into several functional categories and a comparative functional analysis showed that they can play an important role in the pathogenicity and virulence of Xac / Doutor

abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, an invasive form of nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) belonging to sequence type (ST)313 has emerged as a major public health concern causing widespread bacteremia and mortality in children with malaria and adults with HIV. Clinically, ST313 pathovars are characterized by the absence of gastroenteritis, which is commonly found in “classical” nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS), along with multidrug resistance, pseudogene formation, and chromosome degradation. There is an urgent need to understand the biological and physical factors that regulate the disease causing properties of ST313 strains. Previous studies from our lab using dynamic Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactor technology and “classical” NTS strain χ3339 showed that physiological fluid shear regulates gene expression, stress responses and virulence in unexpected ways that are not observed using conventional shake and static flask conditions, and in a very different manner as compared to ST313 strain D23580. Leveraging from these findings, the current study was the first to report the effect of fluid shear on the pathogenesis-related stress responses of S. Typhimurium ST313 strain A130, which evolved earlier than D23580 within the ST313 clade. A130 displayed enhanced resistance to acid, oxidative and bile stresses when cultured in the high fluid shear (HFS) control condition relative to the low fluid shear (LFS) condition in stationary phase using Lennox Broth (LB) as the culture medium. The greatest magnitude of the survival benefit conferred by high fluid shear was observed in response to oxidative and acid stresses. No differences were observed for thermal and osmotic stresses. Based on previous findings from our laboratory, we also assessed how the addition of phosphate or magnesium ions to the culture medium altered the acid or oxidative stress responses of A130 grown in the RWV. Addition of either phosphate or magnesium to the culture medium abrogated the fluid shear-related differences observed for A130 in LB medium for the acid or oxidative stress responses, respectively. Collectively, these findings indicate that like other Salmonella strains assessed thus far by our team, A130 responds to differences in physiological fluid shear, and that ion concentrations can modulate those responses. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Microbiology 2017

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is used as a biological model for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Latency, persistence and reactivation are same of the important aspects of the murine model that share analogies with human CMV infections. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms leading to these events, in-depth analyses of the murine model are required at the transcriptional level. During the MCMV replication cycle, there is a sequential expression of different regions of the viral genome, hence the transcripts are divided into three kinetic classes; the immediate early (IE), early (E) and late (L). This study presents the analyses of MCMV (Smith strain) transcripts of the major IE and E transcriptional units, and a more detail analysis of one of the major E regions, E10. The IE and E transcripts were studied by probing them with Ctoitplementary DNAs (cDNAs). The cDNAs were prepared from mRNA isolated from the IE and E phases of the viral replication cycle and cloned into the bacteriophage Lambda gt10. Ten E cDNAs were mapped to specific locations of the virus genome, and these represented transcripts from the major E regions in Hindlll fragments A, B, E, F, and I-J. Five E cDNAs, each representing a different major E region, and two IE cDNAs representing the major IE region, were applied as probes in one of the studies to determine the relative transcript levels during the course of infection of 3T3L1 fibroblast cells with MCMV. The major E transcriptional units were investigated further in a study where Northern blots of RNAs, isolated from different phases of the viral replication cycle, were probed with the five E cDNAs. This study revealed transcripts that were temporally regulated since they were present only during the E and usually L phases of the viral replication cycle. In addition, the quantities of these transcripts varied depending on the phase. However, all five cDNAs detected more than one transcript which indicates complex splicing events, overlapping genes, multiple initiation sites and/or the presence of gene(s) in the complementary DNA strand. One of the E cDNAs, E10, corresponding to a transcript from a major E region of Hindlll fragment I-J, was selected for further analysis. The E10 cDNA detected four transcripts of 9.5, 6.9, 4.7 and 2.1 kb in size, which were found to be transcribed from the same DNA strand. The DNA sequence of this E10 cDNA was determined and shown to contain 3223 nucleotides, however it lacked a polyadenylation signal and a poly A tract at the 3' end. The missing 3' terminus, designated as E10-A, was isolated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCJR) method and its DNA sequence of 1422 nucleotides was also determined. The combined sequence of E10 and E10-A (total of 4606 nucleotides) was designated as E10-C and is presented in this thesis. The E10-C cDNA (4.6kbp) most likely represents the 4.7 kb transcript. The E10-C cDNA sequence has one minor and one major open reading frame (ORF). The minor ORF is initiated by the first ATG triplet (nucleotide position 114) while the major ORF is initiated by the second triplet (nucleotide position 155). Since the sequence preceeding the second ATG triplet is in "good context" with regard to the translation initiation consensus sequence, it is most likely that the major ORF is translated. The major ORF (3600 bases) encodes a 1200 amino acid polypeptide, the putative E10 protein of approximately 135 kd in size. A protein close to that size was detected in one of the experiments in which RNAs, that were hybrid-selected by the E10 cDNA and eluted, were translated in vitro. The putative E10 protein lacks homology with any other protein in the data banks (SWISSPRT and GENPEPT). Portions of the viral genomic fragments Hindlll I and J were also sequenced to reveal the orientation of the gene coding for the E10 cDNA and its related transcripts. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

An in vitro cell and organ culture system for the study of human arthrotropic viruses was established to determine the permissiveness of joint cells and tissue to five strains of rubella virus (RV), adenovirus type 2 (Ad) and human parvovirus (B19). A semi-continuous line of fetal chondrocytes (FC) and primary synovial membrane/cartilage (SMC) cells were used to investigate virus/joint cell interactions. In addition, the SMC cells were used to determine the ability of a virus to establish a persistent infection in cells of joint origin. Intact joint tissue containing both synovial membrane and cartilage was also infected to determine the ability of the viruses to replicate in non-dividing cells and also their invasive capability in the presence of an extracellular matrix. Results showed that all RV strains and Ad were able to replicate in FC, SMC cells and intact joint tissue. The only exception to this was that replication of RV strain Cendehill was not detected in joint tissue. In contrast, there was no indication, by either DNA-DNA hybridization or immunoperoxidase staining, that B19 was able to replicate in SMC cells. Most importantly, the behaviour of the rubella strains in this model was found to correlate with the clinical data concerning the incidence of complications associated with rubella infection or vaccination. This suggests that arthritogenicity is related to the ability of a particular virus to infect and persist in joint tissue and establishes the in vitro model as a useful system to evaluate the arthrotropicity of future rubella vaccines. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) encompass a group of diverse bacterial pathogens that collectively cause hundreds of millions of diarrheal cases annually, mostly in developing countries. As part of its infection strategy, ETEC invades and colonizes small intestinal epithelial cells where it secretes heat-labile and/or heat-stable enterotoxins, inducing diarrhoea. The ability of ETEC to invade human epithelial cells is a hallmark of its pathogenicity and is controlled by a set of plasmid and chromosome encoded virulence factors. They include EtpA, a 170 kDa plasmid encoded autotransporter. During infection, EtpA functions as an adhesin linking flagellin at the tip of ETEC flagella to the host cell surface and allowing ETEC to deposit its toxins. Antibodies targeting either EtpA or the conserved regions of flagellin impair delivery of the heat-labile toxin in vitro, and prevent intestinal colonization of mice following gastrointestinal challenge with ETEC. EtpA is thus critical to the pathogenicity of ETEC. In this study, a truncated version of EtpA (35 kDa) termed N-terminal EtpA69-445 or N-EtpA69-445 was cloned and produced as an N-terminal GST-tagged cytoplasmic fusion protein in E. coli BL21 cells. The protein was purified by affinity chromatography on glutathione agarose beads. However, the yield of the pure protein was poor due to its limited solubility. As an alternative, a 57 kDa truncated version of EtpA (N-EtpA69-607) was produced as a secreted C-terminal His6-tagged fusion protein in E. coli TOP10 cells. The protein was purified to homogeneity by metal affinity chromatography (MAC) using Ni-NTA and ion exchange chromatography (IEC) on a Mono S 10/100 GL column. Biophysical characterization of N-EtpA69-607 using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed the typical spectrum of a β-helical protein. The in silico modelled structure of the protein confirmed N-EtpA69-607 to be a β-helical protein. CD spectra recorded at increasing temperatures indicated N-EtpA69-607 to be thermally highly stable retaining its fold up to 95°C. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments showed that N-EtpA69-607 is polydisperse in solution forming higher oligomers. Lead crystallization conditions of N- EtpA69-607 were determined but the crystals were too small for X-ray data collection. This study thus represents a significant step towards the characterization of the three dimensional structure of EtpA and understanding its structure-function relationship. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Biochemistry / MSc / Unrestricted

No description available.

The misfolding of native, cellular prion protein (PrPc) to a conformationally altered pathogenic isoform, designated scrapie PrPsc, is the main molecular process involved in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. Prion diseases are marked by the accumulation of conformationally modified forms of cellular prion protein. An N-terminal portion of the prion protein, PrP (106-128), is a 23-residue peptide fragment and is characterized by an amphipathic structure with two domains: a hydrophilic N-terminal domain and a hydrophobic C-terminal domain. In this study, the aggregation characteristics of the PrP (106-128) peptide were investigated using a combination of biophysical approaches. We investigated the effect of different factors including concentrations, pH, and metal ions, on the aggregation of the peptide. Our results demonstrated that the peptide steadily aggregates at concentrations higher than 25 M. The aggregation propensity and fibril formation is higher at pH 7.4 and pH 8.1, and the aggregation is inhibited at pH lower than 6. Furthermore, our results indicate that the Cu2+ has much less effect on the peptide amyloidogenesis, while Zn2+ has a significant influence on the PrP (106-128) amyloidogenesis. We further presented a systematic analysis of the impact of phospholipid liposomes of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1’-racglycerol) (POPG) in the absence or presence of cholesterol, on the amyloidogenesis of PrP (106-128). The results showed that POPC vesicles does not significantly influence the aggregation kinetics of the peptide. However, the anionic lipid POPG delays the aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the addition of POPG with the cholesterol shows fast kinetics of fibrillization, thus reducing the lag time of the aggregation kinetics. We also monitored the effect of cholesterol and its derivatives including cholesterol-SO4 and DC-cholesterol on PrP (106-128) amyloidogenesis. Our results showed that the cholesterol inhibits the peptide aggregation and delays the formation of fibrils in a concentration-dependent manner. Cholesterol-SO4 dramatically facilitates the aggregation at high concentrations but has the potential to slow down the fibrillization at low concentrations, whereas cationic DC-cholesterol vesicles can effectively inhibit peptide fibril formation at high concentrations. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection