General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology


Publications
86

Bacterial filamentation as a mechanism for cell-to-cell spread within an animal host

Citation
Tran et al. (2022). Nature Communications 13 (1)
Names
“Bordetella atropi”
Abstract
AbstractIntracellular pathogens are challenged with limited space and resources while replicating in a single host cell. Mechanisms for direct invasion of neighboring host cells have been discovered in cell culture, but we lack an understanding of how bacteria directly spread between host cells in vivo. Here, we describe the discovery of intracellular bacteria that use filamentation for spreading between the intestinal epithelial cells of a natural host, the rhabditid nematode Oscheius tipulae.

Steam Explosion (STEX) of Citrus × Poncirus Hybrids with Exceptional Tolerance to Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus (CLas) as Useful Sources of Volatiles and Other Commercial Products

Citation
Dorado et al. (2021). Biology 10 (12)
Names
Liberibacter Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus
Abstract
Florida citrus production has declined 75% due to Huanglongbing (HLB), a disease caused by the pathogenic bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Methods to combat CLas are costly and only partially effective. The cross-compatible species Poncirus trifoliata and some of its hybrids are known to be highly tolerant to CLas, and thus can potentially serve as an alternative feedstock for many citrus products. To further investigate the commercial potential of citrus hybrids, three citrus

Discovery of Novel GMPS Inhibitors of Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus by Structure Based Design and Enzyme Kinetic

Citation
Nan et al. (2021). Biology 10 (7)
Names
Liberibacter
Abstract
Citrus production is facing an unprecedented problem because of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Presently, no effective HLB-easing method is available when citrus becomes infected. Guanosine 5′-monophosphate synthetase (GMPS) is a key protein in the de novo synthesis of guanine nucleotides. GMPS is used as an attractive target for developing agents that are effective against the patogen infection. In this research, homology modeling, structure-based virtual screening, and molecular docking were use

Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis

Citation
Kiefer et al. (2021). Communications Biology 4 (1)
Names
Shikimatogenerans silvanidophilus Ts Shikimatogenerans
Abstract
AbstractGlyphosate is widely used as a herbicide, but recent studies begin to reveal its detrimental side effects on animals by targeting the shikimate pathway of associated gut microorganisms. However, its impact on nutritional endosymbionts in insects remains poorly understood. Here, we sequenced the tiny, shikimate pathway encoding symbiont genome of the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis. Decreased titers of the aromatic amino acid tyrosine in symbiont-depleted beetles undersc

Extensive microbial diversity within the chicken gut microbiome revealed by metagenomics and culture

Citation
Gilroy et al. (2021). PeerJ 9
Names
“Galloscillospiraceae” “Limivivens” “Allolimicola stercorigallinarum” “Allolimicola” “Alectryobacillus merdavium” “Alectryobacillus” “Gemmiger faecavium” “Barnesiella excrementigallinarum” “Blautia stercoravium” “Desulfovibrio intestinigallinarum” “Limosilactobacillus merdigallinarum” “Acinetobacter avistercoris” “Anaerobiospirillum pullistercoris” “Gemmiger excrementipullorum” “Evtepia faecigallinarum” “Anaerofilum excrementigallinarum” “Acutalibacter pullistercoris” “Barnesiella excrementavium” “Evtepia faecavium” “Agathobaculum merdavium” “Eisenbergiella pullistercoris” “Tetragenococcus pullicola” “Alistipes intestinigallinarum” “Luteimonas excrementigallinarum” “Intestinimonas merdavium” “Sphingobacterium stercorigallinarum” “Rubneribacter avistercoris” “Rothia avicola” “Companilactobacillus pullicola” “Tidjanibacter faecipullorum” “Ruania gallistercoris” “Fournierella merdipullorum” “Gemmiger excrementavium” “Atopostipes pullistercoris” “Lactobacillus pullistercoris” “Janibacter merdipullorum” “Mucispirillum faecigallinarum” “Ligilactobacillus excrementavium” “Collinsella stercoripullorum” “Microbacterium stercoravium” “Mediterraneibacter merdipullorum” “Mediterraneibacter pullicola” “Fournierella merdigallinarum” “Mediterraneibacter merdigallinarum” “Limosilactobacillus excrementigallinarum” “Agathobaculum intestinipullorum” “Brevibacterium intestinavium” “Brachybacterium merdavium” “Desulfovibrio intestinavium” “Bariatricus faecipullorum” “Alistipes avicola” “Phocaeicola faecigallinarum” “Blautia merdipullorum” “Desulfovibrio gallistercoris” “Fournierella merdavium” “Fournierella excrementigallinarum” “Mailhella merdavium” “Nosocomiicoccus stercorigallinarum” “Eisenbergiella merdigallinarum” “Ligilactobacillus avistercoris” “Eisenbergiella merdavium” “Alistipes stercoravium” “Dietzia intestinipullorum” “Mediterraneibacter faecipullorum” “Mediterraneibacter faecigallinarum” “Dietzia intestinigallinarum” “Anaerostipes avistercoris” “Blautia merdavium” “Phocaeicola excrementigallinarum” “Corynebacterium faecigallinarum” “Mediterraneibacter excrementavium” “Acutalibacter stercorigallinarum” “Blautia stercorigallinarum” “Butyricicoccus avistercoris” “Eisenbergiella stercoravium” “Mediterraneibacter vanvlietii” “Acetatifactor stercoripullorum” “Borkfalkia faecipullorum” “Hungatella pullicola” “Blautia pullistercoris” “Anaerostipes excrementavium” “Fusicatenibacter merdavium” “Anaerotignum merdipullorum” “Mediterraneibacter stercoripullorum” “Borkfalkia excrementigallinarum” “Faecalibacterium gallistercoris” “Mediterraneibacter pullistercoris” “Limosilactobacillus intestinipullorum” “Intestinimonas stercoravium” “Merdibacter merdigallinarum” “Gemmiger stercoripullorum” “Borkfalkia stercoripullorum” “Enterocloster excrementipullorum” “Merdibacter merdavium” “Eisenbergiella intestinipullorum” “Gemmiger stercoravium” “Ruthenibacterium merdavium” “Mediterraneibacter excrementigallinarum”
Abstract
Background The chicken is the most abundant food animal in the world. However, despite its importance, the chicken gut microbiome remains largely undefined. Here, we exploit culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches to reveal extensive taxonomic diversity within this complex microbial community. Results We performed metagenomic sequencing of fifty chicken faecal samples from two breeds and analysed these, alongside all (n = 582) relevant publicly available chicken metagenomes, to c

A new method for early detection of latent infection by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in citrus trees

Citation
Fujiwara et al. (2021). F1000Research 10
Names
Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus
Abstract
Background: ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) is a major causal agent of citrus greening disease. The disease primarily involves an asymptomatic, often latent infection of CLas. However, there is no effective technique to distinguish latent-infected trees from healthy ones. This study describes the development of a new detection method for latent CLas infection using cuttings. Methods: Root tissues regenerated from cuttings using symptomatic and asymptomatic citrus trees were prepared f

Multiplex detection of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” and Spiroplasma citri by qPCR and droplet digital PCR

Citation
Maheshwari et al. (2021). PLOS ONE 16 (3)
Names
Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus
Abstract
“Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas) and Spiroplasma citri are phloem-limited bacteria that infect citrus and are transmitted by insect vectors. S. citri causes citrus stubborn disease (CSD) and is vectored by the beet leafhopper in California. CLas is associated with the devastating citrus disease, Huanglongbing (HLB), and is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid. CLas is a regulatory pathogen spreading in citrus on residential properties in southern California and is an imminent threat to

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ subgroups display distinct disease progression dynamics during the carrot growing season

Citation
Clements et al. (2021). PLOS ONE 16 (2)
Names
Ca. Phytoplasma asteris
Abstract
Aster Yellows phytoplasma (AYp; ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’) is an obligate bacterial pathogen that is the causative agent of multiple diseases in herbaceous plants. While this phytoplasma has been examined in depth for its disease characteristics, knowledge about the spatial and temporal dynamics of pathogen spread is lacking. The phytoplasma is found in plant’s phloem and is vectored by leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Hemiptera), including the aster leafhopper, Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbe

Plant hairy roots enable high throughput identification of antimicrobials against Candidatus Liberibacter spp

Citation
Irigoyen et al. (2020). Nature Communications 11 (1)
Names
Liberibacter
Abstract
AbstractA major bottleneck in identifying therapies to control citrus greening and other devastating plant diseases caused by fastidious pathogens is our inability to culture the pathogens in defined media or axenic cultures. As such, conventional approaches for antimicrobial evaluation (genetic or chemical) rely on time-consuming, low-throughput and inherently variable whole-plant assays. Here, we report that plant hairy roots support the growth of fastidious pathogens like Candidatus Liberibac