Spotlight
Minireview
MinireviewHoward Berg’s Random Walk through BiologyThis minireview presents the career of biophysicist Howard Berg from his first interest in bacterial chemotaxis and motility through the present. After a summary of some of his early work, a series of reminiscences of students, postdocs, colleagues, and family members is presented. In sum, these recollections capture the effect that Howard’s scientific life has had on the field of bacterial chemotaxis and motility and on the careers and...
Research Articles
Research ArticleRiboswitch-Associated Guanidinium-Selective Efflux Pumps Frequently Transmitted on Proteobacterial Plasmids Increase Escherichia coli Biofilm Tolerance to DisinfectantsThis study characterized the function of antimicrobial-resistant phenotypes attributed to plasmid-encoded guanidinium-selective small multidrug resistance (Gdm/SugE) efflux pumps. These sequences are frequently monitored as biocide resistance markers in antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies. Our findings reveal that enterobacterial gdm sequences transmitted on plasmids possess a guanidine II riboswitch, which restricts...
Research ArticleEthanol in Combination with Oxidative Stress Significantly Impacts Mycobacterial PhysiologyBacterial response to a combination of stresses can be unexpected and very different compared with that of an individual stress treatment. This study explores the physiological and transcriptional response of mycobacteria in response to the combinatorial treatment of an oxidant with the commonly used solvent ethanol. The presence of a subinhibitory concentration of organic peroxide increases the effectiveness of ethanol by inducing...
Research ArticleDrpB (YedR) Is a Nonessential Cell Division Protein in Escherichia coliA thorough understanding of bacterial cell division requires identifying and characterizing all of the proteins that participate in this process. Our discovery of DrpB brings us one step closer to this goal in E. coli.
Research Article | SpotlightDisruption of VirB6 Paralogs in Anaplasma phagocytophilum Attenuates Its GrowthKnowledge of the T4SS is derived from model systems, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The structure of the T4SS in Rickettsiales differs from the classical arrangement. These differences include missing and duplicated components with structural alterations. Particularly, two sequenced virB6-4 genes encode unusual C-terminal structural extensions...
Research Article | SpotlightMapping of the Denitrification Pathway in Burkholderia thailandensis by Genome-Wide Mutant ProfilingBurkholderia thailandensis is a soil-dwelling saprophyte that is often used as surrogate of the closely related pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis and a classified biowarfare agent. Both organisms are adapted to grow under oxygen-limited conditions in rice fields...
Research ArticleMutational Analysis of Residues in PriA and PriC Affecting Their Ability To Interact with SSB in Escherichia coli K-12Escherichia coli PriA and PriC recruit the replication machinery to a collapsed replication fork after it is repaired and needs to be restarted. In vitro studies suggest that the C terminus of SSB interacts with certain residues in PriA and PriC to recruit those proteins to the repaired fork, where they help remodel it for restart. Here, we placed those...
Research Article | SpotlightCbrA Mediates Colicin M Resistance in Escherichia coli through Modification of Undecaprenyl-Phosphate-Linked Peptidoglycan PrecursorsOverexpression of the chromosomal cbrA gene allows E. coli to resist colicin M (ColM), a bacteriocin specifically hydrolyzing the undecaprenyl-PP-MurNAc(-pentapeptide)-GlcNAc (lipid II) peptidoglycan precursor of targeted cells. This resistance results from a CbrA-dependent modification of the precursor structure, i.e., reduction of the О±-isoprenyl bond of C...
Research ArticleGenetic Basis Underlying the Hyperhemolytic Phenotype of Streptococcus agalactiae Strain CNCTC10/84Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis. GBS strain CNCTC10/84 is a highly virulent blood isolate that has been used extensively to study GBS pathogenesis for over 20 years. Strain CNCTC10/84 has an unusually strong hemolytic activity, but the genetic basis is unknown. In this study, we discovered that a single-nucleotide insertion in an intergenic homopolymeric tract is responsible...
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Journal of Bacteriology® (JB) publishes research articles that probe fundamental processes in bacteria, archaea, and their viruses and the molecular mechanisms by which they interact with each other and with their hosts and their environments.
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