A5038827381- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Gut microbiota and health
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter Research
- Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis
- Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
Texas A&M University
2021-2024
Clostridioides difficile is a pathogen whose transmission relies on the formation of dormant endospores. Spores are highly resilient forms bacteria that resist environmental and chemical insults. In recent work, we found C. SspA SspB, two small acid-soluble proteins (SASPs), protect spores from UV damage and, interestingly, necessary for mature spores. Here, build upon this finding show sspA sspB required spore cortex layer. Moreover, using an EMS mutagenesis selection strategy, identified...
Clostridioides difficile is a nosocomial pathogen which causes severe diarrhea and colonic inflammation. C. disease in susceptible patients when endospores germinate into the toxin-producing vegetative form. The action of these toxins results spread spores hospital healthcare environments. Thus, destruction imperative to prevent transmission between patients. However, are resilient survive extreme temperatures, chemical exposure, UV treatment. This makes their elimination from environment...
Germination by C. difficile spores is the first step in establishment of potentially life-threatening infection (CDI). A deeper understanding mechanism which germinate may provide insight for how to either prevent spore germination into a disease-causing vegetative form or trigger prematurely when outside environment host that does not support colonization/disease.
Abstract In the model organism Bacillus subtilis , a signaling protease produced in forespore, SpoIVB, is essential for activation of sigma factor σ K which mother cell as an inactive pro‐protein, pro‐σ . SpoIVB has second function to sporulation, most likely during cortex synthesis. The composed peptidoglycan (PG) and spore's heat resistance dormancy. Surprisingly, genome intestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile without pro‐sequence, encodes two paralogs, SpoIVB1 SpoIVB2. Here, we show...
is a pathogen whose transmission relies on the formation of dormant endospores. Spores are highly resilient forms bacteria that resist environmental and chemical insults. In recent work, we found
Abstract Clostridioides difficile is a nosocomial pathogen which causes severe diarrhea and colonic inflammation. C. disease in susceptible patients when endospores germinate into the toxin-producing vegetative form. The action of these toxins results spread spores hospital healthcare environments. Thus, destruction imperative to prevent transmission between patients. However, are resilient survive extreme temperatures, chemical exposure, UV treatment. This makes their elimination from...
Abstract Clostridioides difficile spores are the infective form for this endospore-forming organism. The vegetative cells intolerant to oxygen and poor competitors with a healthy gut microbiota. Therefore, in order C. establish infection, have germinate an environment that supports growth. To initiate germination, uses Csp-type germinant receptors consist of CspC CspA pseudoproteases as bile acid co-germinant receptors, respectively. CspB is subtilisin-like protease cleaves inhibitory...