A5070355851- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Escherichia coli research studies
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Reproductive tract infections research
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Immune cells in cancer
- Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants
- Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
- Gut microbiota and health
- Hepatitis C virus research
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
2017-2024
Northern Arizona University
2007-2017
Arizona State University
2010
Adaptation to ecologically complex environments can provide insights into the evolutionary dynamics and functional constraints encountered by organisms during natural selection. a new environment with abundant varied resources be difficult achieve small incremental changes if many mutations are required even modest gains in fitness. Since changing quite common nature, we investigated how such an epistatic bottleneck avoided allow rapid adaptation. We show that adaptive arise repeatedly...
Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax in animals and humans. The organism lies a dormant state soil until introduced into an animal via, ingestion, cutaneous inoculation or inhalation. Once host, spores germinate rapidly growing vegetative cells elaborating toxins. When die anthrax, bacteria sporulate upon nutrient limitation carcass while presence air. After release environment, form localized infectious zone (LIZ) at around carcass. Laboratory strains B. produce fewer...
Summary The Cpx and σ E regulons help maintain outer membrane integrity; the pathway monitors biogenesis of cell surface structures, such as pili, while β‐barrel proteins (OMPs). In this study we revealed importance regulon in event OMP mis‐assembly, by utilizing mutants expressing either a defective assembly machinery (Bam) or OMPs. Analysis specific mRNAs showed that Δ cpxR bam double failed to induce degP expression beyond wild type level, despite activation pathway. synthetic conditional...
Diverse members of the genus Clostridium produce botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), which cause a flaccid paralysis known as botulism. While multiple species clostridia BoNTs, majority human botulism cases have been attributed to groups I and II. Recent comparative genomic studies demonstrated diversity within these BoNT-producing species. This report introduces multiplex PCR assay for differentiating C. group I, sporogenes, two major subgroups Coding region sequences unique each four...
As of 2021, the biothreat policy and research communities organize their efforts around lists priority agents, which elides consideration novel pathogens biotoxins. For example, Select Agents Toxins list is composed agents that historic biological warfare programs had weaponized or have previously caused great harm during natural outbreaks. Similarly, promulgated by World Health Organization National Institute Allergy Infectious Diseases are known To fill this gap, we argue...
The spore forming pathogen Bacillus anthracis is the etiologic agent of anthrax in humans and animals. It cycles through infected hosts as vegetative cells eventually introduced into environment where it generates an endospore resistant to many harsh conditions. endospores are subsequently taken up by another host begin next cycle. Outbreaks occur regularly worldwide wildlife livestock, potential for human infection exists whenever encounter also possible intentional releases spores, was...
The bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis, the cause of plague in humans and animals, normally has a sylvatic lifestyle, cycling between fleas mammals. In contrast, laboratory-grown Y. pestis experiences more constant environment conditions that it would not encounter. transition from natural to laboratory results vastly different set selective pressures, represents what could be considered domestication. Understanding kinds adaptations undergoes as becomes domesticated will contribute...
ABSTRACT Metaproteomics, a method for untargeted, high-throughput identification of proteins in complex samples, provides functional information about microbial communities and can tie functions to specific taxa. Metaproteomics often generates less data than other omics techniques, but analytical workflows be improved increase usable metaproteomic outputs. Identification peptides the analysis is performed by comparing mass spectra sample reference database protein sequences. Although these...
RseA sequesters RpoE (σE) to the inner membrane of Escherichia coli when envelope stress is low. Elevated triggers cleavage by sequential action two proteases, DegS and RseP, releasing σE activate an reducing pathway. Revertants a ΔdegP ΔbamB strain, which fails grow at 37°C due high stress, harbored mutations in rseA rpoE genes. Null missense constitutively hyper-activated regulon significantly reduced major outer protein (OMP) levels. In contrast, novel allele, rpoE3, resulting from...
The Tol-Pal complex plays a poorly defined role in envelope biogenesis. data presented here show that DegP’s periplasmic protease activity becomes crucial mutants lacking the intact complex, but this requirement can be circumvented by suppressor mutations activate basal of regulatory protease, DegS. These observations point to critical for proteases when Tol-Pal-mediated structure and/or functions are perturbed.
The rapid pace of bacterial evolution enables organisms to adapt the laboratory environment with repeated passage and thus diverge from naturally-occurring environmental ("wild") strains. Distinguishing wild strains is clearly important for biodefense bioforensics; however, DNA sequence data alone has far not provided a clear signature, perhaps due lack understanding how diverse genome changes lead convergent phenotypes, difficulty in detecting certain types mutations, or because some...
AME Aquatic Microbial Ecology Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsSpecials 48:19-26 (2007) - doi:10.3354/ame048019 Evaluation of viral and prokaryotic community dynamics in Alvord Desert hot springs, Oregon, USA M. H. Lee1,*, J. L. Keams2, D. W. Helzer2, O. P. Leiser2, A. Ochoa2, S. Connon3, T. Magnuson3, E. Watwood3 1North Wind, Inc., 1425 Higham Street, Idaho Falls, 83402, 2Northern Arizona...
In 2020, the Department of Energy established National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory (NVBL) to address key challenges associated with COVID-19. As part that effort, Pacific Northwest (PNNL) a capability collect and analyze specimens from employees who self-reported symptoms consistent disease. During spring fall 2021, 688 were screened for SARS-CoV-2, 64 (9.3%) testing positive using reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Of these, 36 samples released research. All research...