A5010139321- Microbial infections and disease research
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
- Bartonella species infections research
- Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Blood groups and transfusion
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Peptidase Inhibition and Analysis
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- Neurological diseases and metabolism
- Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications
University of Georgia
2010-2020
Piedmont Athens Regional
2014
Miami University
2004-2006
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
2006
Emory University
2004
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1982-1997
Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology
1996
University of South Alabama
1985-1989
Washington University in St. Louis
1987
Yale University
1987
The citrate synthase gene (gltA) of Bartonella henselae was cloned and sequenced to compare genetic divergence among alpha gamma branches the class Proteobacteria develop enhanced genotypic reagents for B. identification. gltA is 1,293 nucleotides in length 63 66% homologous with corresponding sequences Rickettsia prowazekii, Escherichia coli, Coxiella burnetii. observed variability suggests that can provide a useful means studying moderate related bacteria. Oligonucleotides specific were...
Hemadsorbing (HA+) virulent Mycoplasma pneumoniae and spontaneously derived nonhemadsorbing (HA-) avirulent mutants were compared by biochemical ultrastructural techniques in an attempt to understand the molecular basis for cytadsorption. Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination of intact mycoplasmas indicated that both displayed similar surface protein patterns. A specific external protein, P1 (molecular weight, 165,000), previously implicated as a major ligand mediating attachment, was readily...
Twenty-two mutants of Mycoplasma pneumoniae spontaneously deficient in hemadsorption were isolated. Examination mutant protein profiles by one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis permitted the grouping these into four classes. The largest class was high-molecular-weight proteins (215,000, 210,000, 190,000, 140,000). A second lacked three previously designated A, B, C (72,000, 85,000, 37,000, respectively). single mutant, addition to lacking C, missing a fourth 165,000...
Aberrant mucin secretion and accumulation in the airway lumen are clinical hallmarks associated with various lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, long appreciated one of triggers acute exacerbations diseases, has recently been reported to promote excessive mucus secretion. However, mechanism overproduction induced by M. pneumoniae remains unclear. This study aimed determine which induces hypersecretion using infection...
The Rickettsia prowazekii citrate synthase (gltA) gene, previously cloned in Escherichia coli, was localized to a 2.0-kilobase chromosomal fragment. DNA sequence analysis of portion this fragment revealed an open reading frame 1,308 base pairs that encodes protein 435 amino acids with molecular weight 49,171. This translation product is comparable size both the E. coli and pig heart monomers synthesized minicells containing rickettsial gene. Comparisons between deduced acid R. those enzymes...
Hemadsorbing revertants were isolated from spontaneous hemadsorption-negative, avirulent mutants of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The simultaneously reacquired specific proteins absent in their homologous mutants, along with neuraminidase-sensitive adherence to the respiratory epithelium and virulence. Peptide mapping immunological analysis indicated no precursor-product relationships among certain these proteins.
Antiserum and purified immunoglobulin directed against Mycoplasma pneumoniae membrane protein P1 were examined for their influence on mycoplasma viability, metabolism, cytadsorption. Anti-P1 inhibited adherence of M. to hamster tracheal rings in vitro by up 80% hemadsorption greater than 90%. Cytadsorption was also anti-P1 Fab fragments. antibodies had no effect viability or metabolism. The data indicate that antibody obstructs the interaction adhesin with its host receptors.
As excess mucin expression can contribute to the exacerbation of asthma, present authors hypothesised that Mycoplasma pneumoniae significantly induces MUC5AC (the major airway mucin) in epithelial cells isolated directly from asthmatic subjects. A total 11 subjects with asthma and six normal controls underwent bronchoscopy brushing. Epithelial were cultured at an air–liquid interface incubated without M. for 48 h, presence absence nuclear factor (NF)-κB a toll-like receptor (TLR)2 inhibitor....
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp), a common cause of pneumonia, is associated with asthma; however, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. We investigated cellular immune response to Mp in mice. Intranasal inoculation elicited infiltration lungs neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. Systemic depletion macrophages, but not resulted impaired clearance from lungs. Accumulation activation macrophages were decreased MyD88−/− mice was impaired, indicating that MyD88 key signaling...
The prokaryote Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of respiratory disease in humans, accounting for 20% all community-acquired pneumonia and the leading older children young adults. limitations existing options mycoplasma diagnosis highlight critical need new detection platform with high sensitivity, specificity, expediency. Here we evaluated silver nanorod arrays (NA) as biosensing differentiation M. culture spiked true clinical throat swab samples by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy...
ABSTRACT Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important cause of respiratory disease, especially in school-age children and young adults. We employed normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells air-liquid interface culture to study the interaction M. with differentiated airway epithelium. These cells, when grown culture, polarize, form tight junctions, produce mucus, develop ciliary function. examined both qualitatively quantitatively role mycoplasma gliding motility colonization pattern...
Muco-obstructive lung diseases (MOLDs), like cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, affect a spectrum of subjects globally. In MOLDs, the airway mucus becomes hyperconcentrated, increasing osmotic viscoelastic moduli impairing clearance. MOLD research requires relevant sources healthy for experimental manipulation analysis. Mucus collected from endotracheal tubes (ETT) may represent such source with benefits, e.g., in vivo production, over canonical sample types as sputum...
A new genetic locus associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae cytadherence was previously identified by transposon mutagenesis Tn4001. This maps approximately 160 kbp from the genes encoding cytadherence-associated proteins HMW1 and HMW3, yet insertions therein result in loss of these a hemadsorption-negative (HA-) phenotype, prompting designation cytadherence-regulatory (crl). In current study, passage transformants absence antibiotic selection resulted transposon, wild-type protein profile,...
The location of the cytadherence-accessory high-molecular weight proteins 1 and 4 (HMW1/4) within Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells has been studied by both biochemical electron microscopic techniques. Peptide mapping studies demonstrated that HMW1/4 share almost identical peptide profiles, suggesting two are structurally related. Examination thin sections M. with antibodies to colloidal gold particles revealed distinct labeling filamentous extensions mycoplasma cells. Labeling was absent on a...
Cosmid clone banks of Rickettsia prowazekii genomic DNA were established in Escherichia coli and screened for expression the rickettsial carrier-mediated ADP/ATP translocator. Out 2700 clones screened, a single clone, designated MOB286, accumulated radioactivity when incubated with [alpha-32P]ATP 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer. This carried plasmid, pMW286, containing 9-kilobase-pair insert DNA, as by X hybridizations. Transformation studies purified pMW286 that ability E. cells to...
Mycoplasmas are cell wall-less bacteria considered among the smallest and simplest prokaryotes known, yet several species including Mycoplasma pneumoniae have a remarkably complex cellular organization highlighted by presence of differentiated terminal organelle, membrane-bound extension distinguished an electron-dense core. Adhesin proteins localize specifically to which is also leading end in gliding motility. Duplication organelle thought precede division, but neither mechanism its...
The aligned silver nanorod array substrates prepared by the oblique angle deposition method are capable of providing extremely high enhancement factors (~5times10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">8</sup> ) at near-infrared wavelengths (785 nm) for a standard reporter molecule 1,2 trans-(bis)pyridyl-ethene (BPE). factor depends strongly on length Ag nanorods, substrate coating, polarization excitation light, as well incident angle....
The attachment organelle of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a polar, tapered cell extension containing an intracytoplasmic, electron-dense core. This terminal structure the leading end in gliding motility, and its duplication thought to precede division, raising possibility that mutations affecting cytadherence also confer defect motility or development. surface protein P30 associated with organelle, mutants II-3 II-7 do not cytadhere. In this study, recombinant wild-type but mutant p30 allele...
ABSTRACT Bartonella henselae , the causative agent of cat scratch disease, establishes long-term bacteremia in cats, which it attaches to and invades feline erythrocytes (RBC). Feline RBC invasion was assessed vitro, based on gentamicin selection for intracellular bacteria or by laser confocal microscopy digital sectioning. Invasion rates ranged from 2 20% inoculum, corresponding infection less than 1% RBC. a slow process, requiring >8 h before significant numbers were detected....