Food-Derived Compounds Extend the Shelf-Life of Frozen Human Milk.

Breastmilk is known to provide optimal nutrition for infant growth and development. A cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative US data from 2016 to 2021 revealed that >90% of lactating mothers reported using breast pumps to express milk. We conducted a survey of = 1,049 lactating or recently lactating individuals from a US nationally representative population to explore breastmilk storage practices among this group.

Quorum sensing orchestrates parallel cell death pathways in via Type 6 secretion-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication process that enables bacteria to coordinate group behaviors. In colonies, a program of spatial-temporal cell death is among the QS-controlled traits. Cell death occurs in two phases, first along the colony rim, and subsequently, at the colony center.

The LuxO-OpaR quorum-sensing cascade differentially controls Vibriophage VP882 lysis-lysogeny decision making in liquid and on surfaces.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of cell-to-cell communication that bacteria use to synchronize collective behaviors. QS relies on the production, release, and group-wide detection of extracellular signaling molecules called autoinducers. Vibrios use two QS systems: the LuxO-OpaR circuit and the VqmA-VqmR circuit.

Single-cell gene-expression measurements in biofilms reveal spatiotemporal patterns underlying development.

Bacteria commonly exist in multicellular, surface-attached communities called biofilms. Biofilms are central to ecology, medicine, and industry. The pathogen forms biofilms from single founder cells that, via cell division, mature into three-dimensional structures with distinct, yet reproducible, regional architectures.

Phage small proteins play large roles in phage-bacterial interactions.

Phages have wide influence on bacterial physiology, and likewise, bacterial processes impinge on phage biology. Key to these interactions are phage small proteins (<100 aa). Long underappreciated, recent work has revealed millions of phage small proteins, and increasingly, mechanisms by which they function to dictate phage and/or bacterial behavior and evolution.

Proteases influence colony aggregation behavior in Vibrio cholerae.

Aggregation behavior provides bacteria protection from harsh environments and threats to survival. Two uncharacterized proteases, LapX and Lap, are important for Vibrio cholerae liquid-based aggregation. Here, we determined that LapX is a serine protease with a preference for cleavage after glutamate and glutamine residues in the P1 position, which processes a physiologically based peptide substrate with a catalytic efficiency of 180 ± 80 Ms.

Natural silencing of quorum-sensing activity protects Vibrio parahaemolyticus from lysis by an autoinducer-detecting phage.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a chemical communication process that bacteria use to track population density and orchestrate collective behaviors. QS relies on the production, accumulation, and group-wide detection of extracellular signal molecules called autoinducers. Vibriophage 882 (phage VP882), a bacterial virus, encodes a homolog of the Vibrio QS receptor-transcription factor, called VqmA, that monitors the Vibrio QS autoinducer DPO.

Small protein modules dictate prophage fates during polylysogeny.

Most bacteria in the biosphere are predicted to be polylysogens harbouring multiple prophages. In studied systems, prophage induction from lysogeny to lysis is near-universally driven by DNA-damaging agents. Thus, how co-residing prophages compete for cell resources if they respond to an identical trigger is unknown.

Diffusiophoretic Particle Penetration into Bacterial Biofilms.

Bacterial biofilms are communities of cells adhered to surfaces. These communities represent a predominant form of bacterial life on Earth. A defining feature of a biofilm is the three-dimensional extracellular polymer matrix that protects resident cells by acting as a mechanical barrier to the penetration of chemicals, such as antimicrobials.

Natural Silencing of Quorum-Sensing Activity Protects from Lysis by an Autoinducer-Detecting Phage.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a chemical communication process that bacteria use to track population density and orchestrate collective behaviors. QS relies on the production, accumulation, and group-wide detection of extracellular signal molecules called autoinducers. Vibriophage 882 (phage VP882), a bacterial virus, encodes a homolog of the QS receptor-transcription factor, called VqmA, that monitors the QS autoinducer DPO.

Natural and synthetic inhibitors of a phage-encoded quorum-sensing receptor affect phage-host dynamics in mixed bacterial communities.

Viruses that infect bacteria, called phages, shape the composition of bacterial communities and are important drivers of bacterial evolution. We recently showed that temperate phages, when residing in bacteria (i.e.

Quorum-sensing control of matrix protein production drives fractal wrinkling and interfacial localization of Vibrio cholerae pellicles.

Bacterial cells at fluid interfaces can self-assemble into collective communities with stunning macroscopic morphologies. Within these soft, living materials, called pellicles, constituent cells gain group-level survival advantages including increased antibiotic resistance. However, the regulatory and structural components that drive pellicle self-patterning are not well defined.

Quorum-sensing- and type VI secretion-mediated spatiotemporal cell death drives genetic diversity in Vibrio cholerae.

Bacterial colonies composed of genetically identical individuals can diversify to yield variant cells with distinct genotypes. Variant outgrowth manifests as sectors. Here, we show that Type VI secretion system (T6SS)-driven cell death in Vibrio cholerae colonies imposes a selective pressure for the emergence of variant strains that can evade T6SS-mediated killing.

Synergy between c-di-GMP and Quorum-Sensing Signaling in Vibrio cholerae Biofilm Morphogenesis.

Transitions between individual and communal lifestyles allow bacteria to adapt to changing environments. Bacteria must integrate information encoded in multiple sensory cues to appropriately undertake these transitions. Here, we investigate how two prevalent sensory inputs converge on biofilm morphogenesis: quorum sensing, which endows bacteria with the ability to communicate and coordinate group behaviors, and second messenger c-di-GMP signaling, which allows bacteria to detect and respond to environmental stimuli.

Protein Interaction Networks of Catalytically Active and Catalytically Inactive PqsE in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a human pathogen that relies on quorum sensing to establish infections. The PqsE quorum-sensing protein is required for P. aeruginosa virulence factor production and infection.

The PqsE Active Site as a Target for Small Molecule Antimicrobial Agents against .

The opportunistic pathogen causes antibiotic-resistant, nosocomial infections in immuno-compromised individuals and is a high priority for antimicrobial development. Key to pathogenicity in are biofilm formation and virulence factor production. Both traits are controlled by the cell-to-cell communication process called quorum sensing (QS).

Influence of CT Image Matrix Size and Kernel Type on the Assessment of HRCT in Patients with SSC-ILD.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a frequent complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc), and its early detection and treatment may prevent deterioration of lung function. Different vendors have recently made larger image matrices available as a post-processing option for computed tomography (CT), which could facilitate the diagnosis of SSc-ILD. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of matrix size on lung image quality in patients with SSc by comparing a 1024-pixel matrix to a standard 512-pixel matrix and applying different reconstruction kernels.

Signal Transduction Network Principles Underlying Bacterial Collective Behaviors.

Bacteria orchestrate collective behaviors and accomplish feats that would be unsuccessful if carried out by a lone bacterium. Processes undertaken by groups of bacteria include bioluminescence, biofilm formation, virulence factor production, and release of public goods that are shared by the community. Collective behaviors are controlled by signal transduction networks that integrate sensory information and transduce the information internally.

Phage Infection Restores PQS Signaling and Enhances Growth of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Mutant.

Chemical communication between bacteria and between bacteria and the bacteriophage (phage) viruses that prey on them can shape the outcomes of phage-bacterial encounters. Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial cell-to-cell communication process that promotes collective undertaking of group behaviors. QS relies on the production, release, accumulation, and detection of signal molecules called autoinducers.

Quantitative input-output dynamics of a c-di-GMP signal transduction cascade in Vibrio cholerae.

Bacterial biofilms are multicellular communities that collectively overcome environmental threats and clinical treatments. To regulate the biofilm lifecycle, bacteria commonly transduce sensory information via the second messenger molecule cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP). Using experimental and modeling approaches, we quantitatively capture c-di-GMP signal transmission via the bifunctional polyamine receptor NspS-MbaA, from ligand binding to output, in the pathogen Vibrio cholerae.

LuxT Is a Global Regulator of Low-Cell-Density Behaviors, Including Type III Secretion, Siderophore Production, and Aerolysin Production, in Vibrio harveyi.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a chemical communication process in which bacteria produce, release, and detect extracellular signaling molecules called autoinducers. Via combined transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms, QS allows bacteria to collectively alter gene expression on a population-wide scale. Recently, the TetR family transcriptional regulator LuxT was shown to control Vibrio harveyi 1, encoding the Qrr1 small RNA that functions at the core of the QS regulatory cascade.

The PqsE-RhlR Interaction Regulates RhlR DNA Binding to Control Virulence Factor Production in .

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes disease in immunocompromised individuals and individuals with underlying pulmonary disorders. P. aeruginosa virulence is controlled by quorum sensing (QS), a bacterial cell-cell communication mechanism that underpins transitions between individual and group behaviors.

Secreted Proteases Control the Timing of Aggregative Community Formation in Vibrio cholerae.

Bacteria orchestrate collective behaviors using the cell-cell communication process called quorum sensing (QS). QS relies on the synthesis, release, and group-wide detection of small molecules called autoinducers. In Vibrio cholerae, a multicellular community aggregation program occurs in liquid, during the stationary phase, and in the high-cell-density QS state.