Identification of a Large Family of Slam-Dependent Surface Lipoproteins in Gram-Negative Bacteria.

The surfaces of many Gram-negative bacteria are decorated with soluble proteins anchored to the outer membrane via an acylated N-terminus; these proteins are referred to as surface lipoproteins or SLPs. In , SLPs such as transferrin-binding protein B (TbpB) and factor-H binding protein (fHbp) are essential for host colonization and infection because of their essential roles in iron acquisition and immune evasion, respectively. Recently, we identified a family of outer membrane proteins called Slam (Surface lipoprotein assembly modulator) that are essential for surface display of neisserial SLPs.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae-derived heptose elicits an innate immune response and drives HIV-1 expression.

Clinical and epidemiological synergy exists between the globally important sexually transmitted infections, gonorrhea and HIV. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes gonorrhea, is particularly adept at driving HIV-1 expression, but the molecular determinants of this relationship remain undefined. N.

Generation of transgenic X. laevis models of retinal degeneration.

Transgenic models are invaluable tools for researching retinal degenerative disease mechanisms. However, they are time-consuming and expensive to generate and maintain. We have developed an alternative to transgenic rodent models of retinal degeneration using transgenic Xenopus laevis.

CRX controls retinal expression of the X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (RS1) gene.

X-linked juvenile retinoschisis is a heritable condition of the retina in males caused by mutations in the RS1 gene. Still, the cellular function and retina-specific expression of RS1 are poorly understood. To address the latter issue, we characterized the minimal promoter driving expression of RS1 in the retina.