Fecal microbiota transplant rescues mice from human pathogen mediated sepsis by restoring systemic immunity.

Death due to sepsis remains a persistent threat to critically ill patients confined to the intensive care unit and is characterized by colonization with multi-drug-resistant healthcare-associated pathogens. Here we report that sepsis in mice caused by a defined four-member pathogen community isolated from a patient with lethal sepsis is associated with the systemic suppression of key elements of the host transcriptome required for pathogen clearance and decreased butyrate expression. More specifically, these pathogens directly suppress interferon regulatory factor 3.

Cancer therapies activate RIG-I-like receptor pathway through endogenous non-coding RNAs.

Emerging evidence indicates that ionizing radiation (IR) and chemotherapy activate Type I interferon (IFN) signaling in tumor and host cells. However, the mechanism of induction is poorly understood. We identified a novel radioprotective role for the DEXH box RNA helicase LGP2 (DHX58) through its suppression of IR-induced cytotoxic IFN-beta [1].

Studies of the TLR4-associated protein MD-2 using yeast-display and mutational analyses.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates the innate immune system by forming a complex with myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD-2) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which is present on antigen presenting cells. MD-2 plays an essential role in this activation of the innate immune system as a member of the ternary complex, TLR4:MD-2:LPS. With the goal of further understanding the molecular details of the interaction of MD-2 with LPS and TLR4, and possibly toward engineering dominant negative regulators of the MD-2 protein, here we subjected MD-2 to a mutational analysis using yeast display.

Human TLRs 10 and 1 share common mechanisms of innate immune sensing but not signaling.

TLRs are central receptors of the innate immune system that drive host inflammation and adaptive immune responses in response to invading microbes. Among human TLRs, TLR10 is the only family member without a defined agonist or function. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that TLR10 is most related to TLR1 and TLR6, both of which mediate immune responses to a variety of microbial and fungal components in cooperation with TLR2.

Sequence analysis of partial toxR gene from Philippine Vibrio isolates and design of toxR-targeted primers for detection.

Vibriosis in penaeid species cultured in the Philippines results in massive mortalities and consequently in severe economic losses in the shrimp industry. Rapid and accurate detection of the causative agent of the disease is imperative. In this study, toxR gene sequence analysis of ten Vibrio isolates (from several provinces of the Philippines) implicated in disease affecting the penaeid shrimp (Penaeus monodon) was performed in order to develop a toxR-targeted PCR detection of similar strains of shrimp pathogens.