Membrane particles evoke a serotype-independent cross-protection against pneumococcal infection that is dependent on the conserved lipoproteins MalX and PrsA.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) used in childhood vaccination programs have resulted in replacement of vaccine-type with nonvaccine-type pneumococci in carriage and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). A vaccine based on highly conserved and protective pneumococcal antigens is urgently needed. Here, we performed intranasal immunization of mice with pneumococcal membrane particles (MPs) to mimic natural nasopharyngeal immunization.

Correction draft: RNA-Mediated Thermoregulation of Iron-Acquisition Genes in Shigella dysenteriae and Pathogenic Escherichia coli.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Sex Steroids Induce Membrane Stress Responses and Virulence Properties in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Estrogen, a major female sex steroid hormone, has been shown to promote the selection of mucoid in the airways of patients with chronic respiratory diseases, including cystic fibrosis. This results in long-term persistence, poorer clinical outcomes, and limited therapeutic options. In this study, we demonstrate that at physiological concentrations, sex steroids, including testosterone and estriol, induce membrane stress responses in This is characterized by increased virulence and consequent inflammation and release of proinflammatory outer membrane vesicles promoting persistence of the bacteria.

Lead-seq: transcriptome-wide structure probing in vivo using lead(II) ions.

The dynamic conformation of RNA molecules within living cells is key to their function. Recent advances in probing the RNA structurome in vivo, including the use of SHAPE (Selective 2'-Hydroxyl Acylation analyzed by Primer Extension) or kethoxal reagents or DMS (dimethyl sulfate), provided unprecedented insights into the architecture of RNA molecules in the living cell. Here, we report the establishment of lead probing in a global RNA structuromics approach.

Characterization of a transcriptional TPP riboswitch in the human pathogen .

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that regulatory RNA elements such as riboswitches (RS) play a pivotal role in the fine-tuning of bacterial gene expression. In this study, we investigated and characterized a novel transcriptional thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) RS in the obligate human pathogen MC58 (serogroup B). This RS is located in the 5´ untranslated region upstream of gene, encoding a protein involved in TPP biosynthesis, an essential cofactor for all living beings.

A Case of Binocular Vertical Diplopia after Intratympanic Gentamicin Therapy.

Unlabelled: Intratympanic gentamicin therapy is a useful alternative treatment for refractory Meniere's disease and is generally well tolerated. Visual disturbances as side effects of this treatment are rarely reported in the literature. In this report we describe the case of a 52-year-old woman with refractory Meniere's disease who developed binocular vertical diplopia following intratympanic gentamicin therapy.

An unconventional RNA-based thermosensor within the 5' UTR of Staphylococcus aureus cidA.

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen of global concern and a leading cause of bacterial infections worldwide. Asymptomatic carriage of S. aureus on the skin and in the anterior nares is common and recognized as a predisposing factor to invasive infection.

RNA Thermometers in Bacterial Pathogens.

Temperature variation is one of the multiple parameters a microbial pathogen encounters when it invades a warm-blooded host. To survive and thrive at host body temperature, human pathogens have developed various strategies to sense and respond to their ambient temperature. An instantaneous response is mounted by RNA thermometers (RNATs), which are integral sensory structures in mRNAs that modulate translation efficiency.

Temperature-responsive in vitro RNA structurome of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

RNA structures are fundamentally important for RNA function. Dynamic, condition-dependent structural changes are able to modulate gene expression as shown for riboswitches and RNA thermometers. By parallel analysis of RNA structures, we mapped the RNA structurome of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis at three different temperatures.

RNA Hairpin Folding in the Crowded Cell.

Precise secondary and tertiary structure formation is critically important for the cellular functionality of ribonucleic acids (RNAs). RNA folding studies were mainly conducted in vitro, without the possibility of validating these experiments inside cells. Here, we directly resolve the folding stability of a hairpin-structured RNA inside live mammalian cells.

How to find RNA thermometers.

Temperature is one of the decisive signals that a mammalian pathogen has entered its warm-blooded host. Among the many ways to register temperature changes, bacteria often use temperature-modulated structures in the untranslated region of mRNAs. In this article, we describe how such RNA thermometers (RNATs) have been discovered one by one upstream of heat shock and virulence genes in the past, and how next-generation sequencing approaches are able to reveal novel temperature-responsive RNA structures on a global scale.

RNA-mediated thermoregulation of iron-acquisition genes in Shigella dysenteriae and pathogenic Escherichia coli.

The initiation, progression and transmission of most bacterial infections is dependent upon the ability of the invading pathogen to acquire iron from each of the varied environments encountered during the course of a natural infection. In total, 95% of iron within the human body is complexed within heme, making heme a potentially rich source of host-associated nutrient iron for invading bacteria. As heme is encountered only within the host, pathogenic bacteria often regulate synthesis of heme utilization factors such that production is maximal under host-associated environmental conditions.

Comparative profiling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains reveals differential expression of novel unique and conserved small RNAs.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a highly adaptable bacterium that thrives in a broad range of ecological niches and can infect multiple hosts as diverse as plants, nematodes and mammals. In humans, it is an important opportunistic pathogen. This wide adaptability correlates with its broad genetic diversity.