Assessing vaccine-mediated protection in an ultra-low dose Mycobacterium tuberculosis murine model.

Despite widespread immunization with Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only currently licensed tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, TB remains a leading cause of mortality globally. There are many TB vaccine candidates in the developmental pipeline, but the lack of a robust animal model to assess vaccine efficacy has hindered our ability to prioritize candidates for human clinical trials. Here we use a murine ultra-low dose (ULD) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) challenge model to assess protection conferred by BCG vaccination.

A nanocompartment system contributes to defense against oxidative stress in .

Encapsulin nanocompartments are an emerging class of prokaryotic protein-based organelle consisting of an encapsulin protein shell that encloses a protein cargo. Genes encoding nanocompartments are widespread in bacteria and archaea, and recent works have characterized the biochemical function of several cargo enzymes. However, the importance of these organelles to host physiology is poorly understood.

The Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Gefitinib Restricts Mycobacterium tuberculosis Growth through Increased Lysosomal Biogenesis and Modulation of Cytokine Signaling.

Host-directed therapeutics have the potential to combat the global tuberculosis pandemic. We previously identified gefitinib, an inhibitor of EGFR, as a potential host-targeted therapeutic effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of macrophages and mice. Here we examine the functional consequences of gefitinib treatment on M.

The effects of low-dose irradiation on inflammatory response proteins in a 3D reconstituted human skin tissue model.

Skin responses to moderate and high doses of ionizing radiation include the induction of DNA repair, apoptosis and stress response pathways. Additionally, numerous studies indicate that radiation exposure leads to inflammatory responses in skin cells and tissue. However, the inflammatory response of skin tissue to low-dose radiation (≤10 cGy) is poorly understood.