Optical Mapping: Detecting Genomic Resistance Cassettes in MRSA.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a multidrug-resistant bacterium with a global presence in healthcare facilities as well as community settings. The resistance of MRSA to beta-lactam antibiotics can be attributed to a mobile genetic element called the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC), ranging from 23 to 68 kilobase pairs in length. The mec gene complex contained in SCC allows MRSA to survive in the presence of penicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics.

Restriction endonucleases from invasive Neisseria gonorrhoeae cause double-strand breaks and distort mitosis in epithelial cells during infection.

The host epithelium is both a barrier against, and the target for microbial infections. Maintaining regulated cell growth ensures an intact protective layer towards microbial-induced cellular damage. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections disrupt host cell cycle regulation machinery and the infection causes DNA double strand breaks that delay progression through the G2/M phase.

Lactobacillus decelerates cervical epithelial cell cycle progression.

We investigated cell cycle progression in epithelial cervical ME-180 cells during colonization of three different Lactobacillus species utilizing live cell microscopy, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays, and flow cytometry. The colonization of these ME-180 cells by L. rhamnosus and L.