Identification of genes associated with persistence in .

The prevalence of bacterial persisters is related to their phenotypic diversity and is responsible for the relapse of chronic infections. Tolerance to antibiotic therapy is the hallmark of bacterial persistence. In this study, we have screened a transposon library of mc155 strain using antibiotic tolerance, survival in mouse macrophages, and biofilm-forming ability of the mutants.

Novel insecticidal chitinase from the insect pathogen Xenorhabdus nematophila.

Xenorhabdus nematophila strain ATCC 19061 is an insect pathogen that produces various protein toxins which intoxicate and kill its larval host. In the present study, we have described the cloning, expression and characterization of a 76-kDa chitinase protein of X. nematophila.

Adjuvant Potential of Poly-α-l-Glutamine from the Cell Wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Novel adjuvants are in demand for improving the efficacy of human vaccines. The immunomodulatory properties of cell wall components have been highlighted in the formulation of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). We have explored the adjuvant potential of poly-α-l-glutamine (PLG), a lesser-known constituent of the pathogenic mycobacterial cell wall.

The Chromosomal parDE2 Toxin-Antitoxin System of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv: Genetic and Functional Characterization.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv escapes host-generated stresses by entering a dormant persistent state. Activation of toxin-antitoxin modules is one of the mechanisms known to trigger such a state with low metabolic activity. M.

A novel pilin subunit from Xenorhabdus nematophila, an insect pathogen, confers pest resistance in tobacco and tomato.

Overexpression of insecticidal pilin subunit from Xenorhabdus nematophila protects transgenic tobacco and tomato plants against Helicoverpa armigera. Xenorhabdus nematophila is a pathogenic bacterium producing toxins that kill the larval host. Previously, we characterized a pilin subunit of X.

Ectopic expression of GroEL from Xenorhabdus nematophila in tomato enhances resistance against Helicoverpa armigera and salt and thermal stress.

The GroEL homolog XnGroEL protein of Xenorhabdus nematophila belongs to a highly conserved family of molecular chaperones/heat shock proteins (Hsps). XnGroEL was shown to possess oral insecticidal activity against a major crop pest Helicoverpa armigera. Under normal conditions, the Hsps/chaperones facilitate folding, assembly, and translocation of cellular proteins, while in stress conditions they protect proteins from denaturation.

The conserved hypothetical protein Rv0574c is required for cell wall integrity, stress tolerance, and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is intimately related to its distinctive cell wall. The biological significance of poly-α-L-glutamine (PLG), a component in the cell wall of virulent mycobacteria, has not been explored adequately. The focus of this study is to investigate the role of a locus, Rv0574c, coding for a polyglutamate synthase-like protein, in the synthesis of poly-α-L-glutamine in the context of mycobacterial virulence.

A novel insecticidal GroEL protein from Xenorhabdus nematophila confers insect resistance in tobacco.

Xenorhabdus nematophila is an entomopathogenic bacteria. It secretes a GroEL homolog, XnGroEL protein, toxic to its larval prey. GroEL belongs to the family of molecular chaperones and is required for proper folding of cellular proteins.

Xenocin export by the flagellar type III pathway in Xenorhabdus nematophila.

The xenocin operon of Xenorhabdus nematophila consists of xciA and ximB genes encoding a 64-kDa xenocin and 42-kDa immunity protein to kill competing microbes in the insect larva. The catalytic domain of xenocin has RNase activity and is responsible for its cytotoxicity. Under SOS conditions, xenocin is produced with immunity protein as a complex.

Evaluation of human LOX-12 as a serum marker for breast cancer.

The high concentration of prostaglandins has been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases and several types of human cancers. This is due to the over expression of inflammatory enzymes like Cyclooxygenase (COX), Lipoxygenase (LOX) etc. The aim of this study was to quantify the LOX-12 with clinicopathological parameter of breast cancer patients and its response after chemotherapy to establish serum LOX-12 as a prognostic marker.

Glutamine synthetase encoded by glnA-1 is necessary for cell wall resistance and pathogenicity of Mycobacterium bovis.

Pathogenic strains of mycobacteria produce copious amounts of glutamine synthetase (GS) in the culture medium. The enzyme activity is linked to synthesis of poly-α-l-glutamine (PLG) in the cell walls. This study describes a glnA-1 mutant of Mycobacterium bovis that produces reduced levels of GS.

Identification of a catabolite-responsive element necessary for regulation of the cry4A gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis produces a potent mosquitocidal protein, Cry4A. We have identified a 15-bp catabolite responsive element (cre), overlapping the -35 element of the cry4A promoter.

An insecticidal GroEL protein with chitin binding activity from Xenorhabdus nematophila.

Xenorhabdus nematophila secretes insecticidal proteins to kill its larval prey. We have isolated an approximately 58-kDa GroEL homolog, secreted in the culture medium through outer membrane vesicles. The protein was orally insecticidal to the major crop pest Helicoverpa armigera with an LC50 of approximately 3.

Transcriptional analysis and functional characterization of a gene pair encoding iron-regulated xenocin and immunity proteins of Xenorhabdus nematophila.

We describe a two-gene cluster encoding a bacteriocin, xenocin, and the cognate immunity protein in the insect-pathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila, which infects and kills larval stages of the common crop pest Helicoverpa armigera. The two genes, xcinA and ximB, are present in the genome as a single transcriptional unit, which is regulated under SOS conditions. The stress-inducible promoter was activated by mitomycin C, glucose, and Fe(3+) depletion and at an elevated temperature when it was tested in Escherichia coli cells.

Type 1 fimbriae of insecticidal bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila is necessary for growth and colonization of its symbiotic host nematode Steinernema carpocapsiae.

Xenorhabdus nematophila produces type 1 fimbriae on the surface of Phase I cells. Fimbriae mediate recognition and adhesion of the bacteria to its target cell. To investigate the role of fimbriae in the biology of X.

The cytotoxic fimbrial structural subunit of Xenorhabdus nematophila is a pore-forming toxin.

We have purified a fimbrial shaft protein (MrxA) of Xenorhabdus nematophila. The soluble monomeric protein lysed larval hemocytes of Helicoverpa armigera. Osmotic protection of the cells with polyethylene glycol suggested that the 17-kDa MrxA subunit makes pores in the target cell membrane.

Insecticidal pilin subunit from the insect pathogen Xenorhabdus nematophila.

Xenorhabdus nematophila is an insect pathogen and produces protein toxins which kill the larval host. Previously, we characterized an orally toxic, large, outer membrane-associated protein complex from the culture medium of X. nematophila.

Characterization of a cytotoxic pilin subunit of Xenorhabdus nematophila.

Xenorhabdus nematophila is an insect pathogenic bacterium, known to produce protein toxins that kill the larval host. We have described a cytotoxic pilin subunit of X. nematophila, which is expressed on the cell surface and also secreted in the extracellular medium associated with outer membrane vesicles.