Subversion from Within and Without: Effector Molecule Transfer from Obligate Intracellular Apicomplexan Parasites to Human Host Cells.

Intracellular protozoan pathogens have to negotiate the internal environment of the host cell they find themselves in, as well as manipulate the host cell to ensure their own survival, replication, and dissemination. The transfer of key effector molecules from the pathogen to the host cell is crucial to this interaction and is technically more demanding to study as compared to an extracellular pathogen. While several effector molecules have been identified, the mechanisms and conditions underlying their transfer to the host cell remain partly or entirely unknown.

Prediction of human protein interactome of dengue virus non-structural protein 5 (NS5) and its downstream immunological implications.

Unlabelled: The non-structural protein 5 (NS5) is the most conserved protein among flaviviruses, a family that includes the dengue virus. It functions both as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and an RNA-methyltransferase and is therefore essential for the replication of viral RNA. The discovery that dengue virus NS5 protein (DENV-NS5) can also localize to the nucleus has resulted in renewed interest in its potential roles at the host-virus interface.

Dengue Virus Non-Structural Protein 5 as a Versatile, Multi-Functional Effector in Host-Pathogen Interactions.

Dengue is emerging as one of the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral diseases of humans. The 11kb RNA genome of the dengue virus encodes three structural proteins (envelope, pre-membrane, capsid) and seven non-structural proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5), all of which are translated as a single polyprotein that is subsequently cleaved by viral and host cellular proteases at specific sites. Non-structural protein 5 (NS5) is the largest of the non-structural proteins, functioning as both an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that replicates the viral RNA and an RNA methyltransferase enzyme (MTase) that protects the viral genome by RNA capping, facilitating polyprotein translation.

The Role of Constructive Neutral Evolution in the Development of Complexity from Symbioses: A Microbe-Centric View.

Symbiogenesis presents the biologist with very different explanatory issues compared to the lineal and selectionist view of evolution based on individual entities, whether genes, organisms or species. A key question is how the co-existence of two or more partners in close association during a given generation can ultimately be stabilized enough to be transmitted to the next, how the ensuing complexity is maintained and how this arrangement impacts the reproductive fitness of the collective over evolutionary time. In this chapter, we highlight some observations gleaned from the microbial world that could shed light on this problem if viewed within the framework of constructive neutral evolution.

A Pediatric Case of Accidental Eucalyptus Oil Poisoning from New Delhi, India: Emergency Measures, Historical Context, and Implications for Practice.

Eucalyptus oil (EO) and EO containing products are readily available worldwide over the counter as topical nasal decongestants, rubefacients, anti-pyretics, and anti-inflammatory agents. However, EO is poisonous when orally ingested, or otherwise internally administered, resulting in serious outcomes such as seizures, vomiting, drowsiness, and even death. In this case report, we describe emergency measures adopted in a suspected case of EO ingestion by a 17-month-old female infant.

Prokaryotic horizontal gene transfer within the human holobiont: ecological-evolutionary inferences, implications and possibilities.

The ubiquity of horizontal gene transfer in the living world, especially among prokaryotes, raises interesting and important scientific questions regarding its effects on the human holobiont i.e., the human and its resident bacterial communities considered together as a unit of selection.

On the Tacit Aspects of Science Pedagogy in Higher Education.

In this article, we examine the concept of tacit knowledge and its implications for science education. We suggest that the history of scientific ideas and the personal nature of learning imply that higher education in scientific fields, wherein the generation of new knowledge, insights and understanding is paramount, would greatly benefit by acknowledging the irreducible role of the non-formal and the incidental in scientific innovation and advances.

Osmoregulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via mechanisms other than the high-osmolarity glycerol pathway.

The response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to osmotic stress, whether arising from environmental conditions or physiological processes, has been intensively studied in the last two decades. The well-known high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signalling pathway that is induced in response to osmotic stress interacts with other signalling pathways such as the cell wall integrity and the target of rapamycin pathways. Osmotic balance is also maintained by the regulated opening and closing of channel proteins in both the cell membrane and intracellular organelles such as the vacuole.

The Role of DNA Restriction-Modification Systems in the Biology of Bacillus anthracis.

Restriction-modification (R-M) systems are widespread among prokaryotes and, depending on their type, may be viewed as selfish genetic elements that persist as toxin-antitoxin modules, or as cellular defense systems against phage infection that confer a selective advantage to the host bacterium. Studies in the last decade have made it amply clear that these two options do not exhaust the list of possible biological roles for R-M systems. Their presence in a cell may also have a bearing on other processes such as horizontal gene transfer and gene regulation.

Allergies, Helicobacter pylori and the continental enigmas.

Helicobacter pylori, a gastric pathogen, is known to be associated with gastric and duodenal ulcers, and is also a strong risk factor for the development of gastric cancer and lymphoma of the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue. Ordinarily, this should make a strong case for its eradication at par with any other infectious disease. However, the unique biology of H.

Remembering the forest while viewing the trees: evolutionary thinking in the teaching of molecular biology.

Given the centrality of evolutionary theory to the study of biology, we present a strategy for reinforcing its importance by appropriately recontextualizing classic and well-known experiments that are not explicitly linked with evolution in conventional texts. This exercise gives students an appreciation of the applicability of the theory of evolution in diverse contexts, including those where it is not explicitly mentioned.

From bedside to blackboard: the benefits of teaching molecular biology within a medical context.

Courses in molecular biology are part of practically every degree program in medicine and the life sciences. Historically, many basic discoveries in this field have resulted from investigations by doctors into the nature of diseases. This essay suggests that medical educators deliberately incorporate such material, whether historical or contemporaneous, into their molecular and cell biology courses.

Cell-associated hemolysis induced by Helicobacter pylori is mediated by phospholipases with mitogen-activated protein kinase-activating properties.

Pathogenic Helicobacter pylori strains can selectively activate epithelial mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways linked with disease. We now demonstrate that H. pylori-induced hemolysis is strain specific and is mediated by phospholipases PldA1 and PldD.

Methylation-dependent DNA restriction in Bacillus anthracis.

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is poorly transformed with DNA that is methylated on adenine or cytosine. Here we characterize three genetic loci encoding type IV methylation-dependent restriction enzymes that target DNA containing C5-methylcytosine (m5C). Strains in which these genes were inactivated, either singly or collectively, showed increased transformation by methylated DNA.

The treasure of the humble: lessons from baker's yeast.

The study of model organisms is a powerful and proven experimental strategy for understanding biological processes. This paper describes an attempt to utilize advances in yeast molecular biology to enhance student understanding by presenting a more comprehensive view of several interconnected molecular processes in the overall functioning of an organism, and introducing the concept of the inverse problem as it relates to biology.

A lesson plan for the enhancement of training and research in academia by the adaptation and adoption of good laboratory practice guidelines.

The implementation of good laboratory practices (GLPs) is recognized by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries as being critical for ensuring the international acceptability of products. However, as universities and colleges (and research organizations) do not necessarily work under similar constraints, actual laboratory practices vary widely, and students (or employees) are not required to have any exposure to GLP standards and stipulations. This essay makes a case for formally introducing principal investigators, students, and other laboratory personnel to the GLP regime.

The value of vitalism and Schrodinger's What is Life? in the contemporary classroom.

Classic experiments and novel ideas in the history of science are often mentioned in passing in contemporary college-level science curricula. This study indicates that the detailed and creative recapitulation of a few well-chosen and famous, if well-known, results and ideas has the potential to increase students' understanding and appreciation of the scientific method and provides them with an altogether novel perspective of science. Since the students are usually aware of the salient facts involved, they are free to concentrate on the method, rather than worry about assimilating new facts.

Genome engineering in Bacillus anthracis using Cre recombinase.

Genome engineering is a powerful method for the study of bacterial virulence. With the availability of the complete genomic sequence of Bacillus anthracis, it is now possible to inactivate or delete selected genes of interest. However, many current methods for disrupting or deleting more than one gene require use of multiple antibiotic resistance determinants.