Phase-variable bacteria simultaneously express multiple capsules.

Capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) protect bacteria from host and environmental factors. Many bacteria can express different CPSs and these CPSs are phase variable. For example, ) is a prominent member of the human gut microbiome and expresses eight different capsular polysaccharides.

Immunomodulatory Roles of Polysaccharide Capsules in the Intestine.

The interplay between the immune system and the microbiota in the human intestine dictates states of health vs. disease. Polysaccharide capsules are critical elements of bacteria that protect bacteria against environmental and host factors, including the host immune system.

Polysaccharide Capsules Equip the Human Symbiont to Modulate Immune Responses to a Dominant Antigen in the Intestine.

Bacteria express multiple diverse capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) for protection against environmental and host factors, including the host immune system. Using a mouse TCR transgenic CD4 T cell, BθOM, that is specific for and a complete set of single CPS-expressing strains, we ask whether CPSs can modify the immune responses to specific bacterial Ags. Acapsular , which lacks all CPSs, stimulated BθOM T cells more strongly than wild-type Despite similar levels of BθOM Ag expression, many single CPS-expressing strains were antistimulatory and weakly activated BθOM T cells, but a few strains were prostimulatory and strongly activated BθOM T cells just as well or better than an acapsular strain.

Diet modulates colonic T cell responses by regulating the expression of a antigen.

T cell responses to symbionts in the intestine drive tolerance or inflammation depending on the genetic background of the host. These symbionts in the gut sense the available nutrients and adapt their metabolic programs to use these nutrients efficiently. Here, we ask whether diet can alter the expression of a bacterial antigen to modulate adaptive immune responses.

Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Outcome in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

With modern therapy, overall survival (OS) for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia approaches 90%. However, inferior outcomes for minority children have been reported. Data on the effects of ethnicity/race as it relates to socioeconomic status are limited.

Distance to Radiation Facility and Treatment Choice in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is a recommended alternative to mastectomy (MT) for early-stage breast cancer. Limited access to radiation therapy (RT) may result in higher rates of MT. We assessed the association between distance to the nearest RT facility and the use of MT, in a modern cohort of women.

Direct tests of enzymatic heme degradation by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Malaria parasites generate vast quantities of heme during blood stage infection via hemoglobin digestion and limited de novo biosynthesis, but it remains unclear if parasites metabolize heme for utilization or disposal. Recent in vitro experiments with a heme oxygenase (HO)-like protein from Plasmodium falciparum suggested that parasites may enzymatically degrade some heme to the canonical HO product, biliverdin (BV), or its downstream metabolite, bilirubin (BR). To directly test for BV and BR production by P.