KipOTIA detoxifies 5-oxoproline and promotes the growth of .

is an anaerobic enteric pathogen that disseminates in the environment as a dormant spore. For and other sporulating bacteria, the initiation of sporulation is a regulated process that prevents spore formation under favorable growth conditions. In , one such mechanism for preventing sporulation is the Kinase Inhibitory Protein, KipI, which impedes activation of the main sporulation kinase.

A conserved switch controls virulence, sporulation, and motility in C. difficile.

Spore formation is required for environmental survival and transmission of the human enteropathogenic Clostridioides difficile. In all bacterial spore formers, sporulation is regulated through activation of the master response regulator, Spo0A. However, the factors and mechanisms that directly regulate C.

The impact of orphan histidine kinases and phosphotransfer proteins on the regulation of clostridial sporulation initiation.

Sporulation is an important feature of the clostridial life cycle, facilitating survival of these bacteria in harsh environments, contributing to disease transmission for pathogenic species, and sharing common early steps that are also involved in regulating industrially important solvent production by some non-pathogenic species. Initial genomics studies suggested that Clostridia lack the classical phosphorelay that phosphorylates Spo0A and initiates sporulation in , leading to the hypothesis that sporulation in Clostridia universally begins when Spo0A is phosphorylated by orphan histidine kinases (OHKs). However, components of the classical phosphorelay were recently identified in some Clostridia.

The pH-responsive SmrR-SmrT system modulates antimicrobial resistance, spore formation, and toxin production.

is an anaerobic gastrointestinal pathogen that spreads through the environment as dormant spores. To survive, replicate, and sporulate in the host intestine, must adapt to a variety of conditions in its environment, including changes in pH, the availability of metabolites, host immune factors, and a diverse array of other species. Prior studies showed that changes in intestinal conditions, such as pH, can affect toxin production, spore formation, and cell survival.

The pH-responsive SmrR-SmrT system modulates antimicrobial resistance, spore formation, and toxin production.

Unlabelled: is an anaerobic gastrointestinal pathogen that spreads through the environment as dormant spores. To survive, replicate, and sporulate in the host intestine, must adapt to a variety of conditions in its environment, including changes in pH, the availability of metabolites, host immune factors, and a diverse array of other species. Prior studies showed that changes in intestinal conditions, such as pH, can affect toxin production, spore formation, and cell survival.

The RgaS-RgaR two-component system promotes Clostridioides difficile sporulation through a small RNA and the Agr1 system.

The ability to form a dormant spore is essential for the survival of the anaerobic pathogen, Clostridioides difficile, outside of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. The initiation of sporulation is governed by the master regulator of sporulation, Spo0A, which is activated by phosphorylation. Multiple sporulation factors control Spo0A phosphorylation; however, this regulatory pathway is not well defined in C.

Glycine fermentation by promotes virulence and spore formation, and is induced by host cathelicidin.

is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrheal disease. colonization, growth, and toxin production in the intestine is strongly associated with its ability to use amino acids to generate energy, but little is known about the impact of specific amino acids on pathogenesis. The amino acid glycine is enriched in the dysbiotic gut and is suspected to contribute to infection.

The predicted acetoin dehydrogenase pathway represses sporulation of .

Unlabelled: is a major gastrointestinal pathogen that is transmitted as a dormant spore. As an intestinal pathogen, must contend with variable environmental conditions, including fluctuations in pH and nutrient availability. Nutrition and pH both influence growth and spore formation, but how pH and nutrition jointly influence sporulation are not known.

The RgaS-RgaR two-component system promotes sporulation through a small RNA and the Agr1 system.

The ability to form a dormant spore is essential for the survival of the anaerobic, gastrointestinal pathogen outside of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. The initiation of sporulation is governed by the master regulator of sporulation, Spo0A, which is activated by phosphorylation. Multiple sporulation factors control Spo0A phosphorylation; however, this regulatory pathway is not well defined in .

A Conserved Switch Controls Virulence, Sporulation, and Motility in .

Spore formation is required for environmental survival and transmission of the human enteropathogenic . In all bacterial spore formers, sporulation is regulated through activation of the master response regulator, Spo0A. However, the factors and mechanisms that directly regulate Spo0A activity are not defined.

Identification of Functional Spo0A Residues Critical for Sporulation in Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic, Gram-positive pathogen that is responsible for C. difficile infection (CDI). To survive in the environment and spread to new hosts, C.

Three Orphan Histidine Kinases Inhibit Clostridioides difficile Sporulation.

The ability of the anaerobic gastrointestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile to survive outside the host relies on the formation of dormant endospores. Spore formation is contingent on the activation of a conserved transcription factor, Spo0A, by phosphorylation. Multiple kinases and phosphatases regulate Spo0A activity in other spore-forming organisms; however, these factors are not well conserved in C.

Genetic mechanisms governing sporulation initiation in Clostridioides difficile.

As an anaerobe, Clostridioides difficile relies on the formation of a dormant spore for survival outside of the mammalian host's gastrointestinal tract. The spore is recalcitrant to desiccation, numerous disinfectants, UV light, and antibiotics, permitting long-term survival against environmental insults and efficient transmission from host to host. Although the morphological stages of spore formation are similar between C.

c-di-GMP Inhibits Early Sporulation in Clostridioides difficile.

The formation of dormant spores is essential for the anaerobic pathogen Clostridioides difficile to survive outside the host gastrointestinal tract. The regulatory pathways and environmental signals that initiate C. difficile spore formation within the host are not well understood.

CD25890, a conserved protein that modulates sporulation initiation in Clostridioides difficile.

Bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy humans are essential for our health, sustenance and well-being. About 50-60% of those bacteria have the ability to produce resilient spores that are important for the life cycle in the gut and for host-to-host transmission. A genomic signature for sporulation in the human intestine was recently described, which spans both commensals and pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile and contains several genes of unknown function.

Cationic Homopolymers Inhibit Spore and Vegetative Cell Growth of .

A wide range of synthetic polymers have been explored for antimicrobial activity. These materials usually contain both cationic and hydrophobic subunits because these two characteristics are prominent among host-defense peptides. Here, we describe a series of nylon-3 polymers containing only cationic subunits and their evaluation against the gastrointestinal, spore-forming pathogen .

The Impact of pH on Clostridioides difficile Sporulation and Physiology.

is a pathogenic bacterium that infects the human colon to cause diarrheal disease. Growth of the bacterium is known to be dependent on certain bile acids, oxygen levels, and nutrient availability in the intestine, but how the environmental pH can influence is mostly unknown. Previous studies indicated that modulates the intestinal pH, and prospective cohort studies have found a strong association between a more alkaline fecal pH and infection.

Strain-Dependent RstA Regulation of Clostridioides difficile Toxin Production and Sporulation.

The anaerobic spore former causes significant diarrheal disease in humans and other mammals. Infection begins with the ingestion of dormant spores, which subsequently germinate within the host gastrointestinal tract. There, the vegetative cells proliferate and secrete two exotoxins, TcdA and TcdB, which cause disease symptoms.

Phase variation of a signal transduction system controls Clostridioides difficile colony morphology, motility, and virulence.

Recent work has revealed that Clostridioides difficile, a major cause of nosocomial diarrheal disease, exhibits phenotypic heterogeneity within a clonal population as a result of phase variation. Many C. difficile strains representing multiple ribotypes develop two colony morphotypes, termed rough and smooth, but the biological implications of this phenomenon have not been explored.

Regulation and Anaerobic Function of the β-Lactamase.

causes severe antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. is an anaerobic, Gram-positive sporeformer that is highly resistant to β-lactams, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. The resistance of to β-lactam antibiotics allows the pathogen to replicate and cause disease in antibiotic-treated patients.

RstA Is a Major Regulator of Clostridioides difficile Toxin Production and Motility.

infection (CDI) is a toxin-mediated diarrheal disease. Several factors have been identified that influence the production of the two major toxins, TcdA and TcdB, but prior published evidence suggested that additional unknown factors were involved in toxin regulation. Previously, we identified a regulator, RstA, that promotes sporulation and represses motility and toxin production.

.Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile is a spore-forming, anaerobic, intestinal pathogen that causes severe diarrhea that can lead to death. In 2011, C. difficile infected ∼500000 people in the USA and killed ∼29000 people.

The C. difficile clnRAB operon initiates adaptations to the host environment in response to LL-37.

To cause disease, Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile must resist killing by innate immune effectors in the intestine, including the host antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin (LL-37). The mechanisms that enable C. difficile to adapt to the intestine in the presence of antimicrobial peptides are unknown.

Examination of the Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile VanZ ortholog, CD1240.

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile causes severe diarrheal disease that is directly associated with antibiotic use and resistance. Although C. difficile demonstrates intrinsic resistance to many antimicrobials, few genetic mechanisms of resistance have been characterized in this pathogen.