Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
Published: May 2024
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a very common cause of gastroenteritis, and is frequently transmitted to humans through contaminated food products or water. Importantly, C. jejuni infections have a range of short- and long-term sequelae such as irritable bowel syndrome and Guillain Barre syndrome. C. jejuni triggers disease by employing a range of molecular strategies which enable it to colonise the gut, invade the epithelium, persist intracellularly and avoid detection by the host immune response. The objective of this review is to explore and summarise recent advances in the understanding of the C. jejuni molecular factors involved in colonisation, invasion of cells, collective quorum sensing-mediated behaviours and persistence. Understanding the mechanisms that underpin the pathogenicity of C. jejuni will enable future development of effective preventative approaches and vaccines against this pathogen.
Due to the inaccessibility of β1-4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase for the direct glycan chain elongation, the enzymatic synthesis of 0-series ganglioside with extended backbone has not been explored. In this the sialic acid was enzymatically introduced as an auxiliary group to overcome the limitation of substrate specificity of Campylobacter jejuni β1-4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (CjCgtA) to achieve the synthesis of desired extended 0-series ganglioside core structures. A bacterial α2-6-sialyltransferase from Photobacterium damselae (Pd2,6ST) exhibits unexpected acceptor substrate specificity for 0-series ganglioside core structures, providing an easy access for the synthesis of complex gangliosides bearing the sialyl N-acetylgalactosamine unit.
Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) is a rare variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) characterized by a classic triad of external ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia, often following a recent infection. Understanding atypical presentations of MFS is crucial for timely diagnosis and management, as the syndrome may be mistaken for other neurological disorders. This report aims to highlight the clinical journey of the patient, including symptom onset, diagnostic challenges, and therapeutic interventions, with a discussion of the broader implications of such atypical cases in the context of MFS.
Biochar has been used to accelerate heating profiles during composting by increasing oxygenation, which could also reduce microbial pathogens. However, the antimicrobial inactivation of foodborne pathogens in compost, by amending with biochar without increased heating profiles, has not been evaluated. In this study, we examined the ability of biochar to inactivate E.
RNA-seq and its 5'-enrichment methods for prokaryotes have enabled the precise identification of transcription start sites (TSSs), improving gene expression analysis. Computational methods are applied to these data to identify TSSs and classify them based on proximal annotated genes. While some TSSs cannot be classified at all (orphan TSSs), other TSSs are found on the reverse strand of known genes (antisense TSSs) but are not associated with the direct transcription of any known gene.
