The Sia System and c-di-GMP Play a Crucial Role in Controlling Cell-Association of Psl in Planktonic P. aeruginosa.

Many bacterial species use the secondary messenger, c-di-GMP, to promote the production of biofilm matrix components. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, c-di-GMP production is stimulated upon initial surface contact and generally remains high throughout biofilm growth. Transcription of several gene clusters, including the Sia signal transduction system, are induced in response to high cellular levels of c-di-GMP.

Genome Capture Sequencing Selectively Enriches Bacterial DNA and Enables Genome-Wide Measurement of Intrastrain Genetic Diversity in Human Infections.

Within-host evolution produces genetic diversity in bacterial strains that cause chronic human infections. However, the lack of facile methods to measure bacterial allelic variation in clinical samples has limited understanding of intrastrain diversity's effects on disease. Here, we report a new method termed genome capture sequencing (GenCap-Seq) in which users inexpensively make hybridization probes from genomic DNA or PCR amplicons to selectively enrich and sequence targeted bacterial DNA from clinical samples containing abundant human or nontarget bacterial DNA.

Cyclopropane Fatty Acids Are Important for Serovar Typhimurium Virulence.

A variety of eubacteria, plants, and protozoa can modify membrane lipids by cyclopropanation, which is reported to modulate membrane permeability and fluidity. The ability to cyclopropanate membrane lipids has been associated with resistance to oxidative stress in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, organic solvent stress in Escherichia coli, and acid stress in E. coli and Salmonella.