A. Hicks

Drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains have altered cell envelope hydrophobicity that influences infection outcomes in human macrophages

This study examines changes in cell envelope lipids of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and their impact on macrophage interactions.

Disruption of IL-17 signaling in the respiratory mucosa results in invasive streptococcal infection

This study shows that IL-17 deficiency in mice leads to increased S. pyogenes dissemination after respiratory infection, contributing to invasive streptococcal disease.

Exposure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to human alveolar lining fluid shows temporal and strain-specific adaptation to the lung environment

This study exposes M.tb strains to human alveolar lining fluid and finds strain-specific and time-dependent gene expression changes, particularly in lipid metabolism and cholesterol degradation.

Efficient recall of Omicron-reactive B cell memory after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine

This study examines antibody and memory B cell responses after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, showing improved antibody quality and stable memory B cells capable of recognizing multiple variants.

mRNA Vaccination Induces Durable Immune Memory to SARS-CoV-2 with Continued Evolution to Variants of Concern

This study shows that mRNA vaccination generates durable immune memory against SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern, with continued evolution of B and T cell responses for at least 6 months.

Removing Thermostat Distortions of Protein Dynamics in Constant-Temperature Molecular Dynamics Simulations

This paper shows that Langevin thermostats distort protein dynamics in simulations and presents a correction scheme to remove these distortions, validated by NMR data.

Rapid induction of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells guides coordinated humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

This study shows that mRNA vaccination rapidly induces antigen-specific CD4+ T cells, which coordinate humoral and cellular immune responses, with booster doses enhancing T cell responses in naive individuals.

Extreme Fuzzy Association of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein with Acidic Membranes

The paper characterizes the extreme fuzzy membrane association of the disordered N-terminal region of ChiZ using NMR and simulations, revealing sequence-interaction dynamics.

Sequence-dependent correlated segments in the intrinsically disordered region of ChiZ

The paper characterizes the conformational dynamics of an intrinsically disordered protein using NMR, SAXS, and MD simulations, identifying sequence-dependent correlated segments.