S. Chou

Tropomyosin 1 deficiency facilitates cell state transitions and enhances hemogenic endothelial cell specification during hematopoiesis

This study shows TPM1 deficiency promotes cell state transitions and enhances hemogenic endothelial cell specification during hematopoiesis in both human and mouse models.

Lipopolysaccharide integrity primes bacterial sensitivity to a cell wall-degrading intermicrobial toxin

The paper identifies genes in Escherichia coli that affect susceptibility to a cell wall-degrading toxin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, revealing the role of lipopolysaccharide in modulating toxin toxicity.

Longitudinal map of transcriptome changes in the Lyme pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi during tick-borne transmission

This study maps transcriptome changes in Borrelia burgdorferi during tick-borne transmission by analyzing gene expression over four days in ticks.

mNGS Investigation of Single Ixodes pacificus Ticks Reveals Diverse Microbes, Viruses, and a Novel mRNA-like Endogenous Viral Elements

The paper uses metatranscriptomic analysis of Ixodes pacificus ticks to identify novel viruses and virus-like elements, revealing their potential roles in tick physiology and public health.

Host-directed therapy with 2-Deoxy-D-glucose inhibits human rhinoviruses, endemic coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV-2

This study shows 2-deoxy-D-glucose inhibits replication of rhinoviruses, endemic coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV-2 in epithelial cells by disrupting viral RNA synthesis and reducing viral load.

Antibacterial potency of Type VI amidase effector toxins is dependent on substrate topology and cellular context

This study identifies functional determinants of Tae1, a bacterial T6SS amidase toxin, showing that its antimicrobial potency depends on substrate topology and cellular context.

Structural and molecular rationale for the diversification of resistance mediated by the Antibiotic_NAT family

The paper analyzes Antibiotic_NAT family enzymes to understand resistance diversification, finding environmental variants confer broad-spectrum resistance and likely ancestral relationships to clinical genes.

The cyclic dinucleotide 2'3'-cGAMP induces a broad anti-bacterial and anti-viral response in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

This study shows that 23-cGAMP induces both anti-viral and anti-bacterial gene expression in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, suggesting an ancestral role for cyclic dinucleotide signaling in immunity.

Lizard feeding enhances Ixodes pacificus vector competency

This study shows that feeding Ixodes pacificus larvae on lizards increases their likelihood of becoming infected with Borrelia burgdorferi compared to feeding on mice, and alters gene regulation.

Ceragenins and antimicrobial peptides kill bacteria through distinct mechanisms

This study compares the mechanisms of action of cationic antimicrobial peptides and ceragenins, finding distinct bacterial responses despite some overlapping effects.

Immune factor of bacterial origin protects ticks against host microbial commensals

This study shows that a bacterial-derived immune factor in ticks protects them from host skin microbes but not from Lyme disease bacteria, revealing a complex interplay between ticks, their microbes, and hosts.

Ixodes scapularis does not harbor a stable midgut microbiome

The paper investigates the midgut microbiome of Ixodes scapularis and finds it lacks a stable resident microbiota, which may explain the absence of interbacterial competition genes in Borrelia burgdorferi.