@article{SvenssonSharma2022,
  author    = {Svensson, Sarah L. and Sharma, Cynthia M.},
  title     = {Small RNAs that target G-rich sequences are generated by diverse biogenesis pathways in Epsilonproteobacteria},
  series = {Molecular Microbiology},
  volume    = {117},
  journal   = {Molecular Microbiology},
  doi       = {10.1111/mmi.14850},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259602},
  pages     = {215-233},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are widespread post-transcriptional regulators that control bacterial stress responses and virulence. Nevertheless, little is known about how they arise and evolve. Homologs can be difficult to identify beyond the strain level using sequence-based approaches, and similar functionalities can arise by convergent evolution. Here, we found that the virulence-associated CJnc190 sRNA of the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni resembles the RepG sRNA from the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. However, while both sRNAs bind G-rich sites in their target mRNAs using a C/U-rich loop, they largely differ in their biogenesis. RepG is transcribed from a stand-alone gene and does not require processing, whereas CJnc190 is transcribed from two promoters as precursors that are processed by RNase III and also has a cis-encoded antagonist, CJnc180. By comparing CJnc190 homologs in diverse Campylobacter species, we show that RNase III-dependent processing of CJnc190 appears to be a conserved feature even outside of C. jejuni. We also demonstrate the CJnc180 antisense partner is expressed in C. coli, yet here might be derived from the 3'UTR (untranslated region) of an upstream flagella-related gene. Our analysis of G-tract targeting sRNAs in Epsilonproteobacteria demonstrates that similar sRNAs can have markedly different biogenesis pathways.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ElMoualiGerovacMineikaitėetal.2021,
  author    = {El Mouali, Youssef and Gerovac, Milan and Mineikaitė, Raminta and Vogel, J{\"o}rg},
  title     = {In vivo targets of Salmonella FinO include a FinP-like small RNA controlling copy number of a cohabitating plasmid},
  series = {Nucleic Acids Research},
  volume    = {49},
  journal   = {Nucleic Acids Research},
  number    = {9},
  doi       = {10.1093/nar/gkab281},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-261072},
  pages     = {5319-5335},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {FinO-domain proteins represent an emerging family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with diverse roles in bacterial post-transcriptional control and physiology. They exhibit an intriguing targeting spectrum, ranging from an assumed single RNA pair (FinP/traJ) for the plasmid-encoded FinO protein, to transcriptome-wide activity as documented for chromosomally encoded ProQ proteins. Thus, the shared FinO domain might bear an unusual plasticity enabling it to act either selectively or promiscuously on the same cellular RNA pool. One caveat to this model is that the full suite of in vivo targets of the assumedly highly selective FinO protein is unknown. Here, we have extensively profiled cellular transcripts associated with the virulence plasmid-encoded FinO in Salmonella enterica. While our analysis confirms the FinP sRNA of plasmid pSLT as the primary FinO target, we identify a second major ligand: the RepX sRNA of the unrelated antibiotic resistance plasmid pRSF1010. FinP and RepX are strikingly similar in length and structure, but not in primary sequence, and so may provide clues to understanding the high selectivity of FinO-RNA interactions. Moreover, we observe that the FinO RBP encoded on the Salmonella virulence plasmid controls the replication of a cohabitating antibiotic resistance plasmid, suggesting cross-regulation of plasmids on the RNA level.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RamirezZavalaKruegerDunkeretal.2022,
  author    = {Ram{\´i}rez-Zavala, Bernardo and Kr{\"u}ger, Ines and Dunker, Christine and Jacobsen, Ilse D. and Morschh{\"a}user, Joachim},
  title     = {The protein kinase Ire1 has a Hac1-independent essential role in iron uptake and virulence of Candida albicans},
  series = {PLoS Pathogens},
  volume    = {18},
  journal   = {PLoS Pathogens},
  number    = {2},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1010283},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300225},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Protein kinases play central roles in virtually all signaling pathways that enable organisms to adapt to their environment. Microbial pathogens must cope with severely restricted iron availability in mammalian hosts to invade and establish themselves within infected tissues. To uncover protein kinase signaling pathways that are involved in the adaptation of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans to iron limitation, we generated a comprehensive protein kinase deletion mutant library of a wild-type strain. Screening of this library revealed that the protein kinase Ire1, which has a conserved role in the response of eukaryotic cells to endoplasmic reticulum stress, is essential for growth of C. albicans under iron-limiting conditions. Ire1 was not necessary for the activity of the transcription factor Sef1, which regulates the response of the fungus to iron limitation, and Sef1 target genes that are induced by iron depletion were normally upregulated in ire1Δ mutants. Instead, Ire1 was required for proper localization of the high-affinity iron permease Ftr1 to the cell membrane. Intriguingly, iron limitation did not cause increased endoplasmic reticulum stress, and the transcription factor Hac1, which is activated by Ire1-mediated removal of the non-canonical intron in the HAC1 mRNA, was dispensable for Ftr1 localization to the cell membrane and growth under iron-limiting conditions. Nevertheless, expression of a pre-spliced HAC1 copy in ire1Δ mutants restored Ftr1 localization and rescued the growth defects of the mutants. Both ire1Δ and hac1Δ mutants were avirulent in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis, indicating that an appropriate response to endoplasmic reticulum stress is important for the virulence of C. albicans. However, the specific requirement of Ire1 for the functionality of the high-affinity iron permease Ftr1, a well-established virulence factor, even in the absence of endoplasmic reticulum stress uncovers a novel Hac1-independent essential role of Ire1 in iron acquisition and virulence of C. albicans.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GuptaSrivastavaMinochaetal.2021,
  author    = {Gupta, Shishir K. and Srivastava, Mugdha and Minocha, Rashmi and Akash, Aman and Dangwal, Seema and Dandekar, Thomas},
  title     = {Alveolar regeneration in COVID-19 patients: a network perspective},
  series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
  number    = {20},
  issn      = {1422-0067},
  doi       = {10.3390/ijms222011279},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284307},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {A viral infection involves entry and replication of viral nucleic acid in a host organism, subsequently leading to biochemical and structural alterations in the host cell. In the case of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, over-activation of the host immune system may lead to lung damage. Albeit the regeneration and fibrotic repair processes being the two protective host responses, prolonged injury may lead to excessive fibrosis, a pathological state that can result in lung collapse. In this review, we discuss regeneration and fibrosis processes in response to SARS-CoV-2 and provide our viewpoint on the triggering of alveolar regeneration in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{JiangOronClarketal.2016,
  author    = {Jiang, Yuxiang and Oron, Tal Ronnen and Clark, Wyatt T. and Bankapur, Asma R. and D'Andrea, Daniel and Lepore, Rosalba and Funk, Christopher S. and Kahanda, Indika and Verspoor, Karin M. and Ben-Hur, Asa and Koo, Da Chen Emily and Penfold-Brown, Duncan and Shasha, Dennis and Youngs, Noah and Bonneau, Richard and Lin, Alexandra and Sahraeian, Sayed M. E. and Martelli, Pier Luigi and Profiti, Giuseppe and Casadio, Rita and Cao, Renzhi and Zhong, Zhaolong and Cheng, Jianlin and Altenhoff, Adrian and Skunca, Nives and Dessimoz, Christophe and Dogan, Tunca and Hakala, Kai and Kaewphan, Suwisa and Mehryary, Farrokh and Salakoski, Tapio and Ginter, Filip and Fang, Hai and Smithers, Ben and Oates, Matt and Gough, Julian and T{\"o}r{\"o}nen, Petri and Koskinen, Patrik and Holm, Liisa and Chen, Ching-Tai and Hsu, Wen-Lian and Bryson, Kevin and Cozzetto, Domenico and Minneci, Federico and Jones, David T. and Chapman, Samuel and BKC, Dukka and Khan, Ishita K. and Kihara, Daisuke and Ofer, Dan and Rappoport, Nadav and Stern, Amos and Cibrian-Uhalte, Elena and Denny, Paul and Foulger, Rebecca E. and Hieta, Reija and Legge, Duncan and Lovering, Ruth C. and Magrane, Michele and Melidoni, Anna N. and Mutowo-Meullenet, Prudence and Pichler, Klemens and Shypitsyna, Aleksandra and Li, Biao and Zakeri, Pooya and ElShal, Sarah and Tranchevent, L{\´e}on-Charles and Das, Sayoni and Dawson, Natalie L. and Lee, David and Lees, Jonathan G. and Sillitoe, Ian and Bhat, Prajwal and Nepusz, Tam{\´a}s and Romero, Alfonso E. and Sasidharan, Rajkumar and Yang, Haixuan and Paccanaro, Alberto and Gillis, Jesse and Sede{\~n}o-Cort{\´e}s, Adriana E. and Pavlidis, Paul and Feng, Shou and Cejuela, Juan M. and Goldberg, Tatyana and Hamp, Tobias and Richter, Lothar and Salamov, Asaf and Gabaldon, Toni and Marcet-Houben, Marina and Supek, Fran and Gong, Qingtian and Ning, Wei and Zhou, Yuanpeng and Tian, Weidong and Falda, Marco and Fontana, Paolo and Lavezzo, Enrico and Toppo, Stefano and Ferrari, Carlo and Giollo, Manuel and Piovesan, Damiano and Tosatto, Silvio C. E. and del Pozo, Angela and Fern{\´a}ndez, Jos{\´e} M. and Maietta, Paolo and Valencia, Alfonso and Tress, Michael L. and Benso, Alfredo and Di Carlo, Stefano and Politano, Gianfranco and Savino, Alessandro and Rehman, Hafeez Ur and Re, Matteo and Mesiti, Marco and Valentini, Giorgio and Bargsten, Joachim W. and van Dijk, Aalt D. J. and Gemovic, Branislava and Glisic, Sanja and Perovic, Vladmir and Veljkovic, Veljko and Almeida-e-Silva, Danillo C. and Vencio, Ricardo Z. N. and Sharan, Malvika and Vogel, J{\"o}rg and Kansakar, Lakesh and Zhang, Shanshan and Vucetic, Slobodan and Wang, Zheng and Sternberg, Michael J. E. and Wass, Mark N. and Huntley, Rachael P. and Martin, Maria J. and O'Donovan, Claire and Robinson, Peter N. and Moreau, Yves and Tramontano, Anna and Babbitt, Patricia C. and Brenner, Steven E. and Linial, Michal and Orengo, Christine A. and Rost, Burkhard and Greene, Casey S. and Mooney, Sean D. and Friedberg, Iddo and Radivojac, Predrag and Veljkovic, Nevena},
  title     = {An expanded evaluation of protein function prediction methods shows an improvement in accuracy},
  series = {Genome Biology},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {Genome Biology},
  number    = {184},
  doi       = {10.1186/s13059-016-1037-6},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166293},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Background A major bottleneck in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of life is the assignment of function to proteins. While molecular experiments provide the most reliable annotation of proteins, their relatively low throughput and restricted purview have led to an increasing role for computational function prediction. However, assessing methods for protein function prediction and tracking progress in the field remain challenging. Results We conducted the second critical assessment of functional annotation (CAFA), a timed challenge to assess computational methods that automatically assign protein function. We evaluated 126 methods from 56 research groups for their ability to predict biological functions using Gene Ontology and gene-disease associations using Human Phenotype Ontology on a set of 3681 proteins from 18 species. CAFA2 featured expanded analysis compared with CAFA1, with regards to data set size, variety, and assessment metrics. To review progress in the field, the analysis compared the best methods from CAFA1 to those of CAFA2. Conclusions The top-performing methods in CAFA2 outperformed those from CAFA1. This increased accuracy can be attributed to a combination of the growing number of experimental annotations and improved methods for function prediction. The assessment also revealed that the definition of top-performing algorithms is ontology specific, that different performance metrics can be used to probe the nature of accurate predictions, and the relative diversity of predictions in the biological process and human phenotype ontologies. While there was methodological improvement between CAFA1 and CAFA2, the interpretation of results and usefulness of individual methods remain context-dependent.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MuehlbergUmstaetterDomhanetal.2020,
  author    = {M{\"u}hlberg, Eric and Umst{\"a}tter, Florian and Domhan, Cornelius and Hertlein, Tobias and Ohlsen, Knut and Krause, Andreas and Kleist, Christian and Beijer, Barbro and Zimmermann, Stefan and Haberkorn, Uwe and Mier, Walter and Uhl, Philipp},
  title     = {Vancomycin-lipopeptide conjugates with high antimicrobial activity on vancomycin-resistant enterococci},
  series = {Pharmaceuticals},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Pharmaceuticals},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {1424-8247},
  doi       = {10.3390/ph13060110},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-205879},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent one of the most important health care problems worldwide. While there are numerous drugs available for standard therapy, there are only a few compounds capable of serving as a last resort for severe infections. Therefore, approaches to control multidrug-resistant bacteria must be implemented. Here, a strategy of reactivating the established glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin by structural modification with polycationic peptides and subsequent fatty acid conjugation to overcome the resistance of multidrug-resistant bacteria was followed. This study especially focuses on the structure-activity relationship, depending on the modification site and fatty acid chain length. The synthesized conjugates showed high antimicrobial potential on vancomycin-resistant enterococci. We were able to demonstrate that the antimicrobial activity of the vancomycin-lipopeptide conjugates depends on the chain length of the attached fatty acid. All conjugates showed good cytocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. Radiolabeling enabled the in vivo determination of pharmacokinetics in Wistar rats by molecular imaging and biodistribution studies. An improved biodistribution profile in comparison to unmodified vancomycin was observed. While vancomycin is rapidly excreted by the kidneys, the most potent conjugate shows a hepatobiliary excretion profile. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the potential of the structural modification of already established antibiotics to provide highly active compounds for tackling multidrug-resistant bacteria.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KayisogluSchlegelBartfeld2021,
  author    = {Kayisoglu, {\"O}zge and Schlegel, Nicolas and Bartfeld, Sina},
  title     = {Gastrointestinal epithelial innate immunity-regionalization and organoids as new model},
  series = {Journal of Molecular Medicine},
  volume    = {99},
  journal   = {Journal of Molecular Medicine},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00109-021-02043-9},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265220},
  pages     = {517-530},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The human gastrointestinal tract is in constant contact with microbial stimuli. Its barriers have to ensure co-existence with the commensal bacteria, while enabling surveillance of intruding pathogens. At the centre of the interaction lies the epithelial layer, which marks the boundaries of the body. It is equipped with a multitude of different innate immune sensors, such as Toll-like receptors, to mount inflammatory responses to microbes. Dysfunction of this intricate system results in inflammation-associated pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel disease. However, the complexity of the cellular interactions, their molecular basis and their development remains poorly understood. In recent years, stem cell-derived organoids have gained increasing attention as promising models for both development and a broad range of pathologies, including infectious diseases. In addition, organoids enable the study of epithelial innate immunity in vitro. In this review, we focus on the gastrointestinal epithelial barrier and its regional organization to discuss innate immune sensing and development.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{OkoroBarquistConnoretal.2015,
  author    = {Okoro, Chinyere K. and Barquist, Lars and Connor, Thomas R. and Harris, Simon R. and Clare, Simon and Stevens, Mark P. and Arends, Mark J. and Hale, Christine and Kane, Leanne and Pickard, Derek J. and Hill, Jennifer and Harcourt, Katherine and Parkhill, Julian and Dougan, Gordon and Kingsley, Robert A.},
  title     = {Signatures of adaptation in human invasive Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 populations from sub-Saharan Africa},
  series = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  number    = {3},
  doi       = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0003611},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143779},
  pages     = {e0003611},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Two lineages of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) of multi-locus sequence type ST313 have been linked with the emergence of invasive Salmonella disease across sub-Saharan Africa. The expansion of these lineages has a temporal association with the HIV pandemic and antibiotic usage. We analysed the whole genome sequence of 129 ST313 isolates representative of the two lineages and found evidence of lineage-specific genome degradation, with some similarities to that observed in S. Typhi. Individual ST313 S. Typhimurium isolates exhibit a distinct metabolic signature and modified enteropathogenesis in both a murine and cattle model of colitis, compared to S. Typhimurium outside of the ST313 lineages. These data define phenotypes that distinguish ST313 isolates from other S. Typhimurium and may represent adaptation to a distinct pathogenesis and lifestyle linked to an-immuno-compromised human population.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BergSchellingHailuetal.2015,
  author    = {Berg, Stefan and Schelling, Esther and Hailu, Elena and Firdessa, Rebuma and Gumi, Balako and Erenso, Girume and Gadisa, Endalamaw and Mengistu, Araya and Habtamu, Meseret and Hussein, Jemal and Kiros, Teklu and Bekele, Shiferaw and Mekonnen, Wondale and Derese, Yohannes and Zinsstag, Jakob and Ameni, Gobena and Gagneux, Sebastien and Robertson, Brian D and Tschopp, Rea and Hewinson, Glyn and Yamuah, Lawrence and Gordon, Stephen V and Aseffa, Abraham},
  title     = {Investigation of the high rates of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Ethiopia reveals no single driving factor and minimal evidence for zoonotic transmission of Mycobacterium bovis infection},
  series = {BMC Infectious Diseases},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {BMC Infectious Diseases},
  number    = {112},
  doi       = {10.1186/s12879-015-0846-7},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143935},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Background: Ethiopia, a high tuberculosis (TB) burden country, reports one of the highest incidence rates of extra-pulmonary TB dominated by cervical lymphadenitis (TBLN). Infection with Mycobacterium bovis has previously been excluded as the main reason for the high rate of extra-pulmonary TB in Ethiopia. Methods: Here we examined demographic and clinical characteristics of 953 pulmonary (PTB) and 1198 TBLN patients visiting 11 health facilities in distinct geographic areas of Ethiopia. Clinical characteristics were also correlated with genotypes of the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results: No major patient or bacterial strain factor could be identified as being responsible for the high rate of TBLN, and there was no association with HIV infection. However, analysis of the demographic data of involved patients showed that having regular and direct contact with live animals was more associated with TBLN than with PTB, although no M. bovis was isolated from patients with TBLN. Among PTB patients, those infected with Lineage 4 reported "contact with other TB patient" more often than patients infected with Lineage 3 did (OR = 1.6, CI 95\% 1.0-2.7; p = 0.064). High fever, in contrast to low and moderate fever, was significantly associated with Lineage 4 (OR = 2.3; p = 0.024). On the other hand, TBLN cases infected with Lineage 4 tended to get milder symptoms overall for the constitutional symptoms than those infected with Lineage 3. Conclusions: The study suggests a complex role for multiple interacting factors in the epidemiology of extra-pulmonary TB in Ethiopia, including factors that can only be derived from population-based studies, which may prove to be significant for TB control in Ethiopia.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{ReuterWeissenberger2022,
  author    = {Reuter-Weissenberger, Philipp},
  title     = {The role of a fungal-specific transcription regulator on vacuolar biology and host interaction in \(Candida\) \(albicans\)},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-25928},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259287},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Microorganisms that colonize the human body face large fluctuations in their surroundings. Therefore, those microbes developed sophisticated mechanisms that allow them to adapt their cell biology and maintain cellular homeostasis. One organelle vital to preserve cell physiology is the vacuole. The vacuole exhibits a wide range of functions and is able to adjust itself in response to both external and internal stimuli. Moreover, it plays an important role in host interaction and virulence in fungi such as Candida albicans. Despite this connection, only a few regulatory proteins have been described to modulate vacuolar biology in fungal pathogens. Furthermore, whether such regulation alters fungus-host interplay remains largely unknown. This thesis focuses on the characterization of ZCF8, a fungus-specific transcription regulator in the human-associated yeast C. albicans. To this end, I combined genome-wide protein-DNA interaction assays and gene expression analysis that identified genes regulated by Zcf8p. Fluorescence microscopy uncovered that several top targets of Zcf8p localize to the fungal vacuole. Moreover, deletion and overexpression of ZCF8 resulted in alterations in vacuolar morphology and in luminal pH and rendered the fungus resistant or susceptible to a vacuole-disturbing drug. Finally, in vitro adherence assays showed that Zcf8p modulates the attachment of C. albicans to human epithelial cells in a vacuole-dependent manner. Given those findings, I posit that the previously uncharacterized transcription regulator Zcf8p modulates fungal attachment to epithelial cells in a manner that depends on the status of the fungal vacuole. Furthermore, the results highlight that vacuolar physiology is a substantial factor influencing the physical interaction between Candida cells and mammalian mucosal surfaces.},
  subject      = {Vakuole},
  language  = {en}
}