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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 32

  1. Quorum sensing signal synthases enhance Vibrio parahaemolyticus swarming motility

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • The quorum sensing (QS) and c‐di‐GMP signaling pathways are intricately intertwined to control swarming in Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain RIMD 2210633. The QS signals which inhibit LuxOvp phosphorylation are essential for V. parahaemolyticus to swarm efficiently on surfaces. And LuxOvp regulates swarming in a mechanism that involves modulating c‐di‐GMP levels, which may be intracellularly compartmentalized in V. parahaemolyticus.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  2. The aer2 chemoreceptor from vibrio vulnificus is a tri‐PAS‐heme oxygen sensor

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Molecular Microbiology, Accepted Article. The marine pathogen Vibrio vulnificus senses and responds to environmental stimuli via two chemosensory systems and 42-53 chemoreceptors. Here we present an analysis of the V. vulnificus Aer2 chemoreceptor, VvAer2, which is the first V.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  3. The electron‐bifurcating FeFe‐hydrogenase Hnd is involved in ethanol metabolism in Desulfovibrio fructosovorans grown on pyruvate

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Molecular Microbiology, Accepted Article. Desulfovibrio fructosovorans, a sulfate-reducing bacterium, possesses six gene clusters encoding six hydrogenases catalyzing the reversible oxidation of H2 into protons and electrons. Among them, Hnd is an electron-bifurcating hydrogenase, coupling the exergonic reduction of NAD+ to the endergonic reduction of a ferredoxin with electrons derived from H2.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  4. The periplasmic domains of Vibrio cholerae ToxR and ToxS are forming a strong heterodimeric complex independent on the redox state of ToxR cysteines

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • This paper presents the first evidence of a heterodimer formation between the periplasmic domains of ToxR and ToxS, two main regulators of the cholera causative Vibrio cholerae. The interaction establishes a protection of ToxR against proteolysis. The atomic resolution structure of ToxRp shows an αβ‐fold followed by a long unstructured C‐terminal stretch which plays a significant role in the stability of ToxRp.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  5. σE controlled regulation of porin OmpU in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • A regulatory circuit indicates the interplay between the major outer membrane porin OmpU, periplasmic stress stimuli and the σE response pathway in Vibrio cholerae. This study reveals a negative feedback regulation resulting in fine‐tuning of the ompU expression level, balancing stress response and survival. Putative factor(s) operating on the negative feedback regulation on ompU expression is shown in burgundy colour.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  6. Tyrosine in the hinge region of the pore‐forming motif regulates oligomeric β‐barrel pore formation by Vibrio cholerae cytolysin

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Vibrio cholerae cytolysin is a potent membrane‐damaging toxin that perforates cell membranes by forming oligomeric β‐barrel pores. We have shown that a key tyrosine residue in the hinge region of the pore‐forming motif plays a crucial role in regulating the oligomeric pore‐formation mechanism of the toxin. Such a regulatory mechanism has not been documented earlier in the structurally‐related β‐barrel pore‐forming toxins.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  7. The chemosensory systems of Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the acute diarrheal disease cholera, is able to thrive in diverse habitats such as natural water bodies and inside human hosts. To ensure their survival, these bacteria rely on chemosensory pathways to sense and respond to changing environmental conditions. These pathways constitute a highly sophisticated cellular control system in Bacteria and Archaea. Reflecting the complex life cycle of V.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  8. Host stimuli and operator binding sites controlling protein interactions between virulence master regulator ToxR and ToxS in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • The membrane‐bound transcription regulator ToxR controls housekeeping and virulence gene expression in V. cholerae. The activity and stability of ToxR strongly depends on its operon partner ToxS, the redox state of its periplasmic cysteine residues and environmental stimuli. Here, ToxR‐ToxR PPIs are key for its activity, which is influenced by ToxS, DNA binding capabilities, bile and the disulfide bond forming enzymes DsbA/C, which induce intra‐ or intermolecular disulfide bonds.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  9. Vibrio parahaemolyticus FcrX, a Fur‐controlled regulator that inhibits repression by Fur

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • In Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the iron uptake regulator Fur represses genes involved in iron acquisition and swarming. The Fur regulon also includes a previously uncharacterized regulator fcrX. Overproduction of FcrX, which is a small tetratricopeptide repeat‐containing protein, affects phenotypes in multiple bacterial species. FcrX interacts with V. parahaemolyticus and Escherichia coli Fur. Through this interaction, FcrX may serve as an insulator to inhibit the repressive function of Fur.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  10. Specificity of cobamide remodeling, uptake, and utilization in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Cobamides are a family of cofactors that are widely‐utilized by diverse organisms, and there are over a dozen variants, including vitamin B12. V. cholerae imports a range of cobamides, but it cannot utilize a variant called pseudocobalamin and instead remodels it through a distinct pathway. Abstract Cobamides are a group of compounds including vitamin B12 that can vary at the lower base position of the nucleotide loop.

      • Salmonella
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  11. Lytic transglycosylases RlpA and MltC assist in Vibrio cholerae daughter cell separation

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Vibrio cholerae mutants lacking lytic transglycosylases MltC and RlpA are defective for daughter cell separation. Our results suggest that lytic transglycosylases at the division septum serve as a back‐up mechanism to cleave peptidoglycan strands that cannot be cleared by highly‐regulated amidase activity, and to clear peptidoglycan debris that may block the completion of outer‐membrane invagination.

      • Vibrio
      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Bacterial pathogens
  12. Polar landmark protein HubP recruits flagella assembly protein FapA under glucose limitation in Vibrio vulnificus

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Molecular Microbiology Polar landmark protein HubP recruits flagella assembly protein FapA under glucose limitation in Vibrio vulnificus

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  13. Cell‐cell communication, chemotaxis, and recruitment in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Molecular Microbiology Cell‐cell communication, chemotaxis, and recruitment in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  14. Stringent response leads to continued cell division and a temporal re‐start of DNA replication after initial shutdown in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Molecular Microbiology Stringent response leads to continued cell division and a temporal re‐start of DNA replication after initial shutdown in Vibrio cholerae

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  15. Molecular Basis for the Differential Expression of the Global Regulator VieA in Vibrio cholerae Biotypes Directed by H-NS, LeuO and Quorum Sensing

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Abstract

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  16. Novel Coordination of Lipopolysaccharide Modifications in Vibrio cholerae promotes CAMP resistance

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Summary

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  17. Bile salts and alkaline pH reciprocally modulate the interaction between the periplasmic domains of Vibrio cholerae ToxR and ToxS

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Abstract

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  18. Systematic genetic dissection of PTS in Vibrio cholerae uncovers a novel glucose transporter and a limited role for PTS during infection of a mammalian host

    • Molecular Microbiology
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  19. Thiol-based switch mechanism of virulence regulator AphB modulates oxidative stress response in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Abstract

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  20. Redox Pathway Sensing Bile Salts Activates Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Abstract

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  21. Glucose induces delocalization of a flagellar biosynthesis protein from the flagellated pole

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Summary

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  22. A large family of anti-activators accompanying XylS/AraC family regulatory proteins

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Summary

      • Shigella
      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  23. The α-hydroxyketone LAI-1 regulates motility, Lqs-dependent phosphorylation signaling and gene expression of Legionella pneumophila

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Summary

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  24. FlhG Employs Diverse Intrinsic Domains and Influences FlhF GTPase Activity to Numerically Regulate Polar Flagellar Biogenesis in Campylobacter jejuni

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Flagellation in polar flagellates is one of the rare biosynthetic processes known to be numerically regulated in bacteria. Polar flagellates must spatially and numerically regulate flagellar biogenesis to create flagellation patterns for each species that are ideal for motility. FlhG ATPases numerically regulate polar flagellar biogenesis, yet FlhG orthologs are diverse in motif composition.

      • Campylobacter
      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  25. Role of ToxS in the proteolytic cascade of virulence regulator ToxR in Vibrio cholerae

    • Molecular Microbiology
    • Two of the primary virulence regulators of Vibrio cholerae, ToxR and TcpP, function together with cognate effector proteins. ToxR undergoes regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) during late stationary phase in response to nutrient limitation at alkaline pH, however, the specific function of its cognate ToxS remains unresolved.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens