The Polar Legionella Icm/Dot T4SS Establishes Distinct Contact Sites with the Pathogen Vacuole Membrane

Legionnaires’ disease is a life-threatening pneumonia, which is characterized by high fever, coughing, shortness of breath, muscle pains, and headaches. The disease is caused by the amoeba-resistant bacterium L. pneumophila found in various soil and aquatic environments and is transmitted to humans via the inhalation of small bacteria-containing droplets.

An Antioxidant Defense System in Radiation-Resistant Bacterium Deinococcus geothermalis against Oxidative Stress

A radiation-resistant bacterium, Deinococcus geothermalis has various stress response mechanisms, including antioxidation. Features that maintain vitality at high radiation doses include the following: enzymatic scavengers of ROS such as catalase, SOD, and peroxidase; strain-specific DNA repair systems such as Deinococcal unique proteins; non-enzymatic responses such as manganese complexes, carotenoids, and DNA-binding proteins. This chapter summarizes the primary response mechanism by redox balance centered on the cystine transporter. It also reviews action characteristics of DNA-binding protein Dps and a putative LysR family protein, and effects on loss of function of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes by transposition of insertion sequences. Environmental adaptation and molecular evolution of radiation-resistant bacterium are also considered to explain the potentials of molecular behavior induced by oxidative stress.

An Educational Game Evening for Medical Residents: A Proof of Concept to Evaluate the Impact on Learning of the Use of Games

Insufficient knowledge of bacteria and antimicrobials leads to the emergence of multidrug-resistant-bacterium infections. Diversification of the teaching forms, such as the use of games, could be a solution.

Complete Closed Genome Sequence of the Extremely Heat-Resistant Strain Escherichia coli AW1.7

Escherichia coli isolate AW1.7 is an extremely heat-resistant bacterium and has been widely used as a reference strain in extreme heat resistance studies for almost a decade. Here, we report its complete closed genome sequence.

Chemical structure elucidation of the carotenoids in the extremely radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans R1

The main carotenoid in the extremely radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is deinoxanthin. In this paper, based on UV-Vis, MS/MS spectra as well as the chemical properties, the other main two carotenoids in this bacterium were identified as ((all-E)-1-hydroxy-3,4-didehydro-1,2-dihydro-β,ψ-carotene-4-one-1), and ((all-E)-1-hydroxy-3,4-didehydro-1,2,2,3-quahydro-β,ψ-carotene-4-one-1), respectively. The fully structure elucidation for the carotenoids should help to gain a better understanding of the radiation-resistant mechanisms in this remarkable bacterium.