Implication of Sialidases in Salmonella Infection: Genome Release of Sialidase Knockout Strains from Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium LT2.

Sialidases, which are widely distributed in nature, cleave the α-ketosidic bond of terminal sialic acid residue. These emerging virulence factors degrade the host glycan. We report here the release of seven sialidase and one sialic acid transporter deletion in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain LT2, which are important in cellular invasion during infection

Shigella Draft Genome Sequences: Resources for Food Safety and Public Health.

Shigella is a major foodborne pathogen that infects humans and nonhuman primates and is the major cause of dysentery and reactive arthritis worldwide. This is the initial public release of 16 Shigella genome sequences from four species sequenced as part of the 100K Pathogen Genome Project

Draft Genome Sequences of Campylobacter jejuni Strains That Cause Abortion in Livestock.

Campylobacter jejuni is an intestinal bacterium that can cause abortion in livestock. This publication announces the public release of 15 Campylobacter jejuni genome sequences from isolates linked to abortion in livestock. These isolates are part of the 100K Pathogen Genome Project and are from clinical cases at the University of California (UC) Davis

Draft Genome Sequence of Multidrug-Resistant Abortive Campylobacter jejuni from Northern California.

Campylobacter jejuni is an enteric bacterium that can cause abortion in livestock. This is the release of a multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni genome from an isolate that caused an abortion in a cow in northern California. This isolate is part of the 100K Pathogen Genome Project

Draft Genome Sequences of 1,183 Salmonella Strains from the 100K Pathogen Genome Project.

Salmonella is a common food-associated bacterium that has substantial impact on worldwide human health and the global economy. This is the public release of 1,183 Salmonella draft genome sequences as part of the 100K Pathogen Genome Project. These isolates represent global genomic diversity in the Salmonella genus

Salmonella Degrades the Host Glycocalyx Leading to Altered Infection and Glycan Remodeling.

Complex glycans cover the gut epithelial surface to protect the cell from the environment. Invasive pathogens must breach the glycan layer before initiating infection. While glycan degradation is crucial for infection, this process is inadequately understood. Salmonella contains 47 glycosyl hydrolases (GHs) that may degrade the glycan. We hypothesized that keystone genes from the entire GH complement of Salmonella are required to degrade glycans to change infection. This study determined that GHs recognize the terminal monosaccharides (N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), galactose, mannose, and fucose) and significantly (p < 0.05) alter infection. During infection, Salmonella used its two GHs sialidase nanH and amylase malS for internalization by targeting different glycan structures. The host glycans were altered during Salmonella association via the induction of N-glycan biosynthesis pathways leading to modification of host glycans by increasing fucosylation and mannose content, while decreasing sialylation. Gene expression analysis indicated that the host cell responded by regulating more than 50 genes resulting in remodeled glycans in response to Salmonella treatment. This study established the glycan structures on colonic epithelial cells, determined that Salmonella required two keystone GHs for internalization, and left remodeled host glycans as a result of infection. These data indicate that microbial GHs are undiscovered virulence factors

Large-Scale Release of Campylobacter Draft Genomes: Resources for Food Safety and Public Health from the 100K Pathogen Genome Project.

Campylobacter is a food-associated bacterium and a leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide, being associated with poultry in the food supply. This is the initial public release of 202 Campylobacter genome sequences as part of the 100K Pathogen Genome Project. These isolates represent global genomic diversity in the Campylobacter genus

The meatification and re-meatification of diets: The unequal burdens of animal flesh and the urgency of plant-meat alternatives

* This report reviews the trajectories of meat consumption shifting from the periphery to the center of human diets (i.e. "meatification") in six countries (two high-income - U.S., Germany; two upper middle-income - Brazil, China; two lower middle-income - India, Nigeria). It also suggests that plant-based ingredients that resemble meat (i.e. "plant-meats") could play an crucial role in reversing meatification although they should not be seen as a silver bullet.* These six countries are chosen as case studies to illuminate the highly uneven character of global livestock production and meat consumption. This unevenness indicates the need to prioritize certain countries in efforts to address the negative impacts of meatification.* The report also draws attention to some critically important points to bear in mind when trying to address meat consumption and production concerns: 1) A handful of huge transnational corporations dominate livestock slaughter and processing, and exert significant influence over meat production and consumption on a world scale. 2) The rise in global meat consumption is not only influenced by consumer preferences and demand, but also affected by agrarian changes and powerful actors in the agro-food system seeking to expand livestock production and absorb chronic grain and oilseed surpluses. 3) Meatification has triggered serious environmental problems

A microRNA-regulated transcriptional state defines intratumoral CD8+ T cells that respond to immunotherapy

The rising incidence of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) and poor survival outcomes necessitate new and effective therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), specifically anti-PD-1 therapy, show promise, yet clinical determinants of a positive response are suboptimal. Here, we identify microRNA-155 (miR-155) as necessary for CD8 + T cell-infiltrated tumors through an unbiased in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 screen identifying functional tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cell-expressed microRNAs. T cell miR-155 is required for anti-PD-1 responses and for a vital intratumor CD8 + T cell differentiation cascade by repressing Ship-1, inhibiting Tcf-1 and stemness, and subsequently enhancing Cxcr6 expression, anti-tumor immunity, and effector functions. Based on an underlying miR-155-dependent CD8 + T cell transcriptional profile, we identify a gene signature that predicts ICI responses across 12 diverse cancers. Together, our findings support a model whereby miR- 155 serves as a central regulator of CD8 + T cell-dependent cancer immunity and ICI responses that may be leveraged for future therapeutics