Comparative Expression Profiling of the Chlamydia trachomatis pmp Gene Family for Clinical and Reference Strains

Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular pathogen, is a leading worldwide cause of ocular and urogenital diseases. Advances have been made in our understanding of the nine-member polymorphic membrane protein (Pmp) gene (pmp) family of C. trachomatis. However, there is only limited information on their biologic role, especially for biological variants (biovar) and clinical strains.We evaluated expression for pmps throughout development for reference strains E/Bour and L2/434, representing different biovars, and for clinical E and L2 strains. Immunoreactivity of patient sera to recombinant (r)Pmps was also determined. All pmps were expressed at two hours. pmpA had the lowest expression but was up-regulated at 12 h for all strains, indicating involvement in reticulate body development. For pmpD, expression peaked at 36 h. Additionally, 57.7% of sera from infected and 0% from uninfected adolescents were reactive to rPmpD (p = 0.001), suggesting a role in immunogenicity. pmpF had the highest expression levels for all clinical strains and L2/434 with differential expression of the pmpFE operon for the same strains. Sera were nonreactive to rPmpF despite immunoreactivity to rMOMP and rPmpD, suggesting that PmpF is not associated with humoral immune responses. pmpFE sequences for clinical strains were identical to those of the respective reference strains. We identified the putative pmpFE promoter, which was, surprisingly, 100% conserved for all strains. Analyses of ribosomal binding sites, RNase E, and hairpin structures suggested complex regulatory mechanism(s) for this >6 Kb operon.The dissimilar expression of the same pmp for different C. trachomatis strains may explain different strain-specific needs and phenotypic distinctions. This is further supported by the differential immunoreactivity to rPmpD and rPmpF of sera from patients infected with different strains. Furthermore, clinical E strains did not correlate with the E reference strain at the gene expression level, reinforcing the need for expansive studies of clinical strains

Team Dynamics Theory: Nomological network among cohesion, team mental models, coordination, and collective efficacy

I put forth a theoretical framework, namely Team Dynamics Theory (TDT), to address the need for a parsimonious yet integrated, explanatory and systemic view of team dynamics. In TDT, I integrate team processes and outputs and explain their relationships within a systemic view of team dynamics. Specifically, I propose a generative nomological network linking cohesion, team mental models, coordination, collective efficacy, and team outcomes. From this nomological conceptualization, I illustrate how myriad alternative models can be derived to account for variance in different working teams, each comprised of unique members, and embedded in singular contexts. I outline TDT’s applied implications for team development, the enhancement of team functioning, and the profiling of team resilience. I conclude by discussing how TDT’s ontological and nomological propositions can be tested through various theoretical inquiries, methodological approaches, and intervention-based studies

Effect of process parameters on 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from glycerol using a recombinant Escherichia coli

The top-valued platform chemical, 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), has a wide range of industrial applications but its biological production is not well established. Previously, the production of 3-HP from glycerol was demonstrated using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain expressing glycerol dehydratase (dhaB) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (aldH). The present investigation focuses on the effect of the culture conditions on the production of 3-HP from glycerol. The physicochemical parameters, such as pH, IPTG concentration, liquid-to-flask volume ratio, and substrate concentration, were examined in flask-scale experiments and obtained the highest titer of 3-HP at 4.4 g l(-1) in 48 h. When a fed-batch process was carried out in a bioreactor under pH-regulated conditions, the recombinant E. coli produced 3-HP at 31 g l(-1) in 72 h with a yield of 0.35 mol mol(-1) glycerol. The maximum specific rate of 3-HP production was estimated to be 3.41 mmol g(-1) cdw h(-1) between 12 and 24 h. Other than 3-HP, propionic acid (3.4 g l(-1)), 1,3-propanediol (2.4 g l(-1)), and lactic acid (1.6 g l(-1)) were produced as the major by-products. This paper reports for the first time a commercially meaningful high titer of 3-HP production