Chlamydia trachomatis are obligate intracellular bacteria that survive and replicate in a bacterial-modified phagosome called inclusion. As other intracellular parasites, these bacteria subvert the phagocytic pathway to avoid degradation in phagolysosomes and exploit trafficking pathways to acquire both energy and nutrients essential for their survival. Rabs are host proteins that control intra...

Studies have shown stormwater runoff is a contributor to elevated indicator bacteria concentrations in surface waters. These elevated concentrations may indicate a heightened human health risk and lead to water quality violations as concentrations exceed regulatory standards. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are commonly established for indicator bacteria, requiring modeling and watershed plan...

The characteristics of bacteria take up mercury into cells via membrane potential-dependent sequence-divergent members of the mercuric ion (Mer) superfamily, i.e., a periplasmic mercuric ion scavenging protein (MerP) and one or more inner membrane-spanning proteins (MerC, MerE, MerF, and MerT), which transport mercuric ions into the cytoplasm, have been applied in engineering of bioreactor used...

In the discovery of some general principles of energy transduction, lactic acid bacteria have played an important role. In this review, the energy transducing processes of lactic acid bacteria are discussed with the emphasis on the major developments of the past 5 years. This work not only includes the biochemistry of the enzymes and the bioenergetics of the processes, but also the genetics of ...

Here, we report a draft genome sequence of Geobacter pelophilus strain Dfr2, a ferric iron-reducing bacterium. This genome information will further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying electron transfer from microorganisms to ferric iron oxides.

Thiazolylidene-ketonitriles are efficient inhibitors of photosynthetic electron flow in reaction centers from either Rhodobacter sphaeroides or Rhodobacter capsulatus. Some compounds of this class exhibit a higher inhibitor potency in the bacterial system as compared to photosystem II. Up to now, photosystem II inhibitors were generally less active in photosynthetic bacteria. An azido-thiazolyl...

Na+ was found to be essential for the accumulation of sucrose by Vibrio alginolyticus. Sucrose uptake was completely inhibited by the addition of proton conductor at neutral pH, but not at alkaline pH, where the primary electrogenic Na+ pump generates the Na+ electrochemical gradient. We therefore conclude that sucrose transport is driven by the electrochemical potential of Na+ in this organism.

An evaluation of two commercially available swab transport systems, Port-A-Cul (PAC; BBL Microbiology Systems, Cockeysville, Md.) and Anaerobic Specimen Collector (ASC; Becton Dickinson Vacutainer Systems, Rutherford, N.J.), in the recovery of organisms from clinical specimens was done. Fifteen abscesses were drained, and swabs of their contents were placed in the transport systems until they w...

Protein transport via the Sec translocon represents an evolutionary conserved mechanism for delivering cytosolically-synthesized proteins to extra-cytosolic compartments. The Sec translocon has a three-subunit core, termed Sec61 in Eukaryotes and SecYEG in Bacteria. It is located in the endoplasmic reticulum of Eukaryotes and in the cytoplasmic membrane of Bacteria where it constitutes a channe...

Recharge and contamination of karst aquifers often occur via the unsaturated zone, but the functioning of this zone has not yet been fully understood. Therefore, irrigation and tracer experiments, along with monitoring of rainfall events, were used to examine water percolation and the transport of solutes, particles, and fecal bacteria between the land surface and a water outlet into a shallow ...