Phospholipase A (PLA) is one of the few enzymes present in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and is likely to be involved in the membrane disruption processes that occur during host cell invasion. Both secreted and membrane-bound phospholipase A(2) activities have been described in bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Recently there have been increasing reports on the involvement of PLA in...

The C-type lectin RegIIIβ can kill certain Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The susceptibility of S. Typhimurium depends on the bacterial growth phase, i.e., bacteria from the logarithmic growth phase do bind RegIIIβ and are subsequently killed. Lipid A is one of the bacterial targets for RegIIIβ. However, at the molecular level, it is not understood how RegIIIβ interacts with and kill...

Biofouling is recognized as one of the most problematic fouling types in reverse osmosis (RO) processes and lead to high energy requirements operating costs. Over past decade, many studies on membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems for wastewater applications demonstrated that disrupting cell-cell communications among bacteria, called quorum quenching (QQ), a promising approach inhibit biofouling mem...

Outer membrane proteins of Gram-negative bacteria play key roles in antibiotic resistance. However, it is unknown whether outer membrane proteins that respond to antibiotics behave in a specific manner. The present study specifically investigated the differentially expressed outer membrane proteins of an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, Edwardsiella tarda, a Gram-negative pathogen that can lead ...

Abstract Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that selectively permeabilize bacterial membranes are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Dimerization of AMP is considered an attractive strategy enhance antimicrobial and membrane-lytic activity, but it also increases undesired hemolytic cytotoxic activity. Here, we prepared Lys-linked homodimers membrane-permeabilizing magainin II cell-p...

Membrane biofouling remains a severe problem to be addressed in wastewater treatment systems affecting reactor performance and economy. The finding that many wastewater bacteria rely on N-acyl homoserine lactone-mediated quorum sensing to synchronize their activities essential for biofilm formations; the quenching bacterial quorum sensing suggests a promising approach for control of membrane bi...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) is a Gram negative and highly virulent bacteria found in food and water sources, and is a leading cause of chronic diseases worldwide. Diagnosis and prevention from the infection require simple and rapid analysis methods for the detection of pathogens, including O157. Endogenous membrane peroxidase, an enzyme present on the surface of O157, was used for the color...