Download or read book Discovery Functional Analysis and Application of Bacteriophage Structural Proteins in Marine Mucosal and Human Gut Systems written by Shr-Hau Hung and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Viruses have been studied since 1892, and for many years the emphasis has been on the mechanism of viral infection and disease. By the 1950s, researchers had begun to use enzymes and genomes of viruses of bacteria (bacteriophages or phages) as tools in developing molecular biology. Therefore, phage biology was biased on a few models like Lambda, p22, and T4 among other families that are extremely abundant, diverse, and unexplored. Yet even in the well-studied phage models, new pieces of evidences suggest that structural proteins with unknown functions may be involved in trilateral interactions between phage, host, and environments. Recently, there has been renewed interest in phage therapy due to the development of antibiotic resistance and microbiome-related diseases require precision treatments. Nevertheless, critical features regarding the discovery of new phages, characterizing their unknown functions, and therapeutic applications remain unaddressed. This dissertation examines the issues listed above with various techniques on cultured and uncultured environmental phages. In chapter 2, unknown function open reading frames (ORFs) in marine virome were predicted and experimentally validated as a workflow to investigate the rapid growing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. Machine-learning algorithms trained by protein features were utilized to detect and categorize phage structural genes. The selected candidates were cloned, over-expressed, and purified for reconstitutions of structures in vitro. Chapter 3 is dedicated to phage-glycan interactions in mucosal surfaces. Immunoglobulin-like (Ig-like) domains have been found in many phage structural proteins and they were proposed to bind glycans displayed on mucus subunits. In chapter 3, methods of phage engineering were tested for editing Ig-like domains. In addition, various assays were accessed for characterizing the phenotypes of phage interacting with mucus. Chapter 4 is a pioneer study of phage therapy targeting immature microbiota in the gastrointestinal systems. In collaboration with Center for Phage Technology at Texas A&M University, a toxin-free, non-replicating, non-lytic Bacillus prophage-like element, PBSX, was selected and engineered as "phagocin" aiming to kill pathogenic strains. In chapter 4, the DNA packaging pattern in PBSX was further investigated for better understanding of its life cycle and future applications.
Download or read book Bacteriophage Ecology written by Stephen T. Abedon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-05-01 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria and are believed to be the most abundant and genetically diverse organisms on Earth. As such, their ecology is vast both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Their abundance makes an understanding of phage ecology increasingly relevant to bacterial ecosystem ecology, bacterial genomics and bacterial pathology. Abedon provides the first text on phage ecology for almost 20 years. Written by leading experts, synthesizing the three key approaches to studying phage ecology, namely studying them in natural environments (in situ), experimentally in the lab, or theoretically using mathematical or computer models. With strong emphasis on microbial population biology and distilling cutting-edge research into basic principles, this book will complement other currently available volumes. It will therefore serve as an essential resource for graduate students and researchers, particularly those with an interest in phage ecology and evolutionary biology.
Download or read book The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-12-30 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many potential applications of synthetic and systems biology are relevant to the challenges associated with the detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. On March 14 and 15, 2011, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to explore the current state of the science of synthetic biology, including its dependency on systems biology; discussed the different approaches that scientists are taking to engineer, or reengineer, biological systems; and discussed how the tools and approaches of synthetic and systems biology were being applied to mitigate the risks associated with emerging infectious diseases. The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology is organized into sections as a topic-by-topic distillation of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. Its purpose is to present information from relevant experience, to delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective challenges, and to offer differing perspectives on the topic as discussed and described by the workshop participants. This report also includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary.
Download or read book The Human Microbiome Diet and Health written by Food Forum and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-02-27 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Food Forum convened a public workshop on February 22-23, 2012, to explore current and emerging knowledge of the human microbiome, its role in human health, its interaction with the diet, and the translation of new research findings into tools and products that improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health: Workshop Summary summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop. Over the two day workshop, several themes covered included: The microbiome is integral to human physiology, health, and disease. The microbiome is arguably the most intimate connection that humans have with their external environment, mostly through diet. Given the emerging nature of research on the microbiome, some important methodology issues might still have to be resolved with respect to undersampling and a lack of causal and mechanistic studies. Dietary interventions intended to have an impact on host biology via their impact on the microbiome are being developed, and the market for these products is seeing tremendous success. However, the current regulatory framework poses challenges to industry interest and investment.
Download or read book Virus Discovery by Metagenomics The Im possibilities written by Bas E. Dutilh and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2017-10-25 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the late 1800s, the discovery of new viruses was a gradual process. Viruses were described one by one using a suite of techniques such as (electron) microscopy and viral culture. Investigators were usually interested in a disease state within an organism, and expeditions in viral ecology were rare. The advent of metagenomics using high-throughput sequencing has revolutionized not only the rate of virus discovery, but also the nature of the discoveries. For example, the viral ecology and etiology of many human diseases are being characterized, non-pathogenic viral commensals are ubiquitous, and the description of environmental viromes is making progress. This Frontiers in Virology Research Topic showcases how metagenomic and bioinformatic approaches have been combined to discover, classify and characterize novel viruses.
Download or read book Bacteriophages and Biofilms written by Stephen T. Abedon and published by Nova Biomedical Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteriophages (phages) are the viruses of bacteria and biofilms that represent a frequent niche for bacteria, where they are embedded in extensive extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and can be structured into complex microcolonies. As a consequence of the resulting spatial structure and heterogeneity, phage-bacterial interactions within biofilms can be more complicated than those between phages and planktonic bacteria. This book presents and discusses research which provides a better understanding of the biology of phages interacting with biofilms.
Download or read book The Prokaryotes written by Edward F. DeLong and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-03-22 with total page 662 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Prokaryotes is a comprehensive, multi-authored, peer reviewed reference work on Bacteria and Achaea. This fourth edition of The Prokaryotes is organized to cover all taxonomic diversity, using the family level to delineate chapters. Different from other resources, this new Springer product includes not only taxonomy, but also prokaryotic biology and technology of taxa in a broad context. Technological aspects highlight the usefulness of prokaryotes in processes and products, including biocontrol agents and as genetics tools. The content of the expanded fourth edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 contains review chapters dealing with the most important general concepts in molecular, applied and general prokaryote biology; Part 2 describes the known properties of specific taxonomic groups. Two completely new sections have been added to Part 1: bacterial communities and human bacteriology. The bacterial communities section reflects the growing realization that studies on pure cultures of bacteria have led to an incomplete picture of the microbial world for two fundamental reasons: the vast majority of bacteria in soil, water and associated with biological tissues are currently not culturable, and that an understanding of microbial ecology requires knowledge on how different bacterial species interact with each other in their natural environment. The new section on human microbiology deals with bacteria associated with healthy humans and bacterial pathogenesis. Each of the major human diseases caused by bacteria is reviewed, from identifying the pathogens by classical clinical and non-culturing techniques to the biochemical mechanisms of the disease process. The 4th edition of The Prokaryotes is the most complete resource on the biology of prokaryotes. The following volumes are published consecutively within the 4th Edition: Prokaryotic Biology and Symbiotic Associations Prokaryotic Communities and Ecophysiology Prokaryotic Physiology and Biochemistry Applied Bacteriology and Biotechnology Human Microbiology Actinobacteria Firmicutes Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria Gammaproteobacteria Deltaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria Other Major Lineages of Bacteria and the Archaea
Download or read book Serpin Structure and Evolution written by James Whisstock and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-11-16 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers this topic. With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers the topic of serpins With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems
Download or read book Bacteriophage written by Stephen Mc Grath and published by Caister Academic Press Limited. This book was released on 2007 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by eminent international researchers actively involved in the disparate areas of bacteriophage research this book focuses on the current rapid developments in this exciting field.
Download or read book Antibacterial Drug Discovery to Combat MDR written by Iqbal Ahmad and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-09 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book compiles the latest information in the field of antibacterial discovery, especially with regard to the looming threat of multi-drug resistance. The respective chapters highlight the discovery of new antibacterial and anti-infective compounds derived from microbes, plants, and other natural sources. The potential applications of nanotechnology to the fields of antibacterial discovery and drug delivery are also discussed, and one section of the book is dedicated to the use of computational tools and metagenomics in antibiotic drug discovery. Techniques for efficient drug delivery are also covered. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made in both antibacterial discovery and delivery, making it a valuable resource for academic researchers, as well as those working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Download or read book Studies in Viral Ecology Volume 1 written by Christon J. Hurst and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-06-20 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explains the ecology of viruses by examining their interactive dynamics with their hosting species (in this volume, in microbes and plants), including the types of transmission cycles that viruses have evolved encompassing principal and alternate hosts, vehicles, and vectoring species. Examining virology from an organismal biology approach and focusing on the concept that viral infections represent areas of overlap in the ecologies of the involved species, Viral Ecology is essential for students and professionals who either may be non-virologists or virologists whose previous familiarity has been very specialized.
Download or read book Ending the War Metaphor written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-07-09 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Infectious diseases have existed longer than us, as long as us, or are relatively newer than us. It may be the case that a disease has existed for many, many years but has only recently begun affecting humans. At the turn of the century the number of deaths caused by infections in the United States had been falling steadily but since the '80s has seen an increase. In the past 30 years alone 37 new pathogens have been identified as human disease threats and 12% of known human pathogens have been classified as either emerging or remerging. Whatever the story, there is currently a "war" on infectious diseases. This war is simply the systematic search for the microbial "cause" of each disease, followed by the development of antimicrobial therapies. The "war" on infectious diseases, however, must be revisited in order to develop a more realistic and detailed picture of the dynamic interactions among and between host organisms and their diverse populations of microbes. Only a fraction of these microbes are pathogens. Thus, in order to explore the crafting of a new metaphor for host-microbe relationships, and to consider how such a new perspective might inform and prioritize biomedical research, the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the workshop, Ending the War Metaphor: The Changing Agenda for Unraveling the Host-Microbe Relationship on March 16-17, 2005. Workshop participants examined knowledge and approaches to learning about the bacterial inhabitants of the human gut, the best known host-microbe system, as well as findings from studies of microbial communities associated with other mammals, fish, plants, soil, and insects. The perspective adopted by this workshop is one that recognizes the breadth and diversity of host-microbe relationships beyond those relative few that result in overt disease. Included in this summary are the reports and papers of individuals participating in the Forum as well as the views of the editors.
Download or read book Bacterial Biofilms written by Tony Romeo and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-26 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the biological world, bacteria thrive predominantly in surface-attached, matrix-enclosed, multicellular communities or biofilms, as opposed to isolated planktonic cells. This choice of lifestyle is not trivial, as it involves major shifts in the use of genetic information and cellular energy, and has profound consequences for bacterial physiology and survival. Growth within a biofilm can thwart immune function and antibiotic therapy and thereby complicate the treatment of infectious diseases, especially chronic and foreign device-associated infections. Modern studies of many important biofilms have advanced well beyond the descriptive stage, and have begun to provide molecular details of the structural, biochemical, and genetic processes that drive biofilm formation and its dispersion. There is much diversity in the details of biofilm development among various species, but there are also commonalities. In most species, environmental and nutritional conditions greatly influence biofilm development. Similar kinds of adhesive molecules often promote biofilm formation in diverse species. Signaling and regulatory processes that drive biofilm development are often conserved, especially among related bacteria. Knowledge of such processes holds great promise for efforts to control biofilm growth and combat biofilm-associated infections. This volume focuses on the biology of biofilms that affect human disease, although it is by no means comprehensive. It opens with chapters that provide the reader with current perspectives on biofilm development, physiology, environmental, and regulatory effects, the role of quorum sensing, and resistance/phenotypic persistence to antimicrobial agents during biofilm growth.
Download or read book The Bacteriophage and Its Behavior written by Félix D'Herelle and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 660 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Perfect Slime written by Hans-Curt Flemming and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Perfect Slime presents the latest state of knowledge and all aspects of the Extracellular Polymeric Substances, (EPS) matrix – from the ecological and health to the antifouling perspectives. The book brings together all the current material in order to expand our understanding of the functions, properties and characteristics of the matrix as well as the possibilities to strengthen or weaken it. The EPS matrix represents the immediate environment in which biofilm organisms live. From their point of view, this matrix has paramount advantages. It allows them to stay together for extended periods and form synergistic microconsortia, it retains extracellular enzymes and turns the matrix into an external digestion system and it is a universal recycling yard, it protects them against desiccation, it allows for intense communication and represents a huge genetic archive. They can remodel their matrix, break free and eventually, they can use it as a nutrient source. The EPS matrix can be considered as one of the emergent properties of biofilms and are a major reason for the success of this form of life. Nevertheless, they have been termed the “black matter of biofilms” for good reasons. First of all: the isolation methods define the results. In most cases, only water soluble EPS components are investigated; insoluble ones such as cellulose or amyloids are much less included. In particular in environmental biofilms with many species, it is difficult to impossible isolate, separate the various EPS molecules they are encased in and to define which species produced which EPS. The regulation and the factors which trigger or inhibit EPS production are still very poorly understood. Furthermore: bacteria are not the only microorganisms to produce EPS. Archaea, Fungi and algae can also form EPS. This book investigates the questions, What is their composition, function, dynamics and regulation? What do they all have in common?
Download or read book Biocommunication of Phages written by Guenther Witzany and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-06-29 with total page 499 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to systemize all levels of communicative behavior of phages. Phages represent the most diverse inhabitants on this planet. Until today they are completely underestimated in their number, skills and competences and still remain the dark matter of biology. Phages have serious effects on global energy and nutrient cycles. Phages actively compete for host. They can distinguish between ‘self’ and ‘non-self’ (complement same, preclude others). They process and evaluate available information and then modify their behaviour accordingly. These diverse competences show us that this capacity to evaluate information is possible owing to communication processes within phages (intra-organismic), between the same, related and different phage species (interorganismic), and between phages and non-phage organisms (transorganismic). This is crucial in coordinating infection strategies (lytic vs. lysogenic) and recombination in phage genomes. In 22 chapters, expert contributors review current research into the varying forms of phage biocommunication and Phagetherapy. Biocommunication of Phages aims to assess the current state of research, to orient further investigations on how phages communicate with each other to coordinate their behavioral patterns, and to inspire further investigation of the role of non-phage viruses (non-lytic, non-prokaryotic) in these highly dynamic interactional networks.
Download or read book Human Viruses Diseases Treatments and Vaccines written by Shamim I. Ahmad and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-19 with total page 745 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses current evidence on human viruses and provides an extensive coverage of newly emerged viruses and current strategies for treatment. Offering a new perspective in view of the re-emergence of Ebola in African countries and Dengue in India and Pakistan, the contents include chapters on emergence, pathogenicity, epidemiology and vaccine uptake. Human Viruses: Diseases, Treatments and Vaccines: The New Insights discusses a range of viruses from the most common such as Influenza and Hepatitis to Zika, Poliomyelitis and Chikungunya among many others. It is authored by a team of experts on viral disease and will be of immense use to virologists, public health experts and clinicians.
