This collaborative project will investigate a staphylococcal protein, the toxic shock syndrome exoprotein (TSSE) that plays a key role in the etiology of TSS. The protein will be analyzed from two points of view: (1) as a representative of a larger class of variable bacterial traits that involve accessory proteins, many of which are involved in pathogenicity and (2) as the prototype of a bacterial factor that is involved in disease but is not itself a toxin. In the first part, the structure of the variable genetic element carrying the TSSE determinant will be analyzed and the possibility that it is a transposon will be investigated. In the second part, an attempt will be made to identify domains of the protein associated with its various biological activities: reticulo-endothelial blockade; T-lymphocyte mitogenicity, pyrogenicity, immunosuppression.
| Ram, Geeta; Ross, Hope F; Novick, Richard P et al. (2018) Conversion of staphylococcal pathogenicity islands to CRISPR-carrying antibacterial agents that cure infections in mice. Nat Biotechnol 36:971-976 |
| Martínez-Rubio, Roser; Quiles-Puchalt, Nuria; Martí, Miguel et al. (2017) Phage-inducible islands in the Gram-positive cocci. ISME J 11:1029-1042 |
| Novick, Richard P; Ram, Geeta (2017) Staphylococcal pathogenicity islands-movers and shakers in the genomic firmament. Curr Opin Microbiol 38:197-204 |
| Novick, Richard P; Ram, Geeta (2016) The Floating (Pathogenicity) Island: A Genomic Dessert. Trends Genet 32:114-126 |
| Penadés, José R; Chen, John; Quiles-Puchalt, Nuria et al. (2015) Bacteriophage-mediated spread of bacterial virulence genes. Curr Opin Microbiol 23:171-8 |
| Chen, John; Carpena, Nuria; Quiles-Puchalt, Nuria et al. (2015) Intra- and inter-generic transfer of pathogenicity island-encoded virulence genes by cos phages. ISME J 9:1260-3 |
| Chen, John; Ram, Geeta; Penadés, José R et al. (2015) Pathogenicity island-directed transfer of unlinked chromosomal virulence genes. Mol Cell 57:138-49 |
| Chen, John; Ram, Geeta; Yoong, Pauline et al. (2015) An rpsL-based allelic exchange vector for Staphylococcus aureus. Plasmid 79:8-14 |
| Ram, Geeta; Chen, John; Ross, Hope F et al. (2014) Precisely modulated pathogenicity island interference with late phage gene transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111:14536-41 |
| Chen, John; Yoong, Pauline; Ram, Geeta et al. (2014) Single-copy vectors for integration at the SaPI1 attachment site for Staphylococcus aureus. Plasmid 76:1-7 |
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