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Zhang Y, Zhang J, Xiao J, Wang H, Yang R, Guo X, Zheng Y, Yin Y, Zhang X. comCDE (Competence) Operon Is Regulated by CcpA in Streptococcus pneumoniae D39. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0001223. [PMID: 37036382 PMCID: PMC10269683 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00012-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural transformation plays an important role in the formation of drug-resistant bacteria. Exploring the regulatory mechanism of natural transformation can aid the discovery of new antibacterial targets and reduce the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Competence is a prerequisite of natural transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae, in which comCDE operon is the core regulator of competence. To date, only ComE has been shown to directly regulate comCDE transcription. In this study, a transcriptional regulator, the catabolite control protein A (CcpA), was identified that directly regulated comCDE transcription. We confirmed that CcpA binds to the cis-acting catabolite response elements (cre) in the comCDE promoter region to regulate comCDE transcription and transformation. Moreover, CcpA can coregulate comCDE transcription with phosphorylated and dephosphorylated ComE. Regulation of comCDE transcription and transformation by CcpA was also affected by carbon source signals. Together, these insights demonstrate the versatility of CcpA and provide a theoretical basis for reducing the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of bacterial infections in humans, such as pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, otitis media, and sinusitis. Like most streptococci, S. pneumoniae is naturally competent and employs this ability to augment its adaptive evolution. The current study illustrates CcpA, a carbon catabolite regulator, can participate in the competence process by regulating comCDE transcription, and this process is regulated by different carbon source signals. These hidden abilities are likely critical for adaptation and colonization in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yapeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | | | - Jiangming Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hanyi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Rui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xinlin Guo
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuqiang Zheng
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yibing Yin
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Tang J, Guo M, Chen M, Xu B, Ran T, Wang W, Ma Z, Lin H, Fan H. A link between STK signalling and capsular polysaccharide synthesis in Streptococcus suis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2480. [PMID: 37120581 PMCID: PMC10148854 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38210-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthesis of capsular polysaccharide (CPS), an important virulence factor of pathogenic bacteria, is modulated by the CpsBCD phosphoregulatory system in Streptococcus. Serine/threonine kinases (STKs, e.g. Stk1) can also regulate CPS synthesis, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identify a protein (CcpS) that is phosphorylated by Stk1 and modulates the activity of phosphatase CpsB in Streptococcus suis, thus linking Stk1 to CPS synthesis. The crystal structure of CcpS shows an intrinsically disordered region at its N-terminus, including two threonine residues that are phosphorylated by Stk1. The activity of phosphatase CpsB is inhibited when bound to non-phosphorylated CcpS. Thus, CcpS modulates the activity of phosphatase CpsB thereby altering CpsD phosphorylation, which in turn modulates the expression of the Wzx-Wzy pathway and thus CPS production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsheng Tang
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Mengru Guo
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Min Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Bin Xu
- National Research Center of Veterinary Biologicals Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Tingting Ran
- Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Weiwu Wang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhe Ma
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Jiangsu Coinnovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Huixing Lin
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Jiangsu Coinnovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Hongjie Fan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
- Jiangsu Coinnovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
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Sun Y, Guo S, Yang J, Li Y, Sun Z, Kwok LY, Sun T, Liu W, Liu W. The Space Environment Activates Capsular Polysaccharide Production in Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Probio-M9 by Mutating the wze ( ywqD) Gene. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0467722. [PMID: 36861974 PMCID: PMC10101077 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04677-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of microorganisms in outer space has focused mainly on investigating phenotypic changes in microbial pathogens induced by factors encountered in space. This study aimed to investigate the effect of space exposure on a probiotic bacterium, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Probio-M9. Probio-M9 cells were exposed to space in a spaceflight. Interestingly, our results showed that a substantial proportion of space-exposed mutants (35/100) exhibited a ropy phenotype, characterized by their larger colony sizes and an acquired ability to produce capsular polysaccharide (CPS), compared with the original Probio-M9 or the ground control isolates without space exposure. Whole-genome sequencing analyses on both the Illumina and PacBio platforms revealed a skewed distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (12/89 [13.5%]) toward the CPS gene cluster, particularly in the wze (ywqD) gene. The wze gene encodes a putative tyrosine-protein kinase that regulates CPS expression through substrate phosphorylation. Transcriptomics analysis of two space-exposed ropy mutants revealed increased expression in the wze gene relative to a ground control isolate. Finally, we showed that the acquired ropy phenotype (CPS-producing ability) and space-induced genomic changes could be stably inherited. Our findings confirmed that the wze gene directly influences the capacity for CPS production in Probio-M9, and space mutagenesis is a potential strategy for inducing stable physiological changes in probiotics. IMPORTANCE This work investigated the effect of space exposure on a probiotic bacterium, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Probio-M9. Interestingly, the space-exposed bacteria became capable of producing capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Some probiotic-derived CPSs have nutraceutical potential and bioactive properties. They also enhance the survival of probiotics through the gastrointestinal transit and ultimately strengthen the probiotic effects. Space mutagenesis seems to be a promising strategy for inducing stable changes in probiotics, and the obtained high-CPS-yielding mutants are valuable resources for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Sun
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuai Guo
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jingfang Yang
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingmeng Li
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Research and Development Department, Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanchang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhihong Sun
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lai-Yu Kwok
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tiansong Sun
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenjun Liu
- Research and Development Department, Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanchang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenjun Liu
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China
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Xiao S, Suo W, Zhang J, Zhang X, Yin Y, Guo X, Zheng Y. Mga Spn is a negative regulator of capsule and phosphorylcholine biosynthesis and influences the virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39. Virulence 2021; 12:2366-2381. [PMID: 34506260 PMCID: PMC8437459 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1972539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Global transcriptional regulators are prevalent in gram-positive pathogens. The transcriptional regulators of the Mga/AtxA family regulate target gene expression by directly binding to the promoter regions, that results in the coordinated expression of virulence factors. The spd_1587 gene of Streptococcus pneumoniae strain D39 encodes MgaSpn, which shares sequence similarity with global transcriptional regulators of the Mga/AtxA family. In this study, we demonstrated that MgaSpn regulates the biosynthesis of the capsule and phosphorylcholine, which play key roles in disease severity in S. pneumoniae infections. MgaSpn directly binds to the cps and lic1 promoters and affects the biosynthesis of the capsule and phosphorylcholine. MgaSpn binds to two specific sites on the promoter of cps, one of which contains the −35 box of the promoter, with high affinity. Consistently, low-molecular-weight capsule components were observed in the mgaSpn-null mutant strain. Moreover, we found that phosphorylcholine content was notably increased in the unencapsulated mgaSpn mutant strain. The mgaSpn null mutant caused more severe systemic disease than the parental strain D39. These findings indicate that the pneumococcal MgaSpn protein can inhibit capsule and phosphorylcholine production, thereby affecting the virulence of S. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengnan Xiao
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Weicai Suo
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yibing Yin
- Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinlin Guo
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuqiang Zheng
- Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
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5
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Ghosh P, Shah M, Ravichandran S, Park SS, Iqbal H, Choi S, Kim KK, Rhee DK. Pneumococcal VncR Strain-Specifically Regulates Capsule Polysaccharide Synthesis. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2279. [PMID: 31632380 PMCID: PMC6781885 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Capsular polysaccharides (CPS), a major virulence factor in Streptococcus pneumoniae, become thicker during blood invasion while not during asymptomatic nasopharyngeal colonization. However, the underlying mechanism controlling this differential pneumococcal CPS regulation remain unclear. Here, we show how VncR, the response regulator of the vancomycin resistance locus (vncRS operon), regulates CPS expression in vncR mutants in three serotype (type 2, 3, and 6B) backgrounds upon exposure to serum lactoferrin (LF). Comparative analysis of CPS levels in the wild type (WT) of three strains and their isogenic vncR mutants after LF exposure revealed a strain-specific alteration in CPS production. Consistently, VncR-mediated strain-specific CPS production is correlated with pneumococcal virulence, in vivo. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assay and co-immunoprecipitation revealed an interaction between VncR and the cps promoter (cpsp) in the presence of serum. In addition, in silico analysis uncovered this protein-DNA interaction, suggesting that VncR binds with the cpsp, and recognizes the strain-specific significance of the tandem repeats in cpsp. Taken together, the interaction of VncR and cpsp after serum exposure plays an essential role in regulating differential strain-specific CPS production, which subsequently determines strain-specific systemic virulence. This study highlights how host protein LF contributes to pneumococcal VncR-mediated CPS production. As CPS plays a significant role in immune evasion, these findings suggest that drugs designed to interrupt the VncR-mediated CPS production could help to combat pneumococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masaud Shah
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Subramaniyam Ravichandran
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sang-Sang Park
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Hamid Iqbal
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sangdun Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Dong Kwon Rhee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
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Ayoola MB, Shack LA, Nakamya MF, Thornton JA, Swiatlo E, Nanduri B. Polyamine Synthesis Effects Capsule Expression by Reduction of Precursors in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1996. [PMID: 31555234 PMCID: PMC6727871 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus, Spn) colonizes the human nasopharynx asymptomatically but can cause infections such as otitis media, and invasive pneumococcal disease such as community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. Although the success of Spn as a pathogen can be attributed to its ability to synthesize and regulate capsular polysaccharide (CPS) for survival in the host, the mechanisms of CPS regulation are not well-described. Recent studies from our lab demonstrate that deletion of a putative polyamine biosynthesis gene (ΔcadA) in Spn TIGR4 results in the loss of the capsule. In this study, we characterized the transcriptome and metabolome of ΔcadA and identified specific mechanisms that could explain the regulatory role of polyamines in pneumococcal CPS biosynthesis. Our data indicate that impaired polyamine synthesis impacts galactose to glucose interconversion via the Leloir pathway which limits the availability of UDP-galactose, a precursor of serotype 4 CPS, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), a nucleotide sugar precursor that is at the intersection of CPS and peptidoglycan repeat unit biosynthesis. Reduced carbon flux through glycolysis, coupled with altered fate of glycolytic intermediates further supports impaired synthesis of UDP-GlcNAc. A significant increase in the expression of transketolases indicates a potential shift in carbon flow toward the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Higher PPP activity could constitute oxidative stress responses in ΔcadA which warrants further investigation. The results from this study clearly demonstrate the potential of polyamine synthesis, targeted for cancer therapy in human medicine, for the development of novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for treating bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses B Ayoola
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
| | - Leslie A Shack
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
| | - Mary F Nakamya
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
| | - Justin A Thornton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
| | - Edwin Swiatlo
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Bindu Nanduri
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States.,Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
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