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Zhu S, Alexander MK, Paiva TO, Rachwalski K, Miu A, Xu Y, Verma V, Reichelt M, Dufrêne YF, Brown ED, Cox G. The inactivation of tolC sensitizes Escherichia coli to perturbations in lipopolysaccharide transport. iScience 2024; 27:109592. [PMID: 38628966 PMCID: PMC11019271 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The Escherichia coli outer membrane channel TolC complexes with several inner membrane efflux pumps to export compounds across the cell envelope. All components of these complexes are essential for robust efflux activity, yet E. coli is more sensitive to antimicrobial compounds when tolC is inactivated compared to the inactivation of genes encoding the inner membrane drug efflux pumps. While investigating these susceptibility differences, we identified a distinct class of inhibitors targeting the core-lipopolysaccharide translocase, MsbA. We show that tolC null mutants are sensitized to structurally unrelated MsbA inhibitors and msbA knockdown, highlighting a synthetic-sick interaction. Phenotypic profiling revealed that tolC inactivation induced cell envelope softening and increased outer membrane permeability. Overall, this work identified a chemical probe of MsbA, revealed that tolC is associated with cell envelope mechanics and integrity, and highlighted that these findings should be considered when using tolC null mutants to study efflux deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawna Zhu
- College of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | | | - Telmo O. Paiva
- Institute of Life Sciences, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Kenneth Rachwalski
- Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and Degroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Anh Miu
- Genentech Inc, Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yiming Xu
- Genentech Inc, Infectious Diseases, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vishal Verma
- Genentech Inc, Discovery Chemistry, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mike Reichelt
- Genentech Inc, Pathology, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yves F. Dufrêne
- Institute of Life Sciences, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Eric D. Brown
- Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and Degroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Georgina Cox
- College of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Cho THS, Murray C, Malpica R, Margain-Quevedo R, Thede GL, Lu J, Edwards RA, Glover JNM, Raivio TL. The sensor of the bacterial histidine kinase CpxA is a novel dimer of extracytoplasmic Per-ARNT-Sim domains. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107265. [PMID: 38582452 PMCID: PMC11078701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Histidine kinases are key bacterial sensors that recognize diverse environmental stimuli. While mechanisms of phosphorylation and phosphotransfer by cytoplasmic kinase domains are relatively well-characterized, the ways in which extracytoplasmic sensor domains regulate activation remain mysterious. The Cpx envelope stress response is a conserved Gram-negative two-component system which is controlled by the sensor kinase CpxA. We report the structure of the Escherichia coli CpxA sensor domain (CpxA-SD) as a globular Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS)-like fold highly similar to that of Vibrio parahaemolyticus CpxA as determined by X-ray crystallography. Because sensor kinase dimerization is important for signaling, we used AlphaFold2 to model CpxA-SD in the context of its connected transmembrane domains, which yielded a novel dimer of PAS domains possessing a distinct dimer organization compared to previously characterized sensor domains. Gain of function cpxA∗ alleles map to the dimer interface, and mutation of other residues in this region also leads to constitutive activation. CpxA activation can be suppressed by mutations that restore inter-monomer interactions, suggesting that inhibitory interactions between CpxA-SD monomers are the major point of control for CpxA activation and signaling. Searching through hundreds of structural homologs revealed the sensor domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sensor kinase PfeS as the only PAS structure in the same novel dimer orientation as CpxA, suggesting that our dimer orientation may be utilized by other extracytoplasmic PAS domains. Overall, our findings provide insight into the diversity of the organization of PAS sensory domains and how they regulate sensor kinase activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy H S Cho
- Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Cameron Murray
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Roxana Malpica
- Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México
| | | | - Gina L Thede
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jun Lu
- Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ross A Edwards
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - J N Mark Glover
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Tracy L Raivio
- Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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Khazaal MT, Faraag AHI, El-Hendawy HH. In vitro and in silico studies of enterobactin-inspired Ciprofloxacin and Fosfomycin first generation conjugates on the antibiotic resistant E. coli OQ866153. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:95. [PMID: 38519885 PMCID: PMC10958948 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03248-x] [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: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens is a growing concern worldwide due to its impact on the treatment of bacterial infections. The "Trojan Horse" strategy has been proposed as a potential solution to overcome drug resistance caused by permeability issues. OBJECTIVE The objective of our research was to investigate the bactericidal activity and mechanism of action of the "Trojan Horse" strategy using enterobactin conjugated with Ciprofloxacin and Fosfomycin against the antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strain OQ866153. METHODOLOGY Enterobactin, a mixed ligand of E. coli OQ866153, was conjugated with Ciprofloxacin and Fosfomycin individually to aid active absorption via specific enterobactin binding proteins (FepABCDG). The effectiveness of the conjugates was assessed by measuring their bactericidal activity against E. coli OQ866153, as well as their ability to inhibit DNA gyrase enzyme and biofilm formation. RESULTS The Fe+3-enterobactin-Ciprofloxacin conjugate effectively inhibited the DNA gyrase enzyme (Docking score = -8.597 kcal/mol) and resulted in a lower concentration (25 μg/ml) required to eliminate supercoiled DNA plasmids compared to the parent drug (35 μg/ml; Docking score = -6.264 kcal/mol). The Fe+3-Enterobactin-Fosfomycin conjugate showed a higher inhibition percentage (100%) of biofilm formation compared to Fosfomycin (21.58%) at a concentration of 2 mg/ml, with docking scores of -5.481 and -3.756 kcal/mol against UDP-N acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase MurA. CONCLUSION The findings of this study suggest that the "Trojan Horse" strategy using enterobactin conjugated with Ciprofloxacin and Fosfomycin can effectively overcome permeability issues caused by efflux proteins and enhance the bactericidal activity of these drugs against antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed T Khazaal
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, HelwanCairo, 11795, Egypt
| | - Ahmed H I Faraag
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, HelwanCairo, 11795, Egypt.
- School of Biotechnology, Badr University in Cairo, Badr City, Cairo, 11829, Egypt.
| | - Hoda H El-Hendawy
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, HelwanCairo, 11795, Egypt.
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Price SL, Thibault D, Garrison TM, Brady A, Guo H, Kehl‐Fie TE, Garneau‐Tsodikova S, Perry RD, van Opijnen T, Lawrenz MB. Droplet Tn-Seq identifies the primary secretion mechanism for yersiniabactin in Yersinia pestis. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57369. [PMID: 37501563 PMCID: PMC10561177 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional immunity includes sequestration of transition metals from invading pathogens. Yersinia pestis overcomes nutritional immunity by secreting yersiniabactin to acquire iron and zinc during infection. While the mechanisms for yersiniabactin synthesis and import are well-defined, those responsible for yersiniabactin secretion are unknown. Identification of this mechanism has been difficult because conventional mutagenesis approaches are unable to inhibit trans-complementation by secreted factors between mutants. To overcome this obstacle, we utilized a technique called droplet Tn-seq (dTn-seq), which uses microfluidics to isolate individual transposon mutants in oil droplets, eliminating trans-complementation between bacteria. Using this approach, we first demonstrated the applicability of dTn-seq to identify genes with secreted functions. We then applied dTn-seq to identify an AcrAB efflux system as required for growth in metal-limited conditions. Finally, we showed this efflux system is the primary yersiniabactin secretion mechanism and required for virulence during bubonic and pneumonic plague. Together, these studies have revealed the yersiniabactin secretion mechanism that has eluded researchers for over 30 years and identified a potential therapeutic target for bacteria that use yersiniabactin for metal acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Price
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | | | - Taylor M Garrison
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Amanda Brady
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Haixun Guo
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious DiseasesUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Thomas E Kehl‐Fie
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignILUSA
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic BiologyUrbanaILUSA
| | | | - Robert D Perry
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of KentuckyLexingtonKYUSA
| | | | - Matthew B Lawrenz
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
- Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious DiseasesUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
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Cho THS, Pick K, Raivio TL. Bacterial envelope stress responses: Essential adaptors and attractive targets. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2023; 1870:119387. [PMID: 36336206 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Millions of deaths a year across the globe are linked to antimicrobial resistant infections. The need to develop new treatments and repurpose of existing antibiotics grows more pressing as the growing antimicrobial resistance pandemic advances. In this review article, we propose that envelope stress responses, the signaling pathways bacteria use to recognize and adapt to damage to the most vulnerable outer compartments of the microbial cell, are attractive targets. Envelope stress responses (ESRs) support colonization and infection by responding to a plethora of toxic envelope stresses encountered throughout the body; they have been co-opted into virulence networks where they work like global positioning systems to coordinate adhesion, invasion, microbial warfare, and biofilm formation. We highlight progress in the development of therapeutic strategies that target ESR signaling proteins and adaptive networks and posit that further characterization of the molecular mechanisms governing these essential niche adaptation machineries will be important for sparking new therapeutic approaches aimed at short-circuiting bacterial adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy H S Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Kat Pick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Tracy L Raivio
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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London LY, Aubee JI, Nurse J, Thompson KM. Post-Transcriptional Regulation of RseA by Small RNAs RyhB and FnrS in Escherichia coli. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:668613. [PMID: 34805264 PMCID: PMC8595263 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.668613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
RseA is the critical central regulator of the σE-dependent stress response in E. coli and other related bacteria. The synthesis of RseA is controlled at the transcriptional level by several promoters and transcriptional regulators, including σE itself at two σE-dependent promoters: rpoEP and rseAP3. The presence of these two independent polycistrons encoding rseA is potentially redundant. We hypothesized that post-transcriptional control of the rseAP3 transcript was necessary to overcome this redundancy. However, to date, nothing is known about the post-transcriptional control of the rseAP3 transcript. We executed a targeted genetic screen to identify small RNA regulators of the rseAP3 transcript and identified RyhB and FnrS as small RNA activators of the RseA P3 transcript. Through genetic analysis, we confirmed that a direct interaction occurs between RyhB and RseA. We also identified sequences within the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of RseA that were inhibitory for RseA expression. Point mutations predicted to prevent an interaction between RyhB and RseA resulted in increased RseA expression. Taken together, this suggests that the 5’ UTR of the RseAP3 transcript prevents optimal expression of RseA, preventing redundancy due to RseA expression from the σE-dependent rpoEP, and this is overcome by the stimulatory activity of RyhB and FnrS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laricca Y London
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL, United States
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Jalisa Nurse
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Karl M Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
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Lauxen AI, Kobauri P, Wegener M, Hansen MJ, Galenkamp NS, Maglia G, Szymanski W, Feringa BL, Kuipers OP. Mechanism of Resistance Development in E. coli against TCAT, a Trimethoprim-Based Photoswitchable Antibiotic. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14050392. [PMID: 33919397 PMCID: PMC8143356 DOI: 10.3390/ph14050392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
During the last decades, a continuous rise of multi-drug resistant pathogens has threatened antibiotic efficacy. To tackle this key challenge, novel antimicrobial therapies are needed with increased specificity for the site of infection. Photopharmacology could enable such specificity by allowing for the control of antibiotic activity with light, as exemplified by trans/cis-tetra-ortho-chloroazobenzene-trimethoprim (TCAT) conjugates. Resistance development against the on (irradiated, TCATa) and off (thermally adapted, TCATd) states of TCAT were compared to that of trimethoprim (TMP) in Escherichia coli mutant strain CS1562. Genomics and transcriptomics were used to explore the acquired resistance. Although TCAT shows TMP-like dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibition in vitro, transcriptome analyses show different responses in acquired resistance. Resistance against TCATa (on) relies on the production of exopolysaccharides and overexpression of TolC. While resistance against TCATd (off) follows a slightly different gene expression profile, both indicate hampering the entrance of the molecule into the cell. Conversely, resistance against TMP is based on alterations in cell metabolism towards a more persister-like phenotype, as well as alteration of expression levels of enzymes involved in the folate biosynthesis. This study provides a deeper understanding of the development of new therapeutic strategies and the consequences on resistance development against photopharmacological drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna I. Lauxen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Piermichele Kobauri
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (P.K.); (M.W.); (M.J.H.)
| | - Michael Wegener
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (P.K.); (M.W.); (M.J.H.)
| | - Mickel J. Hansen
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (P.K.); (M.W.); (M.J.H.)
| | - Nicole S. Galenkamp
- Groningen Biomolecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (N.S.G.); (G.M.)
| | - Giovanni Maglia
- Groningen Biomolecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (N.S.G.); (G.M.)
| | - Wiktor Szymanski
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (P.K.); (M.W.); (M.J.H.)
- Medical Imaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence: (W.S.); (B.L.F.); (O.P.K.)
| | - Ben L. Feringa
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; (P.K.); (M.W.); (M.J.H.)
- Correspondence: (W.S.); (B.L.F.); (O.P.K.)
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence: (W.S.); (B.L.F.); (O.P.K.)
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Teelucksingh T, Thompson LK, Cox G. The Evolutionary Conservation of Escherichia coli Drug Efflux Pumps Supports Physiological Functions. J Bacteriol 2020; 202:e00367-20. [PMID: 32839176 PMCID: PMC7585057 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00367-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria harness an impressive repertoire of resistance mechanisms to evade the inhibitory action of antibiotics. One such mechanism involves efflux pump-mediated extrusion of drugs from the bacterial cell, which significantly contributes to multidrug resistance. Intriguingly, most drug efflux pumps are chromosomally encoded components of the intrinsic antibiotic resistome. In addition, in terms of xenobiotic detoxification, bacterial efflux systems often exhibit significant levels of functional redundancy. Efflux pumps are also considered to be highly conserved; however, the extent of conservation in many bacterial species has not been reported and the majority of genes that encode efflux pumps appear to be dispensable for growth. These observations, in combination with an increasing body of experimental evidence, imply alternative roles in bacterial physiology. Indeed, the ability of efflux pumps to facilitate antibiotic resistance could be a fortuitous by-product of ancient physiological functions. Using Escherichia coli as a model organism, we here evaluated the evolutionary conservation of drug efflux pumps and we provide phylogenetic analysis of the major efflux families. We show the E. coli drug efflux system has remained relatively stable and the majority (∼80%) of pumps are encoded in the core genome. This analysis further supports the importance of drug efflux pumps in E. coli physiology. In this review, we also provide an update on the roles of drug efflux pumps in the detoxification of endogenously synthesized substrates and pH homeostasis. Overall, gaining insight into drug efflux pump conservation, common evolutionary ancestors, and physiological functions could enable strategies to combat these intrinsic and ancient elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanisha Teelucksingh
- College of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura K Thompson
- College of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Georgina Cox
- College of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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