Featured Pathways
Like many bacteria, yeast species can form biofilms on several surfaces. C. albicans (Candida albicans) colonizes in the surfaces of catheters, prostheses, and epithelia, forming biofilms that are extremely resistant to anti-fungal drugs. The protein Gcn4 (Transcriptional Activator Gcn4), a regulator of amino acid metabolism, is required for normal biofilm growth. The[..]
Y. pestis (Yersinia pestis) strand KIM belongs to biovar Mediaevalis. Y. pestis is actually catagorized into three subtypes or biovars; Antiqua, Medievalis, and Orientalis, each associated with a major pandemic and it is believed that Y. pestis is a clone that evolved from Y. pseudotuberculosis (Yersinia pseudotuberculosis) about 1.5 to 20[..]
S. cerevisiae (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are single-celled fungi which multiply by budding or in some cases by division (fission). Yeast fermentations comprise the oldest and largest application of microbial technology. Yeast physiology can be either obligately aerobic or facultatively fermentative. There is no known obligately anaerobic yeast. In pharmacy and chemistry, a[..]
Y. pestis (Yersinia pestis) is rod shaped, Gram-negative, and non-motile but has two distinct flagellar gene clusters; one set is incomplete and the other produces a truncated protein, which acts as a transcriptional activator for the flagellar genes. Y. pestis, a Group-A bioterrorism agent, causes Plague, a re-emerging zoonotic disease transmitted to humans through[..]
The metabolism of Glycine, Serine and Threonine is essential for the unicellular eukaryote S. pombe (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), as it uses L-Serine or L-Threonine as sole nitrogen source for its survival. During the metabolism of these amino acids, L-Threonine is generally synthesized from Pyruvate and L-Aspartate. The enzyme Threonine Ammonia Lyase/Threonine Dehydratase[..]
The genus Yersinia is known to include eleven species, three of which are potentially pathogenic to humans; Y. pestis (Yersinia pestis), Y. pseudotuberculosis (Yersinia pseudotuberculosis), and Y. enterocolitica (Yersinia enterocolitica). Y. pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-negative Coccobacillus belonging to the family[..]
The hair follicle is a three-dimensional tube, composed mainly of epithelial cells that protrude down through the epidermis and dermis of the skin, enveloping at its base the mesenchyme-derived dermal papilla. These hair follicle acts as a sensory organ and immunologic sentinel for the skin. Hairs detect mechanical stimuli above the surface of the skin, and the slightest bend in a hair activates[..]
Hepatitis-C Virus (HCV) belongs to the Flaviviridae family and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease globally. It is estimated to infect about 170 million people around the world (WHO, 1997). Chronic HCV infection frequently leads to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and is associated with the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Acute infection occurs in only a few patients. In most[..]
The CD1 (Thymocyte Antigen CD1) antigen presentation system presents lipid and glycolipid antigens to effector T-Cells, which have diverse roles in Antimicrobial responses, Antitumor immunity and in regulating the balance between Tolerance and Autoimmunity. CD1, a conserved family of MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex)-like glycoproteins in mammals, specializes in capturing lipid rather[..]
Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease, the prevalence of which has increased steadily as the population ages. Vascular injury is believed to be critical initiating event in pathogenesis of spontaneous atherosclerosis. Economic development and urbanization have promoted habits of diet rich in saturated fat and diminished physical activity, which favors atherosclerosis. Traditionally two types of[..]
B. melitensis (Brucella melitensis) is a Gram-negative, aerobic, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortion in goats and sheep and Malta fever in humans. Species in the genus Brucella are the etiological agents of Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease endemic in many areas of the world, characterized by chronic infections in animals leading to[..]