Streptococcus oralis is an early colonizer of dental plaque or oral biofilm that can damage our tooth enamel and gums, and cause dental caries (tooth decay). This opportunistic pathogen is often implicated in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis. The adhesin present at the tip of pili (or fimbriae), the hair-like surface appendages on the early-colonizer bacteria, […]

The high-resolution crystal structure of DC25, a 2S albumin protein from Dolichos, at 1.28 Å resolution is reported. The protein has β-propeller structure with a central channel containing only water molecules while the proteins having similar folds have ions along with water or ions only. The four conserved water molecules were found between the blades […]

Uncontrolled inflammation in the gut is one of the major cause for development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic form of autoimmune disorder. Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are the two common forms of IBD involving intestinal distress with varied manifestations resulting in severely compromised patient lifestyles. More importantly in the recent […]

Powdery mildew is a serious fungal disease of legumes. A research article published in Genomics by Dr. Chandran’s group provides novel insights into powdery mildew pathogenesis and host resistance mechanisms.  Dual RNA-Seq was used to simultaneously capture host and pathogen transcriptomes at 1 d post-inoculation of resistant and susceptible Medicago truncatula genotypes with the powdery […]

 Drosophila melanogaster larval development is characterized by considerable growth and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is crucial for this process because it helps to maintain redox balance within cells by regenerating NAD+ from NADH.  As part of Dr. Jason Tennessen’s team at Indiana University, Dr. Geetanjali Chawla participated in a study that highlight’s the metabolic flexibility of Drosophila larval […]