Publications

the descriptive epidemiology of yersiniosis: a multistate study, 2005-2011.	yersiniosis, a foodborne infection of zoonotic origin caused by the bacteria yersinia enterocolitica and yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is a reportable disease in 38 states. both sporadic and foodborne outbreaks of yersiniosis have been reported in the u.s., with annual occurrence of an estimated 98,000 episodes of illness, 533 hospitalizations, and 29 deaths. we analyzed surveillance data from nine non-foodnet-participating u.s. states during the period 2005-2011 to describe the epidemiology of t ...	2017	25931631
a starvation-induced regulator, rovm, acts as a switch for planktonic/biofilm state transition in yersinia pseudotuberculosis.	the transition between the planktonic state and the biofilm-associated state is a key developmental decision for pathogenic bacteria. biofilm formation by yersinia pestis is regulated by hmshfrs genes (β-1, 6-n-acetyl-d-glucosamine synthesis operon) in its flea vector and in vitro. however, the mechanism of biofilm formation in yersinia pseudotuberculosis remains elusive. in this study, we demonstrate that the lysr-type regulator rovm inversely regulates biofilm formation and motility in y. pseu ...	2017	28377623
oral vaccination against plague using yersinia pseudotuberculosis.	yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is among the deadliest bacterial pathogens affecting humans, and is a potential biological weapon. because antibiotic resistant strains of yersinia pestis have been observed or could be engineered for evil use, vaccination against plague might become the only means to reduce mortality. although plague is re-emerging in many countries, a vaccine with worldwide license is currently lacking. the vaccine strategy described here is based on an oral vaccination wi ...	2017	27046452
piericidin a1 blocks yersinia ysc type iii secretion system needle assembly.	the type iii secretion system (t3ss) is a bacterial virulence factor expressed by dozens of gram-negative pathogens but largely absent from commensals. the t3ss is an attractive target for antimicrobial agents that may disarm pathogenic bacteria while leaving commensal populations intact. we previously identified piericidin a1 as an inhibitor of the ysc t3ss in yersinia pseudotuberculosis. piericidins were first discovered as inhibitors of complex i of the electron transport chain in mitochondri ...	2017	28217742
bacterial internalization is required to trigger nik-dependent nf-κb activation in response to the bacterial type three secretion system.	infection of human cells with yersinia pseudotuberculosis expressing a functional type iii secretion system (t3ss) leads to activation of host nf-κb. we show that the yersinia t3ss activates distinct nf-κb pathways dependent upon bacterial subcellular localization. we found that wildtype yersinia able to remain extracellular triggered nf-κb activation independently of the non-canonical nf-κb kinase nik in hek293t cells. in contrast, yersinia lacking the actin-targeting effectors yopeho, which be ...	2017	28166267
genomic insights into a sustained national outbreak of yersinia pseudotuberculosis.	in 2014, a sustained outbreak of yersiniosis due to yersinia pseudotuberculosis occurred across all major cities in new zealand (nz), with a total of 220 laboratory-confirmed cases, representing one of the largest ever reported outbreaks of y. pseudotuberculosis here, we performed whole genome sequencing of outbreak-associated isolates to produce the largest population analysis to date of y. pseudotuberculosis, giving us unprecedented capacity to understand the emergence and evolution of the out ...	2017	28069829
yersinia spp. in wild rodents and shrews in finland.	yersinia enterocolitica and yersinia pseudotuberculosis are important zoonotic bacteria causing human enteric yersiniosis commonly reported in europe. all y. pseudotuberculosis strains are considered pathogenic, while y. enterocolitica include both pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains which can be divided into six biotypes (1a, 1b, and 2-5) and about 30 serotypes. the most common types causing yersiniosis in europe are y. enterocolitica bioserotypes 4/o:3 and 2/o:9. strains belonging to biotype ...	2017	28332937
hmus from yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a non-canonical heme-degrading enzyme to acquire iron from heme.	some gram-negative pathogens import host heme into the cytoplasm and utilize it as an iron source for their survival. we report here that hmus, encoded by the heme utilizing system (hmu) locus, cleaves the protoporphyrin ring to release iron from heme. a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the degradation products of this reaction are two biliverdin isomers that result from transformation of a verdoheme intermediate. this oxidative heme degradation by hmus required mol ...	2017	28385652
yersinia pseudotuberculosis supports th17 differentiation and limits de novo regulatory t cell induction by directly interfering with t cell receptor signaling.	adaptive immunity critically contributes to control acute infection with enteropathogenic yersinia pseudotuberculosis; however, the role of cd4(+) t cell subsets in establishing infection and allowing pathogen persistence remains elusive. here, we assessed the modulatory capacity of y. pseudotuberculosis on cd4(+) t cell differentiation. using in vivo assays, we report that infection with y. pseudotuberculosis resulted in enhanced priming of il-17-producing t cells (th17 cells), whereas inductio ...	2017	28378044
genetics and evolution of yersinia pseudotuberculosis o-specific polysaccharides: a novel pattern of o-antigen diversity.	o-antigen polysaccharide is a major immunogenic feature of the lipopolysaccharide of gram-negative bacteria, and most species produce a large variety of forms that differ substantially from one another. there are 18 known o-antigen forms in the yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex, which are typical in being composed of multiple copies of a short oligosaccharide called an o unit. the o-antigen gene clusters are located between the hemh and gsk genes, and are atypical as 15 of them are closely rel ...	2017	28364730
ccr7 deficiency modulates t cell response and increases susceptibility to yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection.	to successfully limit pathogen dissemination an immunological link between the entry tissue of the pathogen and the underlying secondary lymphoid organs (slo) needs to be established to prime adaptive immune responses. here, the prerequisite of ccr7 to mount host immune responses within slos during gastrointestinal yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection to limit pathogen spread was investigated.	2017	28329174
zntr positively regulates t6ss4 expression in yersinia pseudotuberculosis.	the type vi secretion system (t6ss) is a widespread and versatile protein secretion system found in most gramnegative bacteria. studies of t6ss have mainly focused on its role in virulence toward host cells and inter-bacterial interactions, but studies have also shown that t6ss4 in yersinia pseudotuberculosis participates in the acquisition of zinc ions to alleviate the accumulation of hydroxyl radicals induced by multiple stressors. here, by comparing the gene expression patterns of wild-type a ...	2017	28281200
flagellin-mediated protection against intestinal yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection does not require interleukin-22.	signaling through toll-like receptors (tlrs), the main receptors in innate immunity, is essential for the defense of mucosal surfaces. it was previously shown that systemic tlr5 stimulation by bacterial flagellin induces an immediate, transient interleukin-22 (il-22)-dependent antimicrobial response to bacterial or viral infections of the mucosa. this process was dependent on the activation of type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ilcs). the objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of f ...	2017	27872237
a study on the efficacy of the recombinant yersinia adhesin a vaccine against yersiniosis in the early phase.	yersinia pseudotuberculosis (y. ptb) is a zoonotic pathogenic bacterial species of the family enterobacteriaceae and causes yersiniosis, an acute intestinal infection in humans and animals. y. ptb is often implicated in lethal epidemics in zoo animals and reductions in the breeding population, but a valid prevention method has not been established. therefore, this study aimed to develop a vaccine for yersiniosis control. the immunogenicity of one of the adhesion factors involved in pathogenic me ...	2017	28320976
structure of the y. pseudotuberculosis adhesin invasine.	enteropathogenic yersinia expresses several invasins that are fundamental virulence factors required for adherence and colonization of tissues in the host. within the invasin-family of yersinia adhesins, to date only invasin has been extensively studied at both structural and functional levels. in this work, we structurally characterize the recently identified inverse autotransporter invasine from yersinia pseudotuberculosis (formerly invasind from yersinia pseudotuberculosis strain ip31758) tha ...	2017	28370712