This volume details protocols that cover the broad arsenal of techniques used to study a secretion system from A to Z. Chapters focus on identifying and localizing the different subunits, defining interactions within subunits, monitoring conformational changes, purifying and imaging of large complexes, defining the assembly pathway by fluorescence microscopy and the role of energy during assembly and/or secretion, identifying secreted effectors as well as reporters to follow effector transport. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Bacterial Protein Secretion Systems: Methods and Protocol aims to provide techniques that are not restricted to the study of secretion systems but are also of specific interest for any researcher interested on multi-protein complexes of the bacterial cell envelope.

Protein transport into and across membranes is a fundamental process in bacteria that touches upon and unites many areas of microbiology, including bacterial cell physiology, adhesion and motility, nutrient scavenging, intrabacterial signaling and social behavior, toxin deployment, interbacterial antagonism and collaboration, host invasion and disruption, and immune evasion. A broad repertoire of mechanisms and macromolecular machines are required to deliver protein substrates across bacterial cell membranes for intended effects. Some machines are common to most, if not all bacteria, whereas others are specific to Gram-negative or Gram-positive species or species with unique cell envelope properties such as members of Actinobacteria and Spirochetes. Protein Secretion in Bacteria, authored and edited by an international team of experts, draws together the many distinct functions and mechanisms involved in protein translocation in one concise tome. This comprehensive book presents updated information on all aspects of bacterial protein secretion encompassing: Individual secretory systems–Sec, Tat, and T1SS through the newly discovered T9SS Mechanisms, structures, and functions of bacterial secretion systems Lipoprotein sorting pathways, outer membrane vesicles, and the sortase system Structures and roles of surface organelles, including flagella, pili, and curli Emerging technologies and translational implications Protein Secretion in Bacteria serves as both an introductory guide for students and postdocs and a ready reference for seasoned researchers whose work touches on protein export and secretion. This volume synthesizes the diversity of mechanisms of bacterial secretion across the microbial world into a digestible resource to stimulate new research, inspire continued identification and characterization of novel systems, and bring about new ways to manipulate these systems for biotechnological, preventative, and therapeutic applications.

ABC Proteins is an in-depth, up-to-date analysis of all that is known about the subject to date. It discusses and compares evolution, biology and mechanism of action of all known ABC proteins, including the first structural studies as well as clinical implications. It will be useful to anyone trying to stay abreast of the latest findings. This book is sure to become a classic and will regularly be updated. - Phylogeny and Evoloution of ABC Transporters - Fundamental Aspects of the Mechanism of Action of ABC Transporters - Prokaryote ABC Transporters - Non-Mammalian Transporters - Multidrug Transporters - ABC Transporters, Physiological Roles and Human Disease - Full color throughout

A comprehensive compendium of scholarly contributions relating to bacterial virulence gene regulation. • Provides insights into global control and the switch between distinct infectious states (e.g., acute vs. chronic). • Considers key issues about the mechanisms of gene regulation relating to: surface factors, exported toxins and export mechanisms. • Reflects on how the regulation of intracellular lifestyles and the response to stress can ultimately have an impact on the outcome of an infection. • Highlights and examines some emerging regulatory mechanisms of special significance. • Serves as an ideal compendium of valuable topics for students, researchers and faculty with interests in how the mechanisms of gene regulation ultimately affect the outcome of an array of bacterial infectious diseases.

Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are highly versatile membrane-associated transporter machines used by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to deliver substrate molecules to a large variety of target cells. This volume summarizes our current knowledge of the large variety and structural diversity of T4SSs in pathogenic Escherichia, Agrobacterium, Legionella, Coxiella, Bartonella, Helicobacter, Enterococcus and other species. Divided into 13 chapters contributed by leading experts, it presents findings that significantly enhance our understanding of how various pathogens manipulate host cell functions to trigger bacterial uptake, promote intracellular growth, suppress defense mechanisms and of how bacteria spread antibiotic resistances, thus facilitating bacterial colonization and disease development. The book is an invaluable source of information for researchers and clinicians.

This textbook introduces in an engaging way the fundamentals of how pathogenic bacteria interact with, and are virulent within, the human host. To inspire and educate the next generation of microbe hunters, the author, Microbiologist and Scientist Anthony William Maresso, integrates the major findings of the field into a single, easy-to-understand volume emphasizing a molecular appreciation of the concepts underlying bacterial infectious diseases. The work explores such themes as the history of Microbiology, bacterial structure and physiology, bacterial toxins, secretion systems, and adhesins, the host immune system and its battle with bacteria, biofilms, sepsis, and technologies/techniques to the present day. Fully illustrated in concept and packed with idea-provoking challenges highlighting “out-of-the-box” thinking, the work moves beyond being just a review of the scientific literature intent on equipping the next generation of Microbiologists and their teachers with the knowledge to confront, and hopefully one day defeat, the insidious microbes which undermine human health. This textbook is a resource for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as other health-oriented learners, postdoctoral scholars, basic scientists, and professors intent on expanding their knowledge of bacterial infection and virulence mechanisms.