The intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can breach protective barriers in the pregnant host, allowing the colonization of the placenta in pregnant people and resulting in numerous adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies aimed at delineating the mechanisms behind placental colonization of L. monocytogenes identified a key virulence factor, internalin P (InlP). The internalin family of proteins has been studied extensively due to their conservation in the genus Listeria and their contribution to virulence and pathogenicity in L. monocytogenes. Still, many questions remain regarding the evolution of internalins and their potential roles in non-pathogenic Listeria. Our work addresses this gap in knowledge by (1) identifying additional InlP homologs in Listeria, including L. ivanovii, L. seeligeri, L. innocua, and L. costaricensis, and (2) characterizing these homologs using computational evolutionary methods to compare their primary sequences, domain architectures, and structural models. Together, our findings contribute to the field by providing insights into the evolution of one key member of the internalin family, as well as serving as a catalyst for future studies of InlP and its role in Listeria pathogenesis.
Studying proteins through the lens of evolution can reveal conserved features, lineage-specific variants, and their potential functions. MolEvolvR (https://jravilab.org/molevolvr) is a novel web-app enabling researchers to visualize the molecular …
The basis of several recent methods for drug repurposing is the key principle that an efficacious drug will reverse the disease molecular 'signature' with minimal side effects. This principle was defined and popularized by the influential …
Studying how bacterial pathogenic proteins evolve can help identify lineage-specific and pathogen-specific signatures and variants, and consequently, their functions. We have developed a streamlined computational approach for characterizing the …
Molecular evolution and phylogeny can provide key insights into pathogenic protein families. Studying how these proteins evolve across bacterial lineages can help identify lineage-specific and pathogen-specific signatures and variants, and …
Background: Studying bacterial physiology, adaptation, and pathogenicity through the lens of evolution requires delineating the phylogenetic history of bacterial proteins and genomes. Moreover, delineating this history of proteins is best done at all …
We will discuss the alpha version of their new easy-to-use interactive webapp: MolEvolvR, for characterizing proteins using molecular evolution and phylogeny. We will begin by demonstrating the power of MolEvolvR using the panbacterial stress response system, PSP (phage shock protein), as an example. Then, we will anyone can use this app to study their protein(s) of interest.
PSP app: jravilab.shinyapps.io/psp-evolution (bioRxiv 2020)
MolEvolvR app: jravilab.org/molevolvr (currently, alpha-version)