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Melanie Blokesch

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Related publications (63)

An intracellular replication niche for Vibrio cholerae in the amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii

Melanie Blokesch, Charles Ulric V Van der Henst, Tiziana Scrignari, Catherine Maclachlan

Vibrio cholerae is a human pathogen and the causative agent of cholera. The persistence of this bacterium in aquatic environments is a key epidemiological concern, as cholera is transmitted through contaminated water. Predatory protists, such as amoebae, a ...

Nature Publishing Group2015

The emergence of Vibrio pathogens in Europe: ecology, evolution, and pathogenesis (Paris, 11–12th March 2015)

Melanie Blokesch, Frédérique Marie Jeanne Le Roux

Global change has caused a worldwide increase in reports of Vibrio-associated diseases with ecosystem-wide impacts on humans and marine animals. In Europe, higher prevalence of human infections followed regional climatic trends with outbreaks occurring dur ...

Frontiers Media SA2015

The type VI secretion system of Vibrio cholerae fosters horizontal gene transfer

Melanie Blokesch, Tiziana Scrignari, Lisa Christina Metzger

Natural competence for transformation is a common mode of horizontal gene transfer and contributes to bacterial evolution. Transformation occurs through the uptake of external DNA and its integration into the genome. Here, we show that the type VI secretio ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science2015

Composition of the DNA-uptake complex of Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch, Lisa Christina Metzger

Natural competence for transformation is a developmental program that allows certain bacteria to take up free extracellular DNA from the environment and integrate this DNA into their genome. Thereby, natural transformation acts as mode of horizontal gene t ...

2014

ComEA Is Essential for the Transfer of External DNA into the Periplasm in Naturally Transformable Vibrio cholerae Cells

Aleksandra Radenovic, Matteo Dal Peraro, Melanie Blokesch, Patrick Martin Seitz, Hasan Pezeshgi Modarres, Lorenz Jan Steinbock, Roman Bulushev

The DNA uptake of naturally competent bacteria has been attributed to the action of DNA uptake machineries resembling type IV pilus complexes. However, the protein(s) for pulling the DNA across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria remain speculativ ...

Public Library Science2014

Probing the size of proteins with glass nanopores

Aleksandra Radenovic, Lely Feletti, Melanie Blokesch, Lorenz Jan Steinbock, Roman Bulushev, Swati Krishnan

Single molecule studies using nanopores have gained attention due to the ability to sense single molecules in aqueous solution without the need to label them. In this study, short DNA molecules and proteins were detected with glass nanopores, whose sensiti ...

Royal Soc Chemistry2014

DNA Transport across the Outer and Inner Membranes of Naturally Transformable Vibrio cholerae Is Spatially but Not Temporally Coupled

Melanie Blokesch, Patrick Martin Seitz

The physiological state of natural competence for transformation allows certain bacteria to take up free DNA from the environment and to recombine such newly acquired DNA into their chromosomes. However, even though conserved components that are required t ...

American Society for Microbiology2014

Regulatory elements involved in the expression of competence genes in naturally transformable Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch, Mirella Lo Scrudato

BackgroundThe human pathogen Vibrio cholerae normally enters the developmental program of natural competence for transformation after colonizing chitinous surfaces. Natural competence is regulated by at least three pathways in this organism: chitin sensing ...

BioMed Central2014

Glucose- but Not Rice-Based Oral Rehydration Therapy Enhances the Production of Virulence Determinants in the Human Pathogen Vibrio cholerae

Flavio Finger, Andrea Rinaldo, Enrico Bertuzzo, Melanie Blokesch, Marino Gatto, Juliane Kühn

Despite major attempts to prevent cholera transmission, millions of people worldwide still must address this devastating disease. Cholera research has so far mainly focused on the causative agent, the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, or on disease treatment, but ...

2014

DNA-uptake machinery of naturally competent Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch, Patrick Martin Seitz

Natural competence for transformation is a mode of horizontal gene transfer that is commonly used by bacteria to take up DNA from their environment. As part of this developmental program, so-called competence genes, which encode the components of a DNA-upt ...

National Academy of Sciences2013

Overexpression of the tcp Gene Cluster Using the T7 RNA Polymerase/Promoter System and Natural Transformation-Mediated Genetic Engineering of Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch

The human pathogen and aquatic bacterium Vibrio cholerae belongs to the group of naturally competent bacteria. This developmental program allows the bacterium to take up free DNA from its surrounding followed by a homologous recombination event, which allo ...

Public Library of Science2013

A transcriptional regulator linking quorum sensing and chitin induction to render Vibrio cholerae naturally transformable

Melanie Blokesch, Mirella Lo Scrudato

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic bacterium associated with zooplankton and their chitinous exoskeletons. On chitinous surfaces, V. cholerae initiates a developmental programme, known as natural competence, to mediate transformation, which i ...

Oxford University Press2013

Cues and regulatory pathways involved in natural competence and transformation in pathogenic and environmental Gram-negative bacteria

Melanie Blokesch, Patrick Martin Seitz

Bacterial genomics is flourishing, as whole-genome sequencing has become affordable, readily available, and rapid. As a result, it has become clear how frequently horizontal gene transfer (HGT) occurs in bacteria. The potential implications are highly sign ...

Wiley-Blackwell2013

A quorum sensing-mediated switch contributes to natural transformation of Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch

There is a fundamental gap in our understanding of how horizontal gene transfer contributes to the enormous range of genetic variations that are observed among bacteria. The objective of our study was to better understand how the acquisition of genetic mat ...

2012

TransFLP - A Method to Genetically Modify Vibrio cholerae Based on Natural Transformation and FLP-recombination

Melanie Blokesch

Several methods are available to manipulate bacterial chromosomes(1-3). Most of these protocols rely on the insertion of conditionally replicative plasmids (e.g. harboring pir-dependent or temperature-sensitive replicons(1,2)). These plasmids are integrate ...

2012

Reassessment of the 2010-2011 Haiti cholera outbreak and rainfall-driven multiseason projections

Andrea Rinaldo, Enrico Bertuzzo, Lorenzo Righetto, Melanie Blokesch, Lorenzo Mari, Marino Gatto

Mathematical models can provide key insights into the course of an ongoing epidemic, potentially aiding real-time emergency management in allocating health care resources and by anticipating the impact of alternative interventions. We study the ex post rel ...

2012

Chitin colonization, chitin degradation and chitin-induced natural competence of Vibrio cholerae are subject to catabolite repression

Melanie Blokesch

Although Vibrio cholerae is a human pathogen its primary habitat are aquatic environments. In this environment, V. cholerae takes advantage of the abundance of zooplankton, whose chitinous exoskeletons provide a nutritious surface. Chitin also induces the ...

Wiley-Blackwell2012

The Regulatory Network of Natural Competence and Transformation of Vibrio cholerae

Melanie Blokesch, Mirella Lo Scrudato

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic bacterium frequently encountered in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal regions. Within these environmental reservoirs, the bacterium is often found associated with zooplankton and more specifically with t ...

2012

A transmission model of the 2010 cholera epidemic in haiti

Andrea Rinaldo, Enrico Bertuzzo, Lorenzo Righetto, Melanie Blokesch, Lorenzo Mari, Marino Gatto

2011

Quorum Sensing Contributes to Natural Transformation of Vibrio cholerae in a Species-Specific Manner

Melanie Blokesch, Gaia Francesca Marianne Suckow, Patrick Martin Seitz

Although it is a human pathogen, Vibrio cholerae is a regular member of aquatic habitats, such as coastal regions and estuaries. Within these environments, V. cholerae often takes advantage of the abundance of zooplankton and their chitinous molts as a nut ...

American Society for Microbiology2011

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