Microbiology and Immunology
Recent Deposits
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BCG impact on Innate Lymphoid Cells: Determining the Site of Proliferation
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious lung disease that is a major cause of mortality, causing an estimated 1.7 million deaths globally per year. The current prophylactic vaccine used against TB, bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG), ... -
Disarming tissue factor: generating a model tumour antigen
Coagulative abnormalities are a well-recognised feature of malignancy. The risk of developing thrombotic disorders is increased four-fold in cancer patients and more than six-fold higher in those receiving chemotherapy. ... -
Investigating Teixobactin Tolerance in Enterococcus faecalis
The rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global threat to human health. Key to combating antimicrobial resistance will be to increase our understanding of how resistance develops. Conventional antimicrobial ... -
Characterisation of a phase-variable restriction-modification system in Enterococcus faecalis
The gastrointestinal colonizer Enterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic, multi-drug resistant pathogen and a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Vancomycin- resistant enterococci (VRE) are of particular concern and ... -
Identification of AH1-specific T cells in a mouse model of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) causes approximately 1.4 million new cases of disease and 700,000 deaths worldwide annually. To overcome limitations of studying CRC in humans, mouse models are used to test therapeutics such as ... -
MR1 surface expression on primary blood cells and their role in mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cell activation
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T lymphocytes that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems to provide rapid effector responses against a broad range of bacteria. MAIT cells are characterised ... -
Investigating cellular remodelling events induced by the oncolytic Seneca Valley Virus
Cancer is a worldwide problem affecting millions of people. Typical cancer treatments are often very toxic and have a range of negative side effects. A new field of cancer research that may provide new cancer therapies is ... -
Genetic Determinants of Host-Specificity in Mesorhizobium loti NZP2037
The establishment of a successful symbiotic interaction between rhizobia and their respective legume hosts involves complex molecular interactions between the two prospective partners. The determinants behind the specificity ... -
Functional analysis of poxvirus anaphase-promoting complex regulator (PACR), an orf virus cell cycle regulator.
Viruses, after long periods of time infecting and co-evolving with their hosts have developed complex and ingenious ways of manipulating host cell environments to better suit their needs. One such example of this is ... -
Spatiotemporal patterns of prokaryotic communities in New Zealand agricultural soils
New Zealand pasture soils are an important resource, contributing significantly to the economy and global food security. However, the sustainability of current land management practices is of great concern, leading researchers ... -
Modulating the immune response to colorectal cancer in mice using a chitosan gel vaccine
Vaccines modulate the host’s anti-tumour immune response and represent an area of emerging immunotherapy research for the treatment of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Murine subcutaneous (SC) injections of tumour ... -
Structural and Proteomic Analysis of ΦTE, a Phage Infecting Pectobacterium atrosepticum
Bacteriophages are extremely diverse and are also far more numerous than any other organism on Earth. Despite this diversity, there still remain many unanswered questions regarding their structures, what (and how) forces ... -
Blimp-1+ regulatory T cells in human colorectal cancer
Analysis of tumour infiltrating immune cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) is superior to the current staging at predicting disease-free survival. The Immunoscore has been proposed as a way to use CD3+ and CD8+ T cell infiltrates ... -
Investigating resistance in Enterococcus faecalis against the new antibiotic teixobactin
The rapid rise and spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens has become a daunting reality for many countries world-wide driving the need for new antimicrobials with novel targets. Enterococci, a natural inhabitant ... -
The human kinases mTOR, PKC-α, and their substrate Filamin A promote infection of human cells by Listeria monocytogenes
The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a food borne intracellular pathogen capable of causing gastroenteritis, abortions, or meningitis with a high mortality rate. Listeria is a facultative intracellular pathogen that ... -
Role for Host Exocytosis in Entry of the Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes into Human Cells
Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for gastroenteritis, meningitis, and abortion in pregnant women. This intracellular pathogen is able to induce its internalization into host mammalian ... -
Role of host Arf GTPases and the scaffolding protein Tuba in the infection of human cells by bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes
The gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is an important cause of foodborne illnesses resulting in gastroenteritis, meningitis, or abortion. Listeria is a facultative intracellular pathogen that is able to induce ... -
Tumour Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Metastasis & Thrombosis
Tumour cells release lipid particles known as extracellular vesicles (EV) that contribute to cancer metastasis, to the immune response, and to thrombosis. There are many types of identified EV, and most live tumour cells ... -
Characterising a large population of langerin+, MHC-II+ cells in mouse skin wounds
Developing a thorough understanding of wound healing is crucial given the importance of the skin and the many challenges medical professionals face when it is damaged. The immune system is very involved in the healing ... -
Investigating the Site of Innate Lymphoid Cell Division Following BCG Vaccination
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most deadly infectious disease worldwide, killing 1.4 million people each year. Efforts to control the spread of this disease through antibiotic treatments and a century-old preventative vaccine, ...