J.-W. Veening

An efficient in vivo-inducible CRISPR interference system for group A Streptococcus genetic analysis and pathogenesis studies

This paper develops a doxycycline-inducible CRISPRi system for GAS to enable efficient gene repression and presents a genome browser for GAS genetic features.

The function of CozE proteins is linked to lipoteichoic acid biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus

This study identifies CozE proteins as regulators of lipoteichoic acid biosynthesis and membrane homeostasis in Staphylococcus aureus through genetic and biochemical analyses.

Genome-wide CRISPRi screens reveal the essentialome and determinants for susceptibility to dalbavancin in Staphylococcus aureus

This study uses CRISPRi screens to identify genes affecting dalbavancin susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus, revealing both known and novel factors.

Klebsiella pneumoniae OmpR facilitates lung infection through transcriptional regulation of key virulence factors

This study shows that OmpR in Klebsiella pneumoniae regulates virulence and lung infection by controlling key virulence factors and eliciting a strong host transcriptional response.

A conserved antigen induces respiratory Th17-mediated serotype-independent protection against pneumococcal superinfection

The paper identifies a conserved antigen, LafB, that provides serotype-independent protection against pneumococcal superinfection via Th17 cells, independent of antibodies.

Rewiring capsule production by CRISPRi-based genetic oscillators demonstrates a functional role of phenotypic variation in pneumococcal-host interactions

This study uses CRISPRi-based oscillators to show that capsule production variation benefits pneumococcal pathogenesis.

Competence remodels the pneumococcal cell wall providing resistance to fratricide and surface exposing key virulence factors

This study shows that competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae is crucial for virulence by increasing surface exposure of virulence factors and providing resistance to fratricide.

A genome-wide CRISPRi screen reveals a StkP-mediated connection between cell-wall integrity and competence in Streptococcus salivarius

This study uses a genome-wide CRISPRi screen to identify StkP as a key regulator linking cell-wall integrity and competence in Streptococcus salivarius.

Pneumolysin promotes host cell necroptosis and bacterial competence during pneumococcal meningitis as shown by whole animal dual RNA-seq

The acquisition of clinically relevant amoxicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae requires ordered horizontal gene transfer of four loci

This study identifies four key genes involved in amoxicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and shows that their ordered acquisition via horizontal gene transfer is necessary for resistance development.

Mechanistic basis of choline import involved in teichoic acids and lipopolysaccharide modification

This study characterizes the structure and function of LicB, a choline transporter in Streptococcus pneumoniae, revealing its proton-coupled import mechanism and potential as a target for inhibition.

Amoxicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae can be resensitized by targeting the mevalonate pathway as indicated by sCRilecs-seq

This paper identifies the mevalonate pathway as a target to resensitize amoxicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae using sCRilecs-seq.

Spatio-temporal control of DNA replication by the pneumococcal cell cycle regulator CcrZ

This study identifies CcrZ as a regulator that couples DNA replication with cell division in pneumococci by controlling DnaA activity, ensuring proper chromosome inheritance.

Harnessing CRISPR-Cas9 for genome editing in Streptococcus pneumoniae

This paper develops a CRISPR-Cas9-based system for genome editing in Streptococcus pneumoniae, enabling marker-less gene knockouts and deletions through temperature-sensitive plasmid replication.

Exploration of bacterial bottlenecks and Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenesis by CRISPRi-seq

This study uses CRISPRi-seq to identify genetic factors important for Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia, revealing a critical bottleneck at 48 h post-infection and gene fitness differences between in vitro and in vivo conditions.

Unbiased homeologous recombination during pneumococcal transformation allows for multiple chromosomal integration events

This study investigates pneumococcal transformation at the single-cell level, showing that multiple chromosomal integration events occur through unbiased homeologous recombination, with transformation efficiency capped at ~50%.

In Vivo Dual RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals the Basis for Differential Tissue Tropism of Clinical Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study uses dual RNA-seq to show how a single SNP in Streptococcus pneumoniae affects bacterial and host gene expression, leading to differential tissue tropism and disease outcomes.

BactMAP: an R package for integrating, analyzing and visualizing bacterial microscopy data

BactMAP is an R package that integrates and visualizes bacterial microscopy data, enabling custom analysis and comparison across different segmentation tools.

Synthetic gene regulatory networks in the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study develops synthetic gene regulatory networks in Streptococcus pneumoniae to mimic complex gene expression patterns relevant to virulence.

Fighting the spread of antibiotic resistance with bacterial competence inhibitors

The paper identifies COM-blockers, which inhibit horizontal gene transfer in S. pneumoniae by disrupting competence without affecting growth or antibiotic activity, offering a strategy to reduce antibiotic resistance spread.

Three new integration vectors and fluorescent proteins for use in the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae

This paper introduces three new integration vectors and fluorescent proteins for Streptococcus pneumoniae, enhancing genetic manipulation and visualization capabilities.

SosA inhibits cell division in Staphylococcus aureus in response to DNA damage

This paper identifies SosA as a DNA-damage-inducible cell-division inhibitor in Staphylococcus aureus, showing it halts division at a specific stage and is regulated by membrane protease CtpA.

Refining the pneumococcal competence regulon by RNA-sequencing

The paper uses RNA-seq to refine the pneumococcal competence regulon, identifying 4% of genes directly controlled by ComE/ComX and up to 17% affected overall.

Antibiotic-induced cell chaining triggers pneumococcal competence by reshaping quorum sensing to autocrine-like signaling

This study shows that antibiotics like aztreonam and clavulanic acid induce pneumococcal competence by promoting cell chaining, which alters quorum sensing to autocrine-like signaling.

High-resolution analysis of the pneumococcal transcriptome under a wide range of infection-relevant conditions

This study profiles the pneumococcal transcriptome under 22 infection-relevant conditions, revealing dynamic gene expression and identifying a new competence regulon member.

Function of BriC Peptide in the Pneumococcal Competence and Virulence Portfolio

This study identifies BriC as a competence-induced gene in Streptococcus pneumoniae that promotes biofilm development and colonization, with its expression regulated by the ComE master regulator and showing genomic plasticity in some isolates.

RocS drives chromosome segregation and nucleoid occlusion in Streptococcus pneumoniae

This study identifies RocS as essential for chromosome segregation and nucleoid occlusion in Streptococcus pneumoniae, linking it to capsule biogenesis and cell division.

Deep genome annotation of the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae D39

This study annotates the genome of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 using long-read sequencing and transcriptomics, identifying new genes, sRNAs, and operon structures.

CozEa and CozEb play overlapping and essential roles in controlling cell division in Staphylococcus aureus

This study identifies CozEa and CozEb as essential for cell division in S. aureus, showing they work together with EzrA and are conserved in S. pneumoniae.

The ClpX chaperone controls the Staphylococcus aureus cell cycle but can be bypassed by β-lactam antibiotics

This paper shows that β-lactam antibiotics can bypass the growth defect of S. aureus clpX mutants by restoring septum synthesis and preventing premature cell lysis.