Scott Stibitz

Analysis of BvgA Activation of the Pertactin Gene Promoter in Bordetella pertussis

Kinnear, Susan M., Boucher, Philip E., Stibitz, Scott, Carbonetti, Nicholas H.

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, regulates expression of its virulence factors via a two-component signal transduction system encoded by the bvg regulatory locus. It has...

Genomic Plasticity in Natural Populations of Bordetella pertussis

Stibitz, Scott, Yang, Mei-Shin

We determined the genomic organization of 14 clinical strains of Bordetella pertussis isolated over an 18-month period in Alberta, Canada. The maps of these 14 strains, while demonstrating general...

Genetic and Biochemical Analyses of BvgA Interaction with the Secondary Binding Region of the fha Promoter of Bordetella pertussis

Boucher, Philip E., Yang, Mei-Shin, Schmidt, Deanna M., Stibitz, Scott

The BvgA-BvgS two-component signal transduction system regulates expression of virulence factors in Bordetella pertussis. The BvgA response regulator activates transcription by binding to target...

Characterization of the bvgR Locus of Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Barros, Cassia, Stibitz, Scott

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, produces a wide array of factors that are associated with its ability to cause disease. The expression and regulation of these virulence...

Mutations Affecting the α Subunit of Bordetella pertussis RNA Polymerase Suppress Growth Inhibition Conferred by Short C-Terminal Deletions of the Response Regulator BvgA

Stibitz, Scott

The effects of short deletions of the C terminus of the BvgA response regulator protein of the BvgAS two-component system were examined in Bordetella pertussis. When present as a single copy in the...

IS481 and IS1002 of Bordetella pertussis Create a 6-Base-Pair Duplication upon Insertion at a Consensus Target Site

Stibitz, Scott

The insertion sequence IS481 and its isoform IS1002 have been observed to transpose into the bvgAS locus of Bordetella pertussis, for which the DNA sequence has previously been determined. Upon...

Contribution of Regulation by the bvg Locus to Respiratory Infection of Mice by Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Stibitz, Scott, Keith, Jerry M., Leef, Mary, Shahin, Roberta

Whooping cough is an acute respiratory disease caused by the small, gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. B. pertussis expresses several factors that contribute to its ability to cause...

Analysis of bvgR Expression in Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Boucher, Philip E., Stibitz, Scott, Grippe, Vanessa K.

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, produces a wide array of factors that are associated with its ability to cause disease. The expression and regulation of these virulence...

Routine Markerless Gene Replacement in Bacillus anthracis

Janes, Brian K., Stibitz, Scott

An improved genetic tool suitable for routine markerless allelic exchange in Bacillus anthracis has been constructed. Its utility was demonstrated by the introduction of insertions, deletions, and...

Analysis of BvgA Activation of the Pertactin Gene Promoter in Bordetella pertussis

Kinnear, Susan M., Boucher, Philip E., Stibitz, Scott, Carbonetti, Nicholas H.

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, regulates expression of its virulence factors via a two-component signal transduction system encoded by the bvg regulatory locus. It has...

Genomic Plasticity in Natural Populations of Bordetella pertussis

Stibitz, Scott, Yang, Mei-Shin

We determined the genomic organization of 14 clinical strains of Bordetella pertussis isolated over an 18-month period in Alberta, Canada. The maps of these 14 strains, while demonstrating general...

Genetic and Biochemical Analyses of BvgA Interaction with the Secondary Binding Region of the fha Promoter of Bordetella pertussis

Boucher, Philip E., Yang, Mei-Shin, Schmidt, Deanna M., Stibitz, Scott

The BvgA-BvgS two-component signal transduction system regulates expression of virulence factors in Bordetella pertussis. The BvgA response regulator activates transcription by binding to target...

Characterization of the bvgR Locus of Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Barros, Cassia, Stibitz, Scott

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, produces a wide array of factors that are associated with its ability to cause disease. The expression and regulation of these virulence...

Mutations Affecting the α Subunit of Bordetella pertussis RNA Polymerase Suppress Growth Inhibition Conferred by Short C-Terminal Deletions of the Response Regulator BvgA

Stibitz, Scott

The effects of short deletions of the C terminus of the BvgA response regulator protein of the BvgAS two-component system were examined in Bordetella pertussis. When present as a single copy in the...

IS481 and IS1002 of Bordetella pertussis Create a 6-Base-Pair Duplication upon Insertion at a Consensus Target Site

Stibitz, Scott

The insertion sequence IS481 and its isoform IS1002 have been observed to transpose into the bvgAS locus of Bordetella pertussis, for which the DNA sequence has previously been determined. Upon...

Contribution of Regulation by the bvg Locus to Respiratory Infection of Mice by Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Stibitz, Scott, Keith, Jerry M., Leef, Mary, Shahin, Roberta

Whooping cough is an acute respiratory disease caused by the small, gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. B. pertussis expresses several factors that contribute to its ability to cause...

Analysis of bvgR Expression in Bordetella pertussis

Merkel, Tod J., Boucher, Philip E., Stibitz, Scott, Grippe, Vanessa K.

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, produces a wide array of factors that are associated with its ability to cause disease. The expression and regulation of these virulence...

Routine Markerless Gene Replacement in Bacillus anthracis

Janes, Brian K., Stibitz, Scott

An improved genetic tool suitable for routine markerless allelic exchange in Bacillus anthracis has been constructed. Its utility was demonstrated by the introduction of insertions, deletions, and...

O Antigen Protects Bordetella parapertussis from Complement▿

Goebel, Elizabeth M., Wolfe, Daniel N., Elder, Kelly, Stibitz, Scott, Harvill, Eric T.

Bordetella pertussis, a causative agent of whooping cough, expresses BrkA, which confers serum resistance, but the closely related human pathogen that also causes whooping cough, Bordetella...

Role of the N-Terminal Amino Acid of Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor in Lethal Toxin Cytotoxicity and Its Effect on the Lethal Toxin Neutralization Assay ▿

Verma, Anita, Wagner, Leslie, Stibitz, Scott, Nguyen, Nga, Guerengomba, Flor, Burns, Drusilla L.

The cytotoxic activity of lethal factor (LF), a critical reagent used in the cell-based lethal toxin neutralization assay to assess anthrax vaccines, was shown to depend on the identity of its...

Role of Anthrax Toxins in Dissemination, Disease Progression, and Induction of Protective Adaptive Immunity in the Mouse Aerosol Challenge Model▿ †

Loving, Crystal L., Khurana, Taruna, Osorio, Manuel, Lee, Gloria M., Kelly, Vanessa K., Stibitz, Scott, ...

Anthrax toxins significantly contribute to anthrax disease pathogenesis, and mechanisms by which the toxins affect host cellular responses have been identified with purified toxins. However, the...

Four Superoxide Dismutases Contribute to Bacillus anthracis Virulence and Provide Spores with Redundant Protection from Oxidative Stress▿ †

Cybulski, Robert J., Sanz, Patrick, Alem, Farhang, Stibitz, Scott, Bull, Robert L., O'Brien, Alison D.

The Bacillus anthracis genome encodes four superoxide dismutases (SODs), enzymes capable of detoxifying oxygen radicals. That two of these SODs, SOD15 and SODA1, are present in the outermost layers...