Bacterial Membrane Vesicles Biogenesis, Functions and Applications

This book focuses on the multitude of functions bacterial membrane vesicles perform in bacterial ecology and pathogenesis as well as in emerging medical and biotechnological applications. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria produce membrane-bound nanostructures, known as membrane vesicles, which have a range of functions that include serving as delivery vehicles, providing a means of communication over both spatial and temporal scales, and contributing to bacterial survival and evolution. Topics covered in this book range from the biogenesis and composition of bacterial membrane vesicles to their abundance and biological roles in microbial ecosystems, such as marine environments. In the individual chapters, the involvement of bacterial membrane vesicles in host-pathogen interactions, promoting virulence and in facilitating the establishment of infection is explained. In addition, current knowledge regarding membrane vesicles produced by commensal bacteria and their role in the maturation of the host immune system, as well as the therapeutic potential of bacterial membrane vesicles as delivery systems and innovative nanotechnology-based therapeutics are discussed.

This work appeals to a wide readership of students and researchers interested in microbial ecology, mechanism underlying pathogenesis and new avenues in applied microbiology and nanotechnology.

Table of content

Chapter 1: Introduction, History and Discovery of Bacterial Membrane Vesicles

Lauren Zavan, Natalie J. Bitto1 and Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos

Chapter 2:  Biogenesis of Gram-negative OMVs

Franz G. Zingl, Deborah R. Leitner and Stefan Schild

Chapter 3:  Biogenesis and Function of Extracellular Vesicles in Gram-positive Bacteria, Mycobacteria and Fungi

Ainhoa Palacios, Carolina Coelho, Maria Maryam, Jose L. Luque-García, Arturo Casadevall and Rafael Prados-Rosales 

Chapter 4: Extracellular vesicles in the environment

Steven J. Biller 

Chapter 5:  Functions of MVs in inter-bacterial communication

Chapter 6: Membrane Vesicles From Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Their roles During Plant-Pathogen Interactions

OfirBahar

Chapter 7: Delivery of virulence factors by bacterial membrane vesicles to mammalian host cells

Aftab Nadeem, Jan Oscarsson and Sun Nyunt Wai 

Chapter 8: Immunodetection and pathogenesis mediated by bacterial membrane vesicles

Ella L. Johnston, Thomas A. Kufer and Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos

Chapter 9: Membrane Vesicles from the Gut Microbiota and their Interactions with the Host

JosefaBadia and Laura Baldomà

Chapter 10: Bacterial Membrane Vesicles and Their Applications as Vaccines and in Biotechnology

Julie C. Caruana and Scott A. Walper

Associate Professor Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos

Associate Professor Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos is Head of the Host-pathogen Interactions and Bacterial Membrane Vesicles Laboratory at La Trobe University, Australia. She is also the Deputy Director of the La Trobe Research Centre for Extracellular Vesicles. Her recent research activities focus on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions with particular focus on bacterial membrane vesicles.

Associate Professor Kaparakis-Liaskos obtained her PhD from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne in Australia in 2005. She then undertook post-doctoral studies at Monash University, working on innate immune responses to Helicobacter pylori and bacterial outer membrane vesicles. She then headed a research group at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Australia during which time she identified the mechanisms whereby OMVs were detected by NOD1 and were degraded by autophagy. In 2016, she joined La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, where her research is supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Victorian Endowment for Science Knowledge and Innovation (veski).

 Professor Thomas A. Kufer

Professor Thomas Kufer is head of the Department of Immunology at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. His primary research interests are focused on understanding the functions of NLR proteins in host-pathogen interactions, immunity and inflammation.