Bacterial pathogenesis: Hitching a ride with DCs
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 195 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.18
Author: Yvonne Bordon
Pseudogenization of a single Salmonella effector protein gene facilitates pathogen hijacking of dendritic cells for systemic spread. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Yvonne Bordon Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
CRISPR patent results
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 194 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.21
Author: Shimona Starling
The CRISPR–Cas9 patents filed by the Broad Institute are upheld by the US Patent and Trademark Office (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Shimona Starling Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Bacterial physiology: Persisters running out of energy
This study shows that ATP depletion lowers the antibiotic target activity and thus functions as a general mechanism for the formation of persisters. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Timing the day: what makes bacterial clocks tick?
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 232 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.196
Authors: Carl Hirschie Johnson, Chi Zhao, Yao Xu & Tetsuya Mori
Chronobiological studies of prokaryotic organisms have generally lagged far behind the study of endogenous circadian clocks in eukaryotes, in which such systems are essentially ubiquitous. However, despite only being studied during the past 25 years, cyanobacteria have become important model organisms for the study of (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 19, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Carl Hirschie Johnson Chi Zhao Yao Xu Tetsuya Mori Tags: Review Source Type: research
The β-barrel assembly machinery in motion
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 197 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.191
Authors: Nicholas Noinaj, James C. Gumbart & Susan K. Buchanan
In Gram-negative bacteria, the biogenesis of β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) is mediated by the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex. During the past decade, structural and functional studies have collectively contributed to advancing our understanding of the structure and function of the BAM complex; however, (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 19, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Nicholas Noinaj James C. Gumbart Susan K. Buchanan Tags: Progress Source Type: research
Finding the needle in the haystack
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 136 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.7
Authors: Gavin G. Rutledge & Cristina V. Ariani
This month's Genome Watch discusses the potential of selective whole-genome amplification for overcoming the challenges of whole-genome sequencing of malaria parasites in clinical samples in which they are low in abundance. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Gavin G. Rutledge Cristina V. Ariani Tags: News and Analysis Source Type: research
Bacterial pathogenesis: A deadly chain of events
In this study, Mahamed et al. tracked infection outcomes in primary human macrophages in (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Parasite evolution: Adding a piece to the puzzle
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 135 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.11
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Genome-based studies increase our understanding of parasite evolution and host adaptation, but there was a lack of genetic information for Plasmodium malariae and two Plasmodium ovale species, which can cause human malaria but are found less often than other species. Rutledge et al (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Microbiome: Getting organized early in life
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 135 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.10
Author: Andrea Du Toit
In adults, distinct microbial communities inhabit different body sites and exert site-specific metabolic functions. However, when and how microbial community structure and function are established in early life have remained elusive. Chu et al. carried out a large population-based cohort study of maternal–infant pairs (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Viral infection: The language of phages
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 134 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.8
Author: Andrea Du Toit
The authors of this study report that phages of Bacillus species use a peptide-based communication system to decide whether to enter the lytic or lysogenic life cycle. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Bacterial Pathogenesis: Microbial manipulation of the gut –brain axis
This study shows that pathogen-mediated inhibition of sickness-induced anorexia can promote transmission and reduce virulence. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Shimona Starling Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
A sea change for virology
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 129 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2017.13
This issue marks the publication of a Consensus Statement that proposes the integration of viruses that are only characterized by metagenomic data into virus taxonomy. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 12, 2017 Category: Microbiology Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Cyclic di-GMP: second messenger extraordinaire
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 271 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.190
Authors: Urs Jenal, Alberto Reinders & Christian Lori
Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) are highly versatile signalling molecules that control various important biological processes in bacteria. The best-studied example is cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). Known since the late 1980s, it is now recognized as a near-ubiquitous second messenger that coordinates diverse aspects of bacterial growth and (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 6, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Urs Jenal Alberto Reinders Christian Lori Tags: Review Source Type: research
Hit the right spots: cell cycle control by phosphorylated guanosines in alphaproteobacteria
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 137 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.183
Authors: Régis Hallez, Marie Delaby, Stefano Sanselicio & Patrick H. Viollier
The class Alphaproteobacteria includes Gram-negative free-living, symbiotic and obligate intracellular bacteria, as well as important plant, animal and human pathogens. Recent work has established the key antagonistic roles that phosphorylated guanosines, cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) and the alarmones guanosine tetraphosphate and guanosine pentaphosphate (collectively referred to as (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - January 30, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: R égis Hallez Marie Delaby Stefano Sanselicio Patrick H. Viollier Tags: Review Source Type: research
Biofilms: Shocking biofilms
This study highlights a heretofore unappreciated role of electrical signalling in biofilm communities and in their interaction with their environment. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - January 30, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
