Probing the evolution, ecology and physiology of marine protists using transcriptomics
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 6 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.160
Authors: David A. Caron, Harriet Alexander, Andrew E. Allen, John M. Archibald, E. Virginia Armbrust, Charles Bachy, Callum J. Bell, Arvind Bharti, Sonya T. Dyhrman, Stephanie M. Guida, Karla B. Heidelberg, Jonathan Z. Kaye, Julia Metzner, Sarah R. Smith & Alexandra Z. Worden
Protists, which are single-celled eukaryotes, critically influence the ecology and chemistry of marine ecosystems, but genome-based studies of these organisms have lagged behind those of other microorganisms. However, recent transcriptomic studies of cultured species, c...
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 20, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: David A. Caron Harriet Alexander Andrew E. Allen John M. Archibald E. Virginia Armbrust Charles Bachy Callum J. Bell Arvind Bharti Sonya T. Dyhrman Stephanie M. Guida Karla B. Heidelberg Jonathan Z. Kaye Julia Metzner Sarah R. Smith Alexandra Z. Worden Tags: Review Source Type: research
Antifungals: Uncovering new drugs and targets
Nature Reviews Microbiology 15, 1 (2017).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.179
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Two studies discover new avenues that could be explored for the novel therapeutic intervention of fungal infections. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 20, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Species Mash-up
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 730 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.175
Authors: Silvia Argimón & David M. Aanensen
This month's Genome Watch describes how Mash can be used to tackle comparisons between large amounts of genomic and metagenomic sequence data for taxonomic applications. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 10, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Silvia Argim ón David M. Aanensen Tags: News and Analysis Source Type: research
Environmental microbiology: A small soil bacterium dominates
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 729 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.174
Author: Ursula Hofer
Verrucomicrobia is one of the most abundant, although least characterized, phyla in soil. Brewer et al. identified a new verrucomicrobial lineage, which they termed 'Candidatus Udaeobacter copiosus'. In the >1000 soil samples examined, this lineage was frequently one of the most abundant. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 10, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Techniques and applications: Shining a light on persisters
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 729 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.173
Author: Ursula Hofer
Persister cells can survive antibiotic treatment despite being genetically identical to sensitive cells. Persistence is a particular problem for the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, so far there was no straightforward way to identify and quantify persisters of this bacterium. Jain et al. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 10, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Antimicrobials: The central role of lipids in daptomycin action
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 729 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.172
Author: Ursula Hofer
Daptomycin is a last-resort antibiotic that is used against resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Although it is a membrane-targeting antibiotic, its exact mechanism of action was unknown. Müller et al. used Bacillus subtilis to determine the effects of daptomycin. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 10, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Bacterial pathogenesis: Rickettsia releases the tension
This study shows that the bacterial effector Sca4 promotes intercellular spread of the obligate intracellular pathogen Rickettsia parkeri by disrupting the transmission of intercellular tension at cell–cell adherence junctions. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 6, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Fungal biology: A key regulator of secondary metabolites
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 727 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.169
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Fungi are a rich sources of secondary metabolites that are relevant to human health, including antibiotics and fungal toxins. However, our understanding of the regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters is limited. Oakley et al. carried out a genetic screen in Aspergillus nidulans (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 6, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Microbiome: Complexity at the sub-genus level
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 727 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.168
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Bacteroidetes is one of the most abundant phyla in the gut, and studies have suggested that Prevotella spp. are associated with a high-fibre diet, whereas Bacteroides spp. are associated with the consumption of animal fat and a protein-rich diet. De Filippis et al (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 6, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Viral infection: Rabies virus causes stress
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 727 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.167
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Exposure of cells to different types of stress, including heat shock and oxidative stress, leads to the accumulation of translationally stalled mRNAs in cytoplasmic structures known as stress granules. Nikolic et al. report that rabies virus induces the assembly of dynamic stress granules. These (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 6, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Archaeal biology: Masters of methane
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 726 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.170
Author: Ursula Hofer
Three new studies investigate the metabolic pathways that anaerobic archaea use to produce hydrocarbons such as methane and butane. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 6, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Unearthing the roots of ectomycorrhizal symbioses
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 760 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.149
Authors: Francis Martin, Annegret Kohler, Claude Murat, Claire Veneault-Fourrey & David S. Hibbett
During the diversification of Fungi and the rise of conifer-dominated and angiosperm- dominated forests, mutualistic symbioses developed between certain trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi that enabled these trees to colonize boreal and temperate regions. The evolutionary success of these symbioses is evident from phylogenomic analyses that (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - October 30, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Francis Martin Annegret Kohler Claude Murat Claire Veneault-Fourrey David S. Hibbett Tags: Review Source Type: research
How multi-partner endosymbioses function
Nature Reviews Microbiology 14, 731 (2016).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.151
Author: Angela E. Douglas
Various animals are associated with specific endosymbiotic microorganisms that provide the host with essential nutrients or confer protection against natural enemies. Genomic analyses of the many endosymbioses that are found in plant sap-feeding hemipteran insects have revealed independent acquisitions — and occasional replacements — of (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - October 30, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Angela E. Douglas Tags: Review Source Type: research
Antimicrobials: Putting antibiotic action into context
This study reveals that ribosomal antibiotics function in a context-specific manner, dependent on the penultimate amino acid in the nascent chain and the amino acid in the P-site of the peptidyl transferase center. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - October 30, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Bacterial toxins: A true competitor
This study reports that the T7SS has antibacterial activity and is involved in intraspecies competition. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - October 23, 2016 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
