23/01/2026
Transcriptomic response to different heme sources in <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> epimastigotes

Transcriptomic response to different heme sources in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes

Tevere et al.

This study uncovers how the Chagas disease parasite adapts to changes in heme, an essential molecule for its survival, providing transcriptional clues to heme metabolism and identifying a previously unreported heme-binding protein in T. cruzi.

Sir2 regulates selective autophagy in stationary-phase yeast cells

Ryu et al.

This study establishes Sir2 as a previously unrecognized regulator of selective autophagy during the stationary phase and highlight how cells dynamically control organelle degradation.

Histone H3E73Q and H4E53A mutations cause recombinogenic DNA damage

Ortega et al.

This study reveals that conserved residues H3E73 and H4E53 in histones H3 and H4 play a crucial role in maintaining genome stability. Mutations at these sites increase recombinogenic DNA damage, likely due to replication-associated issues rather than transcriptional activity, highlighting their importance in DNA damage prevention and repair.

Sulforaphane alters the acidification of the yeast vacuole

Wilcox et al.

This study identifies vacuolar pH regulation as a key factor in sulforaphane (SFN) sensitivity, showing that SFN-induced cell death in yeast – and potentially in human cancer cells – is linked to its ability to raise vacuolar or lysosomal pH.

Broad-spectrum antifungal activities and mechanism of drimane sesquiterpenoids

Edouarzin et al.

This study identifies (-)-drimenol as a potent broad-spectrum antifungal agent effective against multiple pathogenic fungi, including drug-resistant strains, and reveals its mechanism of action involves disruption of fungal membranes and targeting Crk1-related pathways, with potential for structural optimization to enhance efficacy.

Stable and destabilized GFP reporters to monitor calcineurin activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Diessl et al.

This study introduces GFP-based transcriptional reporters driven by a calcineurin-dependent response element, enabling real-time monitoring of calcineurin activity in live yeast cells for studying stress responses, aging, and antifungal drug screening.

The euchromatic histone mark H3K36me3 preserves heterochromatin through sequestration of an acetyltransferase complex in fission yeast

Georgescu et al.

This study reveals that the loss of heterochromatin silencing in Set2-deficient cells is due to unrestrained Mst2C activity, highlighting the need for spatially restricted chromatin-modifying enzymes to maintain distinct chromatin states.

Depletion of SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 alters lipid droplet homeostasis during Chlamydia infection

Monteiro-Brás et al.

This study reveals that the plasma membrane SNARE proteins SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 are crucial for Chlamydia trachomatis development by regulating lipid droplet homeostasis and supporting the formation of infectious progeny within host cells.

Yeast can express and assemble bacterial secretins in the mitochondrial outer membrane

Natarajan et al.

Secretins, essential components of bacterial secretion systems, can be expressed in yeast and show differential dependencies on mitochondrial import and assembly factors for membrane integration, suggesting diverse pathways for their assembly into the bacterial outer membrane.

Metabolic reprogramming of Salmonella infected macrophages and its modulation by iron availability and the mTOR pathway

Telser et al.

This article shows that iron plays a critical role in both the immune response and metabolic reprogramming of macrophages during infection, influencing the TCA cycle and mTOR pathway, with implications for the growth of intracellular bacteria like Salmonella.

Type II-Metacaspases are involved in cell stress but not in cell death in the unicellular green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta

Mata et al.

This article shows that in the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta, Type-II metacaspases are involved in the stress response to ultraviolet radiation but are not linked to cell death, suggesting their role in survival strategies under stressful environmental conditions.

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, 03/06/2026
Prohibitins: emerging host targets of bacteria and viruses at the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and cytoplasm

Prohibitins: emerging host targets of bacteria and viruses at the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and cytoplasm

Rivera-Palomino and Theiss

Prohibitins are emerging as central host hubs exploited by bacteria and viruses to rewire signaling and mitochondrial dynamics. The current review discusses Prohibitins in host-pathogen interplay and their potential as novel anti-infective targets.

, 02/06/2026
Outer membrane vesicles in <i>Vibrio</i> species: Roles in biofilm formation and pathogenesis

Outer membrane vesicles in Vibrio species: Roles in biofilm formation and pathogenesis

Shambhavi and Singh

This review explores current knowledge on outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) in Vibrio species, highlighting their roles in pathogenesis, host interaction, and marine ecology; and identifies major knowledge gaps, outlining key methodological challenges and future prospects for OMV-based applications.

, 15/05/2026
The mechanism of Tat-dependent protein translocation

The mechanism of Tat-dependent protein translocation

Brüser and Sanders

This review integrates mechanistically relevant biochemical, molecular, and structural studies on Tat-dependent translocation of folded proteins into an in its molecular detail new comprehensive explanation of how the Tat system mediates protein transport.

, 14/04/2026
From the gut to the lungs: The role of gut microbiota in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and related research progress

From the gut to the lungs: The role of gut microbiota in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and related research progress

Yang et al.

This article provides new ideas and directions for the basic research and clinical practice of COPD by comprehensively sorting out the association between gut microbiota and COPD.

, 12/02/2026
Protein arginine methyltransferases in protozoan parasites: a new path for antiparasitic chemotherapy?

Protein arginine methyltransferases in protozoan parasites: a new path for antiparasitic chemotherapy?

Campagnaro et al.

This review discusses the activity and the relevance of arginine methyltransferases for the survival of pathogenic kinetoplastids, apicomplexans and amoebas, and how these enzymes could be exploited as drug targets.

, 25/08/2025
Gut microbiota and ankylosing spondylitis: current insights and future challenges

Gut microbiota and ankylosing spondylitis: current insights and future challenges

Lobiuc et al.

This review explores the growing role of gut microbiota in AS and its potential to reshape targeted treatment strategies and facilitate development of adjunct therapies to address disease onset and progression.

, 15/05/2025
Advancements in vaginal microbiota, <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i>, and vaginal cell interactions: Insights from co-culture assays

Advancements in vaginal microbiota, Trichomonas vaginalis, and vaginal cell interactions: Insights from co-culture assays

Cardoso and Tasca

This review updates co-culture and co-incubation techniques for studying interactions of Lactobacillus spp., representing a pre-dominant member of the healthy vaginal microbiota; Candida spp., the most abundant yeast in the vagina, and T. vaginalis, responsible for the most widespread nonviral STI worldwide.

, 15/04/2025
Influence of cervicovaginal microbiota on <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> infection dynamics

Influence of cervicovaginal microbiota on Chlamydia trachomatis infection dynamics

Hand et al.

This review examines the complex interplay between the cervicovaginal microbiome, C. trachomatis infection, and host immune responses, highlighting the role of metabolites such as short-chain and long-chain fatty acids, indole, and iron in modulating pathogen survival and host defenses.

, 31/03/2025
Unveiling the molecular architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain of <i>Acanthamoeba castellanii</i>

Unveiling the molecular architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain of Acanthamoeba castellanii

Scheckhuber et al.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the mitochondrial res-piratory chain in A. castellanii, focusing on the key alternative components involved in oxidative phosphorylation and their roles in energy metabolism, stress response, and adaptation to various conditions.

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, 05/08/2021

The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi

Chiurillo and Lander

This Editorial provides a brief historic overview that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the molecular strategies that have been developed to genetically modify Trypanosoma cruzi, emphasizing the future directions of the field.

, 13/04/2021

Means of intracellular communication: touching, kissing, fusing

Spang

This work highlights different aspects of communication between organelles, including the importance of organellar contact sites.

, 01/04/2021

Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled

Figarella

This Editorial addresses the meningo-encephalitic stage of Trypanosoma brucei infection and the resultig neuropathogenesis as well as the impact that the application of tools developed in the last years in the field of neuroscience will have on the study of neglected tropical diseases.

Lichens – growing greenhouses en miniature

Grube

This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.

, 22/06/2020

Regulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and its effects on aging

Pellegrino-Coppola

Aging is linked to mitochondrial function, with the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) playing a key role. Yeast is a useful model for studying how mPTP affects cell survival, aging, and related diseases.

, 01/06/2020

Fungal infections in humans: the silent crisis

Kainz et al.

This article highlights the growing global threat of fungal infections – exacerbated by rising drug resistance and medical practices – and emphasizes the urgent need for intensified research to develop more effective antifungal strategies.

, 04/05/2020

Digesting the crisis: autophagy and coronaviruses

Carmona-Gutierrez et al.

This article reviews the multifaceted role of autophagy in antiviral defense and highlights how coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, interact with this pathway, raising the possibility that targeting autophagy could offer novel therapeutic strategies against COVID-19.

Raman-based sorting of microbial cells to link functions to their genes

Lee et al.

In this article, the authors comment on the study “An automated Raman-based platform for the sorting of live cells by functional properties” by Lee et al. (Nat Microbiol, 2019), which presents a high-throughput optofluidic platform that integrates Raman microspectroscopy and microfluidics to accurately link microbial phenotypes to genotypes within complex communities, enabling efficient functional sorting and analysis of microbiome members.

Viral attenuation by Endonuclease G during yeast gametogenesis: insights into ancestral roles of programmed cell death?

Gao et al.

This article relates to the study “Meiotic viral attenuation through an ancestral apoptotic pathway” by Gao et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2019), which shows that programmed cell death may have evolved as a viral defence mechanism, as demonstrated by yeast studies showing that the mitochondrial nuclease Nuc1 translocates to the cytosol during meiosis to attenuate dsRNA viruses, linking viral control to meiotic cell death processes.

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FAQs

Whether you’re preparing a manuscript, reviewing a paper, or just exploring the journal, this FAQ answers the essentials—from scope and founders to impact and how to submit. Prefer a tailored path? Pick For authors or For reviewers below.

Peer-reviewed, open-access research using unicellular organisms (and multicellular microorganisms) to understand cellular responses and human disease.

The journal (founded in 2014) is led by its Editors-in-Chief Frank Madeo, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez, and Guido Kroemer

Microbial Cell has been publishing original scientific literature since 2014, and from the very beginning has been managed by active scientists through an independent Publishing House (Shared science Publishers). The journal was conceived as a platform to acknowledge the importance of unicellular organisms, both as model systems as well as in the biological context of human health and disease.

Ever since, Microbial Cell has very positively developed and strongly grown into a respected journal in the unicellular research community and even beyond. This scientific impact is reflected in the yearly number of citations obtained by articles published in Microbial Cell, as recorded by the Web of Science (Clarivate, formerly Thomson/Reuters):

The scientific impact of Microbial Cell is also mirrored in a series of milestones:

2015: Microbial Cell is included in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), a selection of developing journals drafted by Clarivate Analytics based on the candidate’s publishing standards, quality, editorial content, and citation data. Note: As an ESCI-selected journal, Microbial Cell is currently being evaluated in a rigorous and long process to determine an inclusion in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), which allows the official calculation of Clarivate Analytics’ impact factor.

2016: Microbial Cell is awarded the so-called DOAJ Seal by the selective Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The DOAJ Seal is an exclusive mark of certification for open access journals granted by DOAJ to journals that adhere to outstanding best practice and achieve an extra high and clear commitment to open access and high publishing standards.

2017: Microbial Cell is included in Pubmed Central (PMC), allowing the archiving of all the journal’s articles in PMC and PubMed.

2019: Microbial Cell is indexed in the prestigious abstract and citation database Scopus after a thorough selection process. This also means that Microbial Cell obtains, for the first time, an official Scopus CiteScore as well as an official journal ranking in the Scimago Journal and Country Ranking.

2022: Microbial Cell’s CiteScore reaches a value of 7.2 for the year 2021, positioning Microbial Cell among the top microbiology journals (previously available CiteScores: 2019: 5.4; 2020: 5.1).

2022: Microbial Cell is indexed in the highly selective Science Citation Index Expanded™, which covers approx. 9,500 of the world’s most impactful journals across 178 scientific disciplines. In their journal selection and curation process, Clarivate´s editors apply 24 ‘quality’ criteria and four ‘impact’ criteria to select the most influential journals in their respective fields. This selection is also a pre-requisite for inclusion in the JCR, which features the impact factor.

2022: Microbial Cell is listed in the Journal Citation Reports™ (JCR), and obtains its first official Journal Impact Factor™ (JIF) for the year 2021: 5.316.

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