Sorbic acid triggers rapid formation of proteasome storage granules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
This study demonstrates that sorbic acid, a common food preservative, induces the fastest reported proteasome storage granule (PSG) formation in yeast within 30 min, highlighting differences from other PSG-inducing conditions like acetic acid stress.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae in cancer research: modeling tumor biology and enabling drug discovery
By combining genetic tractability with conservation of key cellular pathways, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is emerging as a versatile model for cancer biology and a scalable platform for identifying therapeutic targets and vulnerabilities.
A time-resolved high-throughput screening of fission yeast deletion mutants for oxidative stress resistance
By capturing dynamic trajectories rather than static outcomes, this study exposes hidden layers of growth under oxidative stress and identifies new genetic determinants of cellular resilience in fission yeast.
Clonal spread and environmental persistence of carbapenem-resistant high-risk Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critical-care units of a Chilean national referral center for burn and trauma patients (2022)
This study highlight the circulation of high-risk P. aeruginosa clones in Chile and underscore the importance of molecular epidemiology in guiding infection control, optimizing antimicrobial therapy, and mitigating the clinical and economic burden of CRPA.
The transcriptome of dendritic cells redraws the boundaries between pathogenicity and commensalism in yeast
Our immune system meets many fungi, but reacts strongly to only a few. The comparison of key fungal species showed that responses differ mainly in timing and not just genes, highlighting the need to rethink what makes fungi harmful vs. harmless.
Sorbic acid triggers rapid formation of proteasome storage granules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Tanaka et al.This study demonstrates that sorbic acid, a common food preservative, induces the fastest reported proteasome storage granule (PSG) formation in yeast within 30 min, highlighting differences from other PSG-inducing conditions like acetic acid stress.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae in cancer research: modeling tumor biology and enabling drug discovery
Assalve et al.By combining genetic tractability with conservation of key cellular pathways, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is emerging as a versatile model for cancer biology and a scalable platform for identifying therapeutic targets and vulnerabilities.
A time-resolved high-throughput screening of fission yeast deletion mutants for oxidative stress resistance
Pirsalehi et al.By capturing dynamic trajectories rather than static outcomes, this study exposes hidden layers of growth under oxidative stress and identifies new genetic determinants of cellular resilience in fission yeast.
Clonal spread and environmental persistence of carbapenem-resistant high-risk Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critical-care units of a Chilean national referral center for burn and trauma patients (2022)
Ibarra et al.This study highlight the circulation of high-risk P. aeruginosa clones in Chile and underscore the importance of molecular epidemiology in guiding infection control, optimizing antimicrobial therapy, and mitigating the clinical and economic burden of CRPA.
The transcriptome of dendritic cells redraws the boundaries between pathogenicity and commensalism in yeast
Rizzetto et al.Our immune system meets many fungi, but reacts strongly to only a few. The comparison of key fungal species showed that responses differ mainly in timing and not just genes, highlighting the need to rethink what makes fungi harmful vs. harmless.
Yippee-like protein Moh1 links gene expression to metabolism and selective stress resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Olgun et al.This study demonstrates that the conserved yeast protein Moh1 links metabolism, gene expression, and cell structure, thereby altering cell envelope permeability and leading to selective stress responses.
Fungistatic effect of sorbic acid on yeast cells via translational repression involving eIF2α phosphorylation and formation of Ded1- and eIF2B-granules
Yoshiyama et al.The findings of this study provide new insights into the physiological effects of sorbic acid on yeast cells, specifically regarding the regulation of translation-related factors.
Occlusal types shape oral microbiome stomatotypes and metabolic landscapes: A multi-omics perspective on host-microbe interaction
Duan et alThis study reveals how occlusal types shape oral microbiome “stomatotypes” and metabolic profiles in adolescents. It offers fresh insights that host anatomy drives microecology which may be associated with personalized oral health.
Prohibitins: emerging host targets of bacteria and viruses at the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and cytoplasm
Rivera-Palomino and TheissProhibitins 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.
Impact of F1Fo-ATP-synthase dimer assembly factors on mitochondrial function and organismic aging
Rampello et al.In aerobic organisms, mitochondrial F1Fo-ATP-synthase is the major site of ATP production. Here, Rampello et al. report on the role of the two dimer assembly factors PaATPE and PaATPG of the aging model Podospora anserina validating a model that links mitochondrial membrane remodeling to aging and identify specific molecular components triggering this process.
Non-canonical regulation of glutathione and trehalose biosynthesis characterizes non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts with poor performance in active dry yeast production
Gamero-Sandemetrio et al.Several yeast species, belonging to Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces genera, play fundamental roles during spontaneous must grape fermentation, and recent studies have shown that mixed fermentations, co-inoculated with S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces strains, can improve wine organoleptic properties. Here, Gamero-Sandemetrio et al. present findings that non-canonical regulation of glutathione and trehalose biosynthesis could cause poor fermentative performance after active dry yeast (ADY) production, as it corroborates the corrective effect of antioxidant treatments, during biomass propagation, with both pure chemicals and food-grade argan oil.
Molecular signature of the imprintosome complex at the mating-type locus in fission yeast
Raimondi et al.Genetic and molecular studies have indicated that an epigenetic imprint at mat1, the sexual locus of fission yeast, initiates mating type switching. Here, Raimondi et al. characterized the recruitment of early players of mating type switching at the mat1 region and suggest a nucleoprotein protective structure defined as imprintosome.
A novel system to monitor mitochondrial translation in yeast
Suhm et al.In this study Suhm et al. present a novel system to monitor mitochondrial translation by detection of mitochondrial GFP-translation through fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in functional mitochondria. This novel tool allows the investigation of the function and regulation of mitochondrial translation during stress signaling, aging and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT or FITM) proteins are related to lipid phosphatase/phosphotransferase enzymes
Hayes et al.Fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT or FITM) proteins have been implicated in the partitioning of triacylglycerol to lipid droplets and the budding of lipid droplets from the ER. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two FITM homologues and the presented results suggest that Scs3p and Yft2p as well as FITMs in general are lipid phosphatase/phosphotransferase (LPT) enzymes involved in an as yet unknown critical step in phospholipid metabolism.
Yeast quiescence exit swiftness is influenced by cell volume and chronological age
Laporte et al.Quiescence exit swiftness is crucial not only for micro-organisms in competition for an environmental niche, such as yeast, but also for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in multicellular species. Here, Laporte et al. explore the effect of replicative and chronological age on Saccharomyces cerevisiae quiescence exit efficiency. Overall, their data illustrate that the quiescent state is a continuum evolving with time, early and deep quiescence being distinguishable by the cell’s proficiency to re-enter the proliferation cycle.
A versatile plasmid system for reconstitution and analysis of mammalian ubiquitination cascades in yeast
Avagliano Trezza et al.In this article Avagliano Trezza et al. describe a versatile vector system that allows the reconstitution of specific ubiquitination cascades in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisae (baker’s yeast) that provides a versatile tool to study complex post-translational modifications in a cellular setting.
Alcohols enhance the rate of acetic acid diffusion in S. cerevisiae : biophysical mechanisms and implications for acetic acid tolerance
Lindahl et al.Microbial cell factories with the ability to maintain high productivity in the presence of weak organic acids, such as acetic acid, are required in many industrial processes. This study demonstrates that the rate of acetic acid diffusion can be strongly affected by compounds that partition into the cell membrane, and highlights the need for considering interaction effects between compounds in the design of microbial processes.
Forty-five-year evolution of probiotic therapy
Puebla-Barragan and ReidThe field of probiotics has greatly expanded over the past 45 years, driven by the need for safer alternatives to drugs, interest in natural microbial products, and clinical proof of effectiveness, with scientific formulations increasingly defining the market and promising applications for various health areas expected in the future.
Role of pheromone recognition systems in creating new species of fission yeast
Seike and ShimodaThis article comments on work published by Seike at al. (PloS Biol., 2019), which demonstrated an “asymmetric” pheromone recognition system in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
Adaptive bacterial response to low level chlorhexidine exposure and its implications for hand hygiene
KampfThis article shows that bacteria can adapt to low levels of Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), resulting in increased tolerance and cross-resistance to other antimicrobials, suggesting caution in the widespread use of CHG to minimize avoidable selection pressure for resistance.
Microevolution of the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida glabrata during antifungal therapy and host infection
Pais et al.This review explores how Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, common fungal pathogens resistant to antifungal therapy, adapt and evolve within different environments, aiming to identify stable adaptive mechanisms as potential drug targets.
The extracellular matrix of mycobacterial biofilms: could we shorten the treatment of mycobacterial infections?
Chakraborty and KumarThe article discusses the challenges presented by biofilms formed by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species, which can lead to persistent infections that are difficult to treat due to phenotypic drug tolerance. The role of various cell wall components in mycobacterial biofilm formation is outlined, with a particular focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Cellular assays of DNA repair pathways
Klein et al.DNA recombination, repair and mutagenesis assays are powerful tools but each comes with its particular advantages and limitations. Here the most commonly used assays are reviewed, discussed, and presented as the guidelines for future studies.
Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Mechanistic assays of DNA repair processes
Klein et al.Mechanistic assays of DNA repair processes are a powerful tools but each comes with its particular advantages and limitations. Here the most commonly used assays are reviewed, discussed, and presented as the guidelines for future studies.
Imbalance in gut microbes from babies born to obese mothers increases gut permeability and myeloid cell adaptations that provoke obesity and NAFLD
Soderborg and FriedmanThis article comments on work published by Soderborg et al. (Nat Commun, 2018), which demonstrates a causative role of early life microbiome dysbiosis in infants born to mothers with obesity in novel pathways that promote developmental programming of NAFLD.
Retroviral integration site selection: a running Gag?
Lesbats and ParissiIn this article, the authors comment on the study “Structural basis for spumavirus GAG tethering to chromatin” by Lesbats et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2018) that revealed that the Gag protein of the spumaretrovirus prototype foamy virus (PFV) directly interacts with the nucleosome acidic patch, acting as a chromatin tether, and its disruption leads to delocalization of viral particles and integration sites, shedding light on the importance of retroviral structural proteins in the selection of integration sites.
Transceptors as a functional link of transporters and receptors
George DiallinasA relative newcomer in environment sensing are the so called transceptors, membrane proteins that possess both solute transport and receptor-like signaling activities. Now, the transceptor concept is further enlarged to include micronutrient sensing via the iron and zinc high-affinity transporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
S. pombe placed on the prion map
Jacqueline HaylesThis article comments on work published by Sideri et al. (Microbial Cell, 2017), which identified the Ctr4 prion in S. pombe.
Using microbes as a key tool to unravel the mechanism of autophagy and the functions of the ATG proteins
Mario Mauthe and Fulvio ReggioriMicrobes have served to discover and characterize unconventional functions of the ATG proteins, which are uncoupled from their role in autophagy. In our recent study, we have taken advantage of viruses as a screening tool to determine the extent of the unconventional functions of the ATG proteome and characterize one of them.
Autophagy: one more Nobel Prize for yeast
Zimmermann et al.The recent announcement of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumifor the discoveries of mechanisms governing autophagy, underscores the importance of intracellular degradation and recycling. Here we provide a quick historical overview that mirrors both the importance of autophagy as a conserved and essential process for cellular life and death as well as the crucial role of yeast in its mechanistic characterization.
Physiology, phylogeny, and LUCA
Martin et al.Genomes record their own history. But if we want to look all the way back to life’s beginnings some 4 billion years ago, the record of microbial evolution that is preserved in prokaryotic genomes is not easy to read. The classical approach has been to look for genes that are universally distributed. Another approach is to make all trees for all genes, and sift out the trees where signals have been overwritten by lateral gene transfer. What is left ought to be ancient. If we do that, what do we find?
Sexually transmitted infections: old foes on the rise
Carmona-Gutierrez et al.Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are commonly spread via sexual contact. It is estimated that one million STIs are acquired every day worldwide. Besides their impact on sexual, reproductive and neonatal health, they can cause disastrous and life-threatening complications if left untreated. In addition to this personal burden, STIs also represent a socioeconomic problem, deriving in treatment costs of tremendous proportions. Despite a substantial progress in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, the incidence of many common STIs is increasing, and STIs continue to represent a global public health problem and a major cause for morbidity and mortality. With this Special Issue, Microbial Cell provides an in-depth overview of the eight major STIs, covering all relevant features of each infection.
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
You can browse all our issues and published articles here.
FAQs
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.Check Article Types and Manuscript Preparation guidelines. Submit online via Scholastica.
Staphylococcus aureus type I signal peptidase: essential or not essential, that’s the question
Wouter L.W. Hazenbos et al.This article comments on work published by Morisaki et al. (mBio, 2016), which characterized a novel ABC transporter. This transporter apparently compensates for SpsB’s essential function by mediating alternative cleavage of a subset of proteins at a site distinct from the SpsB-cleavage site, leading to SpsB-independent secretion.