Regulation of extracellular vesicles for protein secretion in Aspergillus nidulans
This study reveals that Aspergillus nidulans boosts extracellular vesicle production when ER-trafficked enzymes are induced, uncovering how fungi remodel their secretome through vesicle-mediated secretion to adapt to changing environments and biofilm formation.
Transcriptomic response to different heme sources in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes
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.
Luminal acetylation of microtubules is not essential for Plasmodium berghei and Toxoplasma gondii survival
Acetylation of α-tubulin at lysine 40 is not essential for cytoskeletal stability in Plasmodium berghei or Toxoplasma gondii, suggesting redundancy and plasticity in microtubule regulation in these parasites.
The dual-site agonist for human M2 muscarinic receptors Iper-8-naphtalimide induces mitochondrial dysfunction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
S. cerevisiae is a model to study human GPCRs. N-8-Iper, active against glioblastoma via M2 receptor, causes mitochondrial damage in yeast by binding Ste2, highlighting evolutionary conservation of GPCRs.
Integrative Omics reveals changes in the cellular landscape of peroxisome-deficient pex3 yeast cells
To uncover the consequences of peroxisome deficiency, we compared Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type with pex3 cells, which lack peroxisomes, employing quantitative proteomics and transcriptomics technologies.
Regulation of extracellular vesicles for protein secretion in Aspergillus nidulans
Rebekkah E. Pope1, Patrick Ballmann2, Lisa Whitworth3 and Rolf A. Prade1,*
This study reveals that Aspergillus nidulans boosts extracellular vesicle production when ER-trafficked enzymes are induced, uncovering how fungi remodel their secretome through vesicle-mediated secretion to adapt to changing environments and biofilm formation.
Transcriptomic response to different heme sources in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes
Evelyn Tevere1,a, María G. Mediavilla1,a, Cecilia B. Di Capua1, Marcelo L. Merli1, Carlos Robello2,3, Luisa Berná2,4 and Julia A. Cricco
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
Ji-In Ryua, Juhye Junga, and Jeong-Yoon Kim
This study establishes Sir2 as a previously unrecognized regulator of selective autophagy during the stationary phase and highlight how cells dynamically control organelle degradation.
The transcription factors ADR1 or CAT8 are required for RTG pathway activation and evasion from yeast acetic acid-induced programmed cell death in raffinose
Luna Laera1,#, Nicoletta Guaragnella1,#, Maša Ždralević1,¶, Domenico Marzulli1, Zhengchang Liu2 and Sergio Giannattasio1
Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on glucose undergoes programmed cell death (PCD) induced by acetic acid (AA-PCD), but evades PCD when grown in raffinose. This is due to concomitant relief of carbon catabolite repression (CCR) and activation of mitochondrial retrograde signaling. In this work, we investigated the relationships between the RTG and CCR pathways in the modulation of AA-PCD sensitivity under glucose repression or de-repression conditions. Our data show that simultaneous mitochondrial retrograde pathway activation and SNF1-dependent relief of CCR have a key role in central carbon metabolism reprogramming which modulates the yeast acetic acid-stress response.
The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, Ubc1, indirectly regulates SNF1 kinase activity via Forkhead-dependent transcription
Rubin Jiao1, Liubov Lobanova1, Amanda Waldner1, Anthony Fu1, Linda Xiao1, Troy A. Harkness1, and Terra G. Arnason1,2
The SNF1 kinase class of serine/threonine kinases, which includes the AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) in other systems, are of widespread interest because of their important roles in glucose homeostasis, stress resistance, and aging. Our goal was to identify discrete ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes that are involved in SNF1 kinase activity in response to glucose levels and anticipated revealing those which are involved in Snf1-Ub attachment. Here, we report that the cell cycle and stress-related E2, Ubc1, indirectly affects SNF1 kinase activity not through stability, but through upstream events.
Phylogenetic profiles of all membrane transport proteins of the malaria parasite highlight new drug targets
January Weiner 3rd1 and Taco W.A. Kooij2
In order to combat the on-going malaria epidemic, discovery of new drug targets remains vital. Proteins that are essential to survival and specific to malaria parasites are key candidates. Here, we present a comprehensive orthology assignment of all Plasmodium falciparum putative membrane transport proteins and provide a detailed overview of the associated essential gene functions obtained through experimental genetics studies in human and murine model parasites.
VDAC regulates AAC-mediated apoptosis and cytochrome c release in yeast
Dário Trindade1,2, Clara Pereira3,4, Susana R. Chaves1, Stéphen Manon2, Manuela Côrte-Real1 and Maria João Sousa1
Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization is a key event in apoptosis processes leading to the release of lethal factors. In this study, we sought to determine whether Por1p functionally interacts with ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) proteins, as well as its contribution to cytochrome c release and yeast apoptosis induced by acetic acid treatment. Our data indicate that Por1p may regulate cell survival by acting as a negative regulator of AAC proteins in the apoptotic cascade.
Attenuation of polyglutamine-induced toxicity by enhancement of mitochondrial OXPHOS in yeast and fly models of aging
Andrea L. Ruetenik1,2,3, Alejandro Ocampo1,2,3,¶, Kai Ruan4,5,#, Yi Zhu4,5, Chong Li4,6, R. Grace Zhai1,4,5,6 and Antoni Barrientos1,2,3,5
Defects in mitochondrial biogenesis and function are common in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington’s disease (HD). We could shown that enhancement of mitochondrial biogenesis protects against neurodegeneration in HD yeast and fly models. Our results suggest that therapeutic interventions aiming at the enhancement of mitochondrial respiration and OXPHOS could reduce polyQ toxicity and delay disease onset.
Cox1 mutation abrogates need for Cox23 in cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis
Richard Dela Cruz1,2, Mi-Young Jeong1 and Dennis R. Winge1
Cox23 is a known conserved assembly factor for cytochrome c oxidase, although its role in cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) biogenesis remains unresolved. To gain additional insights into its role, we isolated spontaneous suppressors of the respiratory growth defect in cox23∆ yeast cells. In this report, we describe the isolation of a robust suppressor of the respiratory defect in cox23∆ cells that mapped to the mitochondrial-encoded Cox1 subunit.
Increased spontaneous recombination in RNase H2-deficient cells arises from multiple contiguous rNMPs and not from single rNMP residues incorporated by DNA polymerase epsilon
Anastasiya Epshtein1, Catherine J. Potenski2, and Hannah L. Klein1
Ribonucleotides (rNMPs) can become embedded in DNA from insertion by DNA polymerases, failure to remove Okazaki fragment primers, R-loops that can prime replication, and RNA/cDNA-mediated recombination. We report here that recombination is not stimulated by rNMPs incorporated by the replicative polymerase epsilon. Instead, recombination seems to be stimulated by multiple contiguous rNMPs, which may arise from R-loops or replication priming events.
Construction and evaluation of yeast expression networks by database-guided predictions
Katharina Papsdorf1,#, Siyuan Sima1,#, Gerhard Richter2, Klaus Richter1
DNA-Microarrays are powerful tools to obtain expression data on the genome-wide scale. We set out to define a way to cluster microarray data according to their expressional relationship and to obtain information on the significance of this clustering approach.
Optogenetic monitoring identifies phosphatidylthreonine-regulated calcium homeostasis in Toxoplasma gondii
Arunakar Kuchipudi1, Ruben D. Arroyo-Olarte1, Friederike Hoffmann1, Volker Brinkmann2, Nishith Gupta1, 2
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite, which inflicts acute as well as chronic infections in a wide range of warm-blooded vertebrates. Using an optogenetic sensor to monitor subcellular calcium in this model intracellular pathogen we found a novel regulatory function of phosphatidylthreonine in calcium signaling.
New insights in the mode of action of anti-leishmanial drugs by using chemical mutagenesis screens coupled to next-generation sequencing
Arijit Bhattacharya1, Sophia Bigot2, Prasad Kottayil Padmanabhan2, Angana Mukherjee2, Adriano Coelho3, Philippe Leprohon2, Barbara Papadopoulou2 and Marc Ouellette2
In this article, the authors comment on the study “Coupling chemical mutagenesis to next generation sequencing for the identification of drug resistance mutations in Leishmania” by Bhattacharya et al. (Nat Commun, 2019), which introduces Mut-seq, a chemical mutagenesis and sequencing approach, to uncover drug resistance mechanisms in Leishmania, revealing links between lipid metabolism genes and miltefosine resistance, and a protein kinase involved in translation conferring paromomycin resistance.
Microfluidic techniques for separation of bacterial cells via taxis
Jyoti P. Gurung1, Murat Gel2,3 and Matthew A. B. Baker1,3
Microfluidic tools, ideal for studying microbial motility due to their control over laminar flows at microscopic scales, enable precise analysis of various taxis behaviors and have advanced applications in synthetic biology, directed evolution, and medical microbiology.
Influence of delivery and feeding mode in oral fungi colonization – a systematic review
Maria Joao Azevedo1,2,3,4, Maria de Lurdes Pereira1,5, Ricardo Araujo2,3,6, Carla Ramalho3,7,8, Egija Zaura4 and Benedita Sampaio-Maia1,2,3
A systematic review of oral fungal colonization in infants found that while breastfeeding did not significantly affect the oral mycobiome, vaginal delivery was associated with higher oral yeast colonization, particularly of Candida albicans.
A holobiont view on thrombosis: unravelling the microbiota’s influence on arterial thrombus growth
Giulia Pontarollo1, Klytaimnistra Kiouptsi1 and Christoph Reinhardt1,2
In this article, the authors comment on the study “The microbiota promotes arterial thrombosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice” by Kiouptsi et al. (mBio, 2019) that showed that commensal microbiota, intricately linked to host physiology, may influence cardiovascular disease, as shown by studies using germ-free atherosclerosis-prone mice to examine how microbial presence and diet affect arterial thrombosis and lesion development.
The role of Lactobacillus species in the control of Candida via biotrophic interactions
Isabella Zangl1, Ildiko-Julia Pap2, Christoph Aspöck2 and Christoph Schüller1,3
Microbial communities, including Candida and Lactobacillus species, play a crucial role in human health, particularly in the context of mucosal infections, but our understanding of their interactions and effects is still incomplete due to the variability of species and isolates as well as the complexity of the human host.
Tribal warfare: Commensal Neisseria kill pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae using its DNA
Magdalene So1 and Maria A. Rendón1
This article comments on work published by Kim et al (Cell Host Microbe, 2019), which adds a new dimension to the concept of commensal protection. It shows that commensal Neisseria kill the closely related pathogen N. gonorrhoeae through an unexpected mechanism, one that involves genetic competence, DNA methylation state and recombination.
Yet another job for the bacterial ribosome
Andrea Origi1,2, Ana Natriashivili1,2, Lara Knüpffer1, Clara Fehrenbach1, Kärt Denks1,2, Rosella Asti1 and Hans-Georg Koch1
This article comments on work published by Knüpffer et al (mBio, 2019), which revealed the intricate interaction of uL23 with yet another essential player in bacteria, the ATPase SecA, which is best known for its role during post-translational secretion of proteins across the bacterial SecYEG translocon
Gut microbial metabolites in depression: understanding the biochemical mechanisms
Giorgia Caspani1, Sidney Kennedy2-5, Jane A. Foster6 and Jonathan Swann1
This article shows how the gut microbiota contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and examines the mechanisms by which microbially-derived molecules may influence depressive behavior, highlighting the potential of dietary interventions as novel therapeutic strategies.
The multiple functions of the numerous Chlamydia trachomatis secreted proteins: the tip of the iceberg
Joana N. Bugalhão1 and Luís Jaime Mota1
CThis article shows an in-depth review on the current knowledge and outstanding questions about secreted proteins from Chlamydia trachomatis, detailing their roles in host cell interaction and immune response evasion.
Starting with a degron: N-terminal formyl-methionine of nascent bacterial proteins contributes to their proteolytic control
R. Jürgen Dohmen
In this article, the author comments on the study “Formyl-methionine as a degradation signal at the N-termini of bacterial proteins.” by Piatkov et al. (Microbial Cell, 2015), discussing a novel N-terminal degradation signal (N-degron) that targets nascent proteins for degradation in Escherichia coli by a new branch of the bacterial N-end rule pathway, termed the fMet/N-end rule pathway
Elongation factor-P at the crossroads of the host-endosymbiont interface
Andrei Rajkovic1, Anne Witzky2, William Navarre3, Andrew J. Darwin4 and Michael Ibba5
Elongation factor P (EF-P) is an ancient bacterial translational factor that aids the ribosome in polymerizing oligo-prolines. EF-P structurally resembles tRNA and binds in-between the exit and peptidyl sites of the ribosome to accelerate the intrinsically slow reaction of peptidyl-prolyl bond formation. Recent studies have identified in separate organisms, two evolutionarily convergent EF-P post-translational modification systems (EPMS), split predominantly between gammaproteobacteria, and betaproteobacteria. Here, the authors highlight the recent discoveries made regarding EPMSs, with a focus on how these incomplete modification pathways shape or have been shaped by the endosymbiont-host relationship.
Feelin’ it: Differential oxidative stress sensing mediated by Cyclin C
W. Scott Moye-Rowley
Microbial cells that live exposed directly to their environmental milieu are faced with the challenge of adapting to the dynamic stress conditions that will inevitably be encountered. These stress conditions may vary over wide ranges and the most efficient responses would be tuned to produce a proportional buffering change. A mild stress would most efficiently be dealt with by a mild metabolic reprogramming that would prevent serious damage. A more severe environmental challenge would demand a more dramatic cellular compensatory response.
Subverting lysosomal function in Trypanosoma brucei
Sam Alsford
This article discusses Koh et al. (2015) “The lysosomotropic drug LeuLeu-OMe induces lysosome disruption and autophagy-independent cell death in Trypanosoma brucei (Microbial Cell 2(8): 288-298).
Entamoeba histolytica – tumor necrosis factor: a fatal attraction
Serge Ankri
This article comments on the study “In Entamoeba histolytica, a BspA family protein is required for chemotaxis toward tumour necrosis factor” by Silvestre et al. (Microbial Cell, 2015).
Toxoplasma control of host apoptosis: the art of not biting too hard the hand that feeds you
Sébastien Besteiro
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that is able to infect a multitude of different vertebrate hosts and can survive in virtually any nucleated cell. Here, the authors discuss the article “Toxoplasma gondii inhibits cytochrome c-induced caspase activation in its host cell by interference with holo-apoptosome assembly” by Graumann et al. (2015, Microbial Cell).
A safety catch for ornithine decarboxylase degradation
Christof Taxis
Feedback inhibition is a common mechanism to adjust the activity of an enzyme in accordance with the abundance of a product. This article comments on the study “Polyamines directly promote antizyme-mediated degradation of ornithine decarboxylase by the proteasome” by Beenukumar et al. (2015), Microbial Cell.
Fancy a gene? A surprisingly complex evolutionary history of peroxiredoxins.
Alena Zíková1,2, Miroslav Oborník1,2,3 and Julius Lukeš1,2,4
In this comment, the authors discuss the article “Prokaryotic ancestry and gene fusion of a dual localized peroxiredoxin in malaria parasites” (Djuika et al., Microbial Cell 2015).
Quorum protection, growth and survival
Ian G . Macreadie
For the growth of a cell culture, one inoculates not with one cell but with a quorum of cells. This most often a requirement, not just a convenience, and most of us take this for granted without question. Here this observation is re-examined to understand why a quorum may be required to grow cells. The importance of quorums may be widespread in the aspects of microbiology they affect. It is very likely that quorums are connected with and have a large impact on the determination of Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations. It is also possible that low cell density may adversely affect cell survival, however, this is an area where even less is known. The need for a quorum might affect other aspects of microbial cell culture, cell isolation and cell preservation. Effects also extend to mammalian cell culture. Here I seek to review studies that have been documented and speculate on how the information might be utilized in the future.
Microbial Cell
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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.