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.
Time resolved DNA occupancy dynamics during the respiratory oscillation uncover a global reset point in the yeast growth program
Cornelia Amariei, Rainer Machné, Viktor Stolc, Tomoyoshi Soga, Masaru Tomita and Douglas B. Murray
Using multiple approaches, this work implies a nucleosome focusing event as a key step that resets transcription during the respiratory oscillation.
Cell wall dynamics modulate acetic acid-induced apoptotic cell death of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
António Rego#, Ana Marta Duarte#, Flávio Azevedo#, Maria João Sousa, Manuela Côrte-Real and Susana R. Chaves
This work characterizes the involvement of MAPK signaling pathways in cell death induced by acetic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Extracellular calcium triggers unique transcriptional programs and modulates staurosporine-induced cell death in Neurospora crassa
A. Pedro Gonçalves1,2, João Monteiro2, Chiara Lucchi2, David J. Kowbel3, J. Miguel Cordeiro1,4, Paulo Correia-de-Sá1,4, Daniel J. Rigden5, N. Louise Glass3, Arnaldo Videira1,2
The results presented here reveal that in Neurospora crassa, extracellular Ca2+ modulates cell death and the transcriptional alterations induced by staurosporine, and lead to the identification of two novel putative Ca2+-binding proteins, encoded by the NCU08524 and NCU06607 genes.
Multiple metabolic requirements for size homeostasis and initiation of division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Shivatheja Soma, Kailu Yang, Maria I. Morales and Michael Polymenis
This article reveals an unexpected diversity in the G1 cell cycle phenotypes of metabolic and biosynthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, suggesting that growth requirements for cell division are multiple, distinct and imposed throughout the G1 phase of the cell cycle.
Exogenous addition of histidine reduces copper availability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Daisuke Watanabe, Rie Kikushima, Miho Aitoku, Akira Nishimura, Iwao Ohtsu, Ryo Nasuno, and Hiroshi Takagi
The herein presented results indicate that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, histidine cytotoxicity is associated with low copper availability inside cells, not with impaired copper uptake. Furthermore, it suggests that histidine cytotoxicity is involved in deficiency of mitochondrial copper.
Effect of paraquat-induced oxidative stress on gene expression and aging of the filamentous ascomycete Podospora anserina
Matthias Wiemer and Heinz D. Osiewacz
In this article, paraquat is used to experimentally induce strong cellular oxidative stress in Podospora anserina wild-type cultures of different age, finding that this treatment has profound effects on gene expression, growth and lifespan.
Heat shock protein 90 and calcineurin pathway inhibitors enhance the efficacy of triazoles against Scedosporium prolificans via induction of apoptosis
Fazal Shirazi and Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
This article reports for the first time that posaconazole (PCZ) or itraconazolein (ICZ) in combination with the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus or the Hsp90 inhibitor 17-demethoxy-17-(2-propenylamino) geldanamycin renders S. prolificans exquisitely sensitive to PCZ or ICZ via apoptosis.
At neutral pH the chronological lifespan of Hansenula polymorpha increases upon enhancing the carbon source concentrations
Adam Kawałek and Ida J. van der Klei
The data presented in this work indicate that in H. polymorpha at neutral pH the chronological lifespan invariably extends upon increasing the carbon source concentration.
Salt stress causes cell wall damage in yeast cells lacking mitochondrial DNA
Qiuqiang Gao1, Liang-Chun Liou2, Qun Ren2, Xiaoming Bao3 and Zhaojie Zhang2
In this work, the authors report that salt stress causes cell wall damage in yeast cells lacking mitochondrial DNA (ρ0) and that this damage is related to elevated levels of SCW11 and salt stress-induced reactive oxygen species.
Maintaining phagosome integrity during fungal infection: do or die?
Mabel Yang1, Glenn F.W. Walpole1,2 and Johannes Westman1
This article refers to the paper “Lysosome Fusion Maintains Phagosome Integrity during Fungal Infection” by Westman et al. (Cell Host Microbe, 2020), which shows that macrophages respond to pathogen growth by expanding the phagosome membrane through a calcium-dependent mechanism involving lysosome insertion, maintaining membrane integrity and preventing rupture.
Milestones in Bacillus subtilis sporulation research
Eammon P. Riley1, Corinna Schwarz2, Alan I. Derman2 and Javier Lopez-Garrido2
In this review, the foundational discoveries that shaped the sporulation field are discussed, from its origins to the present day, tracing a chronology that spans more than one hundred eighty years.
A novel antibacterial strategy: histone and antimicrobial peptide synergy
Leora Duong1, Steven P. Gross2,3 and Albert Siryaporn1,3
This article refers to the study “Mammalian histones facilitate antimicrobial synergy by disrupting the bacterial proton gradient and chromosome organization” by Doolin et al. (Nat Comm, 2020) that shows that histones enhance the antimicrobial activity of peptides, disrupt bacterial membranes, and inhibit transcription, offering new insights into natural antimicrobial mechanisms.
Extracellular vesicles: An emerging platform in gram-positive bacteria
Swagata Bose1,#, Shifu Aggarwal1,#, Durg Vijai Singh1,2 and Narottam Acharya1
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria to transfer biomolecules and facilitate intercellular communication. While EV secretion in gram-negative bacteria is well understood, less is known about gram-positive bacteria. This review explores the role of EVs involved in bacterial competition, survival, immune evasion, and infection of gram-positive bacteria and compares them to gram-negative counterparts.
Structural insights into the architecture and assembly of eukaryotic flagella
Narcis-Adrian Petriman1 and Esben Lorentzen1
Cilia and flagella are key structures in motility and signaling. This review highlights recent findings of cryo-EM studies that have mapped the structure of axonemal microtubules in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, revealing over 30 associated proteins as well as recent researcht which focused on the trafficking complexes that transport components between the cell body and cilium.
Erythrocyte phospho-signalling is dynamically altered during infection with Plasmodium falciparum
Jack D. Adderley1 and Christian Doerig1
This article refers to the study “Analysis of erythrocyte signalling pathways during Plasmodium falciparum infection identifies targets for host-directed antimalarial intervention” by Adderley et al. (Nat Commun, 2020) that investigates how Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites influence red blood cells. By tracking hanges in over 800 human proteins at different parasite stages they confirmed activation of the PAK-MEK pathway and discovered significant changes, particularly during the trophozoite stage. This suggests that kinases activated by the infection could be targeted for new antimalarial therapies.
Plant and fungal products that extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Jan Martel1,2, Cheng-Yeu Wu1-3, Hsin-Hsin Peng1,2,4, Yun-Fei Ko2,5,6, Hung-Chi Yang7, John D. Young5 and David M. Ojcius1,2,8
Caenorhabditis elegans’ lifespan is extended by plant and fungal extracts activating pathways like autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Low to moderate concentrations promote longevity, while high doses are harmful. This review explores the health benefits of these substances in humans.
A new role for proteins subunits of RNase P: stabilization of the telomerase holoenzyme
P. Daniela Garcia1 and Virginia A. Zakian2
This article refers to the study “Stability and Nuclear Localization of Yeast Telomerase Depend on Protein Components of RNase P/MRP”, by Garcia et al. (Nat Commun, 2020), showing that 3 essential proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are vital for telomerase assembly and nuclear localization. In their mutants, telomerase is less mature, and telomeres are shorter. TLC1 is properly folded but remains in the cytoplasm, rather than moving to the nucleus, where it maintains telomeres.
Lipid droplet biogenesis from specialized ER subdomains
Vineet Choudhary1 and Roger Schneiter2
This article refers to the paper “Seipin and Nem1 establish discrete ER subdomains to initiate yeast lipid droplet biogenesis” by Choudhary et al. (J Cell Biol, 2020), which deals with the formation of lipid droplets (LDs) at specific ER sites marked by the proteins Fld1 and Nem1. These proteins recruit enzymes such as Lro1 and Dga1 to initiate fat storage. Together, Fld1 and Nem1 define where LDs form by organising key proteins and lipids needed for their biogenesis.
Means of intracellular communication: touching, kissing, fusing
Anne Spang1
This work highlights different aspects of communication between organelles, including the importance of organellar contact sites.
Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled
Katherine Figarella1
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
Martin Grube1
This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.
Regulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and its effects on aging
Damiano Pellegrino-Coppola1
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.
Fungal infections in humans: the silent crisis
Katharina Kainz1, Maria A. Bauer1, Frank Madeo1-3 and Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1
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.
Digesting the crisis: autophagy and coronaviruses
Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1, Maria A. Bauer1, Andreas Zimmermann1,2, Katharina Kainz1,
Sebastian J. Hofer1, Guido Kroemer3-7 and Frank Madeo1,2,8
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.
Microbial Cell
is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes exceptionally relevant research works that implement the use of unicellular organisms (and multicellular microorganisms) to understand cellular responses to internal and external stimuli and/or human diseases.
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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.
The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
Miguel A. Chiurillo1 and Noelia Lander1
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.