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.
Unresolved mystery of cyclic nucleotide second messengers, periplasmic acid phosphatases and bacterial natural competence
Kristina Kronborg and Yong Everett Zhang
In this study we aimed to identify the promotors responsible for the expression of the non-specific acid phosphatase AphA during different starvation conditions, to confirm the requirement of the cAMP-dependent CRP regulon for aphA expression, and to finally identify regulators of its expression.
Expansion of metabolically labelled endocytic organelles and cytoskeletal cell structures in Giardia lamblia using optimised U- ExM protocols
Clirim Jetishi1,2,a, Erina A. Balmer1,2,a, Bianca M. Berger1,2,a, Carmen Faso1,3,4 and Torsten Ochsenreiter1
Understanding cellular ultrastructure is tightly bound to microscopic resolution and the ability to identify individual components at that resolution. In this study we demonstrate mostly isotropic 4.5-fold expansion of several different compartments in Giardia cells and present an optimised, shortened, and modular protocol that can be swiftly adjusted to the investigators needs.
Polyadenylated versions of small non-coding RNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are degraded by Rrp6p/Rrp47p independent of the core nuclear exosome
Anusha Chaudhuri1,#, Soumita Paul2,#, Mayukh Banerjea2 and Biswadip Das2
In this investigation, we unveiled a novel functional role of the major nuclear 3′→5′ exoribonuclease, Rrp6p, and its cofactor Rrp47p in the degradation of polyadenylated versions of several mature sncRNAs, including 5S, 5.8S rRNAs, all sn- and some select snoRNAs in the baker’s yeast S. cerevisiae.
Exploring carbon source related localization and phosphorylation in the Snf1/Mig1 network using population and single cell-based approaches
Svenja Braam1, Farida Tripodi2, Linnea Österberg1,3, Sebastian Persson1, Niek Welkenhuysen1, Paola Coccetti2 and Marija Cvijovic1
In this work we set out to explore the relationship between the subcellular localization and regulation of kinases in the context of carbon source signaling. The data presented in this paper reinforce the notion that not only the activation/inactivation of kinases but also their subcellular localization and that of their targets influence fate decisions in response to environmental changes.
A Modular Cloning Toolkit for the production of recombinant proteins in Leishmania tarentolae
Katrin Hieronimus1,2,#, Tabea Donauer1,2,#, Jonas Klein1,#, Bastian Hinkel1,#, Julia Vanessa Spänle1,#, Anna Probst1,#, Justus Niemeyer1,#, Salina Kibrom1, Anna Maria Kiefer1, Luzia Schneider2, Britta Husemann2, Eileen Bischoff2, Sophie Möhring2, Nicolas Bayer1, Dorothée Klein1, Adrian Engels1, Benjamin Gustav Ziehmer2, Julian Stieß3, Pavlo Moroka1, Michael Schroda1, and Marcel Deponte2
Modular Cloning (MoClo) is based on libraries of standardized genetic parts that can be directionally assembled via Golden Gate cloning in one-pot reactions into transcription units and multigene constructs. We established a MoClo toolkit and exemplified its application for the production of recombinant proteins in L. tarentolae.
A metagenomic approach to unveil the association between fecal gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids in diarrhea caused by diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children
Pablo Gallardo1,2, Mariana Izquierdo2, Tomeu Viver3, Esteban Bustos-Caparros3, Dana Piras2, Roberto M. Vidal4, Hermie J.M. Harmsen1 and Mauricio J. Farfan2
Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is the main cause of diarrhea in children under five years old. The virulence of DEC is tightly regulated by environmental signals influenced by the gut microbiota and its metabolites. Our results increase the knowledge of the association between short chain fatty acids during diarrhea and changes in the microbiota composition associated with the presence of DEC pathogens.
The effect of multiple sclerosis therapy on gut microbiota dysbiosis: a longitudinal prospective study
Andreea-Cristina Paraschiv1,a, Vitalie Vacaras1,2,a, Cristina Nistor1,2, Cristiana Vacaras3, Stefan Strilciuc1 and Dafin F Muresanu1,2
The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem with various immune functions, plays a significant role in MS, and its response to different treatments is highlighted in this study. In clinical practice, maintaining a healthy microbiota is crucial for individuals with MS.
Comparison of microbial communities and the profile of sulfate-reducing bacteria in patients with ulcerative colitis and their association with bowel diseases: a pilot study
Ivan Kushkevych1, Kristýna Martínková1, Lenka Mráková1, Francesco Giudici2, Simone Baldi2, David Novak3, Márió Gajdács4, Monika Vítězová1, Dani Dordevic5, Amedeo Amedei2 and Simon K.-M. R. Rittmann6
Considerable evidence has accumulated regarding the molecular relationship between gut microbiota (GM) composition and the onset (clinical presentation and prognosis) of ulcerative colitis UC. Our findings highlight, among other observations, significant variations in the gut microbial composition among patients with varying disease severity and activity.
Replicative aging in yeast involves dynamic intron retention patterns associated with mRNA processing/export and protein ubiquitination
Jesús Gómez-Montalvo1, Alvaro de Obeso Fernández del Valle1, Luis Fernando De la Cruz Gutiérrez1, Jose Mario Gonzalez-Meljem1 and Christian Quintus Scheckhuber1
Saccharomyces cerevisiae has yielded relevant insights into some of the basic mechanisms of organismal aging. Among these are genomic instability, oxidative stress, caloric restriction and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our work uncovers a previously unexplored layer of the transcriptional program of yeast aging and, more generally, expands the knowledge on the occurrence of alternative splicing in baker´s yeast.
From microbes to medicine: harnessing the gut microbiota to combat prostate cancer
Anjali Yadav1, Meenakshi Kaushik1, Prabhakar Tiwari1 and Rima Dada1
The gut microbiome (GM) has been identified as a crucial factor in the development and progression of various diseases, including cancer. This review highlights the important role that the GM may play in the development and progression of prostate cancer, through its influence on chronic inflammation, immune modulation, and other pathogenic mechanisms.
The cAMP-PKA signalling crosstalks with CWI and HOG-MAPK pathways in yeast cell response to osmotic and thermal stress
Fiorella Galello1, Mariana Bermúdez-Moretti1, María Clara Ortolá Martínez1, Silvia Rossi1 and Paula Portela1
During industrial fermentation yeast strains are exposed to fluctuations in oxygen concentration, osmotic pressure, pH, ethanol concentration, nutrient availability and temperature. The scope of this review is to outline the advancement of knowledge about the cAMP-PKA signalling and the crosstalk of this pathway with the CWI and HOG-MAPK cascades in response to the environmental challenges heat and hyperosmotic stress.
Phospholipases A and Lysophospholipases in protozoan parasites
Perrine Hervé1, Sarah Monic1, Frédéric Bringaud1 and Loïc Rivière1
In this review, we summarize the literature on phospholipases and lysophospholipases in several protozoan parasites of medical relevance, and discuss the growing interest for them as potential drug and vaccine targets.
Biofilm tolerance, resistance and infections increasing threat of public health
Shanshan Yang1,3, Xinfei Li1,2, Weihe Cang1,2, Delun Mu1,3, Shuaiqi Ji1,3, Yuejia An1, Rina Wu1,2,3 and Junrui Wu1,2,3
The review explores the role of biofilms in the development of bacterial resistance mechanisms and proposed therapeutic intervention strategies for biofilm related diseases.
Infinity war: Trichomonas vaginalis and interactions with host immune response
Giulia Bongiorni Galego1 and Tiana Tasca1
Trichomonas vaginalis is the pathological agent of human trichomoniasis with an incidence of 156 million cases worldwide. This review highlights parasite strategies to activate and stimulate or evade variated and complex immunological mechanisms related to the symptoms and clinical complications observed here.
The metabolites of lactic acid bacteria: classification, biosynthesis and modulation of gut microbiota
Huang Tang1,2, Wanqiu Huang1,2 and Yu-Feng Yao1,2,3,4,5
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are ubiquitous microorganisms that can colonize the intestine and participate in the physiological metabolism of the host. In this review, we summarize the metabolites of LAB and their influence on the intestine as well as the underlying regulatory mechanisms and their impact on human health.
Effects of the intestinal microbiota on prostate cancer treatment by androgen deprivation therapy
Safae Terrisse1, Laurence Zitvogel2-5 and Guido Kroemer6-8
Prostate cancer (PC) can be kept in check by androgen deprivation therapy (ADT, usually with the androgen synthesis inhibitor abiraterone acetate or the androgen receptor antagonist such as enzalutamide) until the tumor evolves to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The transition of hormone-sensitive PC (HSPC) to CPRC has been explained by cancer cell-intrinsic resistance mechanisms. Recent data indicate that this transition is also marked by cancer cell-extrinsic mechanisms such as the failure of ADT-induced PC immunosurveillance, which depends on the presence of immunostimulatory bacteria in the gut. Moreover, intestinal bacteria that degrade drugs used for ADT, as well as bacteria that produce androgens, can interfere with the efficacy of ADT. Thus, specific bacteria in the gut serve as a source of testosterone, which accelerates prostate cancer progression, and men with CRPC exhibit an increased abundance of such bacteria with androgenic functions. In conclusion, the response of PC to ADT is profoundly influenced by the composition of the microbiota with its immunostimulatory, immunosuppressive and directly ADT-subversive elements.
Occurrence and potential mechanism of holin-mediated non-lytic protein translocation in bacteria
Thomas Brüser1 and Denise Mehner-Breitfeld1
Holins are generally believed to generate large membrane lesions that permit the passage of endolysins across the cytoplasmic membrane of prokaryotes, ultimately resulting in cell wall degradation and cell lysis. However, there are more and more examples known for non-lytic holin-dependent secretion of proteins by bacteria, indicating that holins somehow can transport proteins without causing large membrane lesions. Phage-derived holins can be used for a non-lytic endolysin translocation to permeabilize the cell wall for the passage of secreted proteins. In addition, clostridia, which do not possess the Tat pathway for transport of folded proteins, most likely employ non-lytic holin-mediated transport also for secretion of toxins and bacteriocins that are incompatible with the general Sec pathway. The mechanism for non-lytic holin-mediated transport is (…)
Swimming faster despite obstacles: a universal mechanism behind bacterial speed enhancement in complex fluids
Bacteria constitute about 15% of global biomass and their natural environments often contain polymers and colloids, which show complex flow properties. It is crucial to study their motion in such environments to understand their growth and spreading as well as to design synthetic microswimmers for biomedical applications. Bacterial motion in complex viscous environments, although extensively studied over the past six decades, still remains poorly understood. In our recent study combining experimental data and theoretical analysis, we found a surprising similarity between bacterial motion in dilute colloidal suspensions and polymer solutions, which challenged the established view on the role of polymer dynamics on bacterial speed enhancement. We subsequently developed a physical model that provides a universal mechanism explaining bacterial speed enhancement (…)
Patterns of protein synthesis in the budding yeast cell cycle: variable or constant?
Eun-Gyu No, Heidi M Blank and Michael Polymenis
Proteins are the principal macromolecular constituent of proliferating cells, and protein synthesis is viewed as a primary metric of cell growth. While there are celebrated examples of proteins whose levels are periodic in the cell cycle (e.g., cyclins), the concentration of most proteins was not thought to change in the cell cycle, but some recent results challenge this notion. The ‘bulk’ protein is the focus of this article, specifically the rate of its synthesis, in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Ribose 5-phosphate: the key metabolite bridging the metabolisms of nucleotides and amino acids during stringent response in Escherichia coli?
Paulina Katarzyna Grucela1, Tobias Fuhrer2, Uwe Sauer2, Yanjie Chao3 and Yong Everett Zhang1
Here we propose the metabolite ribose 5’-phosphate as the key link between nucleotide and amino acid metabolisms and a working model integrating both the transcriptional and metabolic effects of (p)ppGpp on E. coli physiological adaptation during the stringent response.
Flagellated bacterial porter for in situ tumor vaccine
Haiheng Xu1, Yiqiao Hu1, 2 and Jinhui Wu1, 2, 3
Cancer immunotherapy, which use the own immune system to attack tumors, are increasingly popular treatments. But, due to the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment, the antigen presentation in the tumor is limited. Recently, a growing number of people use bacteria to stimulate the body’s immunity for tumor treatment due to bacteria themselves have a variety of elements that activate Toll-like receptors. Here, we discuss the use of motility of flagellate bacteria to transport antigens to the tumor periphery to activate peritumoral dendritic cells to enhance the effect of in situ tumor vaccines.
The rise of Candida auris: from unique traits to co-infection potential
Nadine B. Egger1,§, Katharina Kainz1,§, Adina Schulze1, Maria A. Bauer1, Frank Madeo1-3 and Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1
Candida auris is a multidrug resistant (MDR) fungal pathogen with a crude mortality rate of 30-60%. First identified in 2009, C. auris has been rapidly rising to become a global risk in clinical settings and was declared an urgent health threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A concerted global action is thus needed to successfully tackle the challenges created by this emerging fungal pathogen. In this brief article, we underline the importance of unique virulence traits, including its easy transformation, its persistence outside the host and its resilience against multiple cellular stresses, as well as of environmental factors that have mainly contributed to the rise of this superbug.
A hundred spotlights on microbiology: how microorganisms shape our lives
Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1, Katharina Kainz1, Andreas Zimmermann1, Sebastian J. Hofer1, Maria A. Bauer1, Christoph Ruckenstuhl1, Guido Kroemer2-4 and Frank Madeo1,5,6
Viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoal biology is of cardinal importance for the evolutionary history of life, ecology, biotechnology and infectious diseases. Various microbiological model systems have fundamentally contributed to the understanding of molecular and cellular processes, including the cell cycle, cell death, mitochondrial biogenesis, vesicular fusion and autophagy, among many others. Microbial interactions within the environment have profound effects on many fields of biology, from ecological diversity to the highly complex and multifaceted impact of the microbiome on human health. Also, biotechnological innovation and corresponding industrial operations strongly depend on microbial engineering. With this wide range of impact in mind, the peer-reviewed (…)
Yeast goes viral: probing SARS-CoV-2 biology using S. cerevisiae
Brandon Ho1, Raphael Loll-Krippleber1 and Grant W. Brown1
The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long been an outstanding platform for understanding the biology of eukaryotic cells. Robust genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry complement deep and detailed genome annotation, a multitude of genome-scale strain collections for functional genomics, and substantial gene conservation with Metazoa to comprise a powerful model for modern biological research. Recently, the yeast model has demonstrated its utility in a perhaps unexpected area, that of eukaryotic virology. Here we discuss three innovative applications of the yeast model system to reveal functions and investigate variants of proteins encoded by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Murals meet microbes: at the crossroads of microbiology and cultural heritage
Maria A. Bauer1, Katharina Kainz1, Christoph Ruckenstuhl1, Frank Madeo1-3 and Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1
This article comments on the duality of microorganisms in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, which encompasses the negative impact of damaging microorganisms and recent advances in using specific microorganisms and microbial-based technologies for cultural heritage preservation.
Urm1, not quite a ubiquitin-like modifier?
Lars Kaduhr1, Cindy Brachmann1, Keerthiraju Ethiraju Ravichandran2,3, James D. West4, Sebastian Glatt2 and Raffael Schaffrath1
This article comments on work published by Brachmann et al. (Redox Biol, 2020), which studied urmylation of the yeast 2-Cys peroxiredoxin Ahp1, uncovering that promiscuous lysine target sites and specific redox requirements determine the Urm1 acceptor activity of the peroxiredoxin.
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.
you can trust
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.
It takes four to tango: the cooperative adventure of scientific publishing
Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1,2, Katharina Kainz1 and Frank Madeo1-3
This Editorial is the 500th article published in Microbial Cell, a journey that started in 2014 and has seen the journal grow steadily and maintain itself as a respected community platform. The foundation that has allowed for and driven this development – as for any responsible journal – is composed of four essential pillars: the readers, the authors, the editors and the referees.