Microreviews, Review
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.
Inhibiting eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis: Mining new tools for basic research and medical applications
Lisa Kofler1, Michael Prattes1 and Helmut Bergler1
This article comments on work published by Awad et al (BMC Biology, 2019), which screened for novel inhibitors of the ribosome biogenesis pathway in yeast.
Diverse conditions support near-zero growth in yeast: Implications for the study of cell lifespan
Jordan Gulli1, Emily Cook1, Eugene Kroll1, Adam Rosebrock2,3, Amy Caudy2 and Frank Rosenzweig1
This review discusses alternative cultivation methods for baker's yeast to study its chronological lifespan, with the aim of better understanding the ageing of non-dividing cells and their potential implications for the lifespan of multicellular eukaryotes such as humans.
Evolution of the bacterial nucleosidase PpnN and its relation to the stringent response
René Lysdal Bærentsen1, Ditlev Egeskov Brodersen1 and Yong Everett Zhang2
This article comments on work published by Zhang et al (Mol Cell, 2019), which discovered an interesting mode of regulation of purine metabolism unique to Proteobacteria.
Mek1/Mre4 is a master regulator of meiotic recombination in budding yeast
February 22, 2016
This article comments on work published by Chen et al. (PLoS BIol, 2015), showing that the meiosis specific kinase Mek1 indirectly regulates the crossover/non-crossover decision between homologs as well as genetic interference and suggests Mek1 to be a "master regulator" of meiotic recombination in budding yeast.
Shaping meiotic chromosomes with SUMO: a feedback loop controls the assembly of the synaptonemal complex in budding yeast
February 19, 2016
This article comments on work published by Leung et al. (J Cell Biol, 2015), which shows that the formation of the meiosis-specific synaptonemal complex is controlled through SUMOylation of a regulator required for the assembly of transverse filaments, implicating the involvement of a positive feedback loop in the control of synaptonemal complex assembly.
Learning epigenetic regulation from mycobacteria
January 18, 2016
This article comments on work published by Koshla et al. (Nat Commun, 2015), which shows that pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis has evolved strategies to hijack the epigenetic regulation of host transcripton for its own survival.
Biofilm assembly becomes crystal clear – filamentous bacteriophage organize the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm matrix into a liquid crystal
December 31, 2015
This article comments on work published by Secor et al. (Host Cell & Microbe, 2015), which highlights a previously unknown role for filamentous Pf phage in organizing the P. aeruginosa biofilm matrix into a liquid crystalline structure. These findings help ground our understanding of biofilm formation within established paradigms of soft matter physics
Spermidine cures yeast of prions
December 25, 2015
This article comments on work published by Speldewinde and Grant (Mol Biol Cell, 2015), which found that spermidine, a polyamine that has been used to increase autophagic flux, acts as a protective agent which prevents spontaneous prion formation in yeast.
Histone deacetylases: revealing the molecular base of dimorphism in pathogenic fungi
November 4, 2015
Fungi, as every living organism, interact with the external world and have to adapt to its fluctuations. For pathogenic fungi, such interaction involves adapting to the hostile environment of their host. Survival depends on the capacity of fungi to detect and respond to external stimuli, which is achieved through a tight and efficient genetic control. Elías-Villalobos et al. propose that histone acetylation is critical to the proper timing and induction of transcription of the genes encoding factors that coordinate changes in morphology with pathogenesis.
Complex regulation of the sirtuin-dependent reversible lysine acetylation system of Salmonella enterica
October 12, 2015
The extensive involvement of the reversible lysine acylation (RLA) system in metabolism has attracted the attention of investigators interested in understanding the fundamentals of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell function. Here the authors discuss the implications of recently reported work performed in the enteropathogen Salmonella enterica (mBio (2015) 6(4):e00891-15), which provided the first insights into the integration of the transcriptional regulation of genes encoding the RLA system with the acs gene encoding the central metabolic enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs).
A bacterial volatile signal for biofilm formation
September 23, 2015
Bacteria constantly monitor the environment they reside in and respond to potential changes in the environment through a variety of signal sensing and transduction mechanisms in a timely fashion. In their recent study (Chen, et al. mBio (2015), 6: e00392-15), the authors demonstrated that the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses acetic acid as a volatile signal to coordinate the timing of biofilm formation within physically separated cells in the community. They also showed that the bacterium possesses an intertwined gene network to produce, secrete, sense, and respond to acetic acid, in stimulating biofilm formation.
The great escape: Pseudomonas breaks out of the lung
September 23, 2015
The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections and the focus of much attention due to its resistance to many conventional antibiotics. This article discusses the potential mechanisms by which these processes occur as well as the novel techniques used to study ExoS function in vivo.