Microreviews, Review
A plant Bcl-2-associated athanogene is proteolytically activated to confer fungal resistance
Mehdi Kabbage1, Ryan Kessens1 and Martin B. Dickman2
This article comments on work published by Li et al. (Plant Cell, 2016), which focuses on the role of Bcl-2-associated athanogene 6 (BAG6) in plant innate immunity, showing that BAG6 plays a key role in basal plant defense against fungal pathogens.
The molecular and cellular action properties of artemisinins: what has yeast told us?
Chen Sun and Bing Zhou
Artemisinin (ART) or Qinghaosu is a natural compound possessing superior anti-malarial activity. Although intensive studies have been done in the medicinal chemistry field to understand the structure-effect relationship, the biological actions of artemisinin are poorly understood and controversial. This review summarizes what we have learned from yeast about the basic biological properties of ARTs, as well as some key unanswered questions.
Chemical proteomics approach reveals the direct targets and the heme-dependent activation mechanism of artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum using an activity-based artemisinin probe
Jigang Wang1,2,# and Qingsong Lin2
This article comments on work published by Wang et al. (Nat Commun, 2014), which provides insights into the mode-of-action of artemisinin and its specificity against malaria parasites.
Translational repression in malaria sporozoites
Oliver Turque1, Tiffany Tsao1, Thomas Li1 and Min Zhang1,2
This article comments on work published by Zhang et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which summarizea recent advances in the translational repression of gene expression in the malaria sporozoite.
Chromatin binding and silencing: Two roles of the same protein Lem2
Ramón Ramos Barrales and Sigurd Braun
This article comments on work published by Barrales et al. (Genes Dev, 2016), which identifies the nuclear envelope protein Lem2, a homolog of metazoan lamin-associated proteins (LAPs), as a relevant factor for heterochromatin silencing and perinuclear localization in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
When and where? Pathogenic Escherichia coli differentially sense host D-serine using a universal transporter system to monitor their environment
James P. R. Connolly and Andrew J. Roe
This article comments on work published by Connolly et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which describes the discovery of a functional and previously uncharacterized D-serine uptake system in E. coli.
Signaling pathways and posttranslational modifications of tau in Alzheimer’s disease: the humanization of yeast cells
Jürgen J. Heinisch1 and Roland Brandt2
In the past decade, yeast have been frequently employed to study the molecular mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases, generally by means of heterologous expression of genes encoding the relevant hallmark proteins. Substantial posttranslational modifications of many of these proteins are required for the development and progression of potentially disease relevant changes. We give an overview on common modifications as they occur in tau during AD and discuss potential approaches to humanize yeast in order to create modification patterns resembling the situation in mammalian cells.
The bacterial cell cycle checkpoint protein Obg and its role in programmed cell death
Liselot Dewachter1, Natalie Verstraeten1, Maarten Fauvart1,2 and Jan Michiels1
This article comments on work published by Dewachter et al. (mBio, 2015), which identified a programmed cell death mechanism in Escherichia coli that is triggered by a mutant isoform of the essential GTPase ObgE.
Post-transcriptional regulation of ribosome biogenesis in yeast
May 1, 2017
Microorganisms adapt to environmental changes by regulating their metabolism, and one key survival strategy is to decrease energy use during adverse conditions by halting ribosome production, with recent findings showing yeast can switch between pre-rRNA processing pathways in response to environmental shifts, adding complexity to ribosome biogenesis regulation.
Insights from the redefinition of Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide O-antigen and core-oligosaccharide domains
April 25, 2017
This article comments on work published by Li et al. (PloS Pathog, 2017), focusing on Helicobacter pylori infections. They are mostly asymptomatic but can lead to serious conditions, and H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is crucial for colonization and persistence, making the study of its structure and biosynthesis pathway vital for understanding pathogenesis and developing treatments.
Evading plant immunity: feedback control of the T3SS in Pseudomonas syringae
March 17, 2017
This article comments on work published by Waite et al. (mBio, 2017), which indicates that a negative autogenous control mechanism, where the sigma factor HrpL represses its own expression, permits the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae to fine-tune its type III secretion system, potentially reducing the elicitation of plant immunity and enhancing its ability to cause disease.
Microbial flora, probiotics, Bacillus subtilis and the search for a long and healthy human longevity
March 16, 2017
This article comments on work published by Donato et al. (Nat Commun, 2017), which reveals that the probiotic Bacillus subtilis extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via mechanisms including the formation of biofilms and the production of signaling molecules like NO and CSF, suggesting a potential pathway through insulin-like signaling that could impact human longevity and age-related diseases.
Chlamydia trachomatis’ struggle to keep its host alive
March 2, 2017
This article comments on work published by Sixt et al. (Cell Host Microbe, 2016), which analyzed a CpoS-deficient mutant yielding unique insights into the nature of cell-autonomous defense responses against Chlamydia.
New insights into the function of a versatile class of membrane molecular motors from studies of Myxococcus xanthus surface (gliding) motility
March 2, 2017
This article comments on work published by Faure et al. (Nature, 2016), which deciphers force transmission at focal adhesion complexes that are involved in gliding motility in bacteria.
Advancing host-directed therapy for tuberculosis: new therapeutic insights from the Toxoplasma gondii
March 2, 2017
This article comments on work published by Koh et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2017), which uncovered that infection-induced signaling pathways suggest possibilities for the development of novel therapeutic modalities for TB that target the intracellular signaling pathways permitting the replication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).
Breaking the bilayer: OMV formation during environmental transitions
February 3, 2017
This article comments on work published by Bonnington & Kuehn (MBio, 2016), which shows how gram-negative bacteria maintain the barrier properties of the outer membrane (OM) in a wide array of physiological conditions despite their inability to degrade lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and protein material present in the outer leaflet of the OM.
The tug-of-war over MTOR in Legionella infections
January 30, 2017
This article comments on work published by Abshire et al (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which uncovered that the host metabolic checkpoint kinase Mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR) is a central regulator of the pathogen niche expansion program.
A new role for Holliday junction resolvase Yen1 in processing DNA replication intermediates exposes Dna2 as an accessory replicative helicase
January 2, 2017
This article comments on work published by Ölmezer et al. (Nat Commun, 2016), which revealed a new function of Yen1, distinct from its previously known role as a Holliday junction resolvase, mediating the removal of branched HR intermediates.