Microreviews – Page 8 – Microbial Cell

Microreviews, Review

Integrins in disguise – mechanosensors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as functional integrin analogues

Tarek Elhasi¹ and Anders Blomberg¹

This article shows that although yeast lack integrin-like proteins, they possess WSC- and MID-type mechanosensors that functionally resemble integrins in animal cells, playing a role in sensing external mechanical stimuli and activating the conserved PKC1-SLT1 cell wall integrity pathway, with potential implications for understanding mechanosensing in yeast biology.

Bacterial maze runners reveal hidden diversity in chemotactic performance

M. Mehdi Salek^1,#, Francesco Carrara^1,#, Vicente Fernandez¹ and Roman Stocker¹

This article comments on work published by Salek et al. (Nat Commun, 2019), which combined microfluidic experiments with mathematical modeling to demonstrate that even in clonal populations, bacteria are individuals with different abilities to climb chemical gradients.

Beyond cells – The virome in the human holobiont

Rodrigo García-López^1,2,3, Vicente Pérez-Brocal^1,2,3 and Andrés Moya^1,2,3

This article provides an overview of viromics—viral metagenomics—and its evolution, highlighting the complexity and dynamic nature of viruses beyond their traditional view as pathogens. It acknowledges the technological advancements in molecular biology and sequencing that have allowed the field to grow, while also noting that viromic research still faces significant challenges and is not as developed as bacterial metagenomics. The review underscores the importance of viruses in various ecosystems, their role in shaping the genetic landscape, and their potential impact, and looks forward to future directions in viromic research.

Laundry and textile hygiene in healthcare and beyond

Dirk P. Bockmühl¹, Jan Schages¹ and Laura Rehberg¹

This article shows that while institutional laundering is regulated to ensure hygiene, the trend towards energy-efficient washing at lower temperatures raises concerns about the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic laundering, with a focus on addressing microbial contamination in both clinical and home settings.

Bacterial pathogens under high-tension: Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to von Willebrand factor is activated by force

Felipe Viela¹, Pietro Speziale^2,3, Giampiero Pietrocola² and Yves F. Dufrêne^1,4

This article comments on work published by Viela et al (mBio, 2019), which shows that the bacterial cell surface protein A to the large plasma glycoprotein von Willebrand factor interaction is tightly regulated by mechanical force.

Yeast AP-1 like transcription factors (Yap) and stress response: a current overview

Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada¹, Frédéric Devaux², Soraia M. Caetano¹, Catarina Pimentel¹, Sofia da Silva¹, Ana Carolina Cordeiro¹ and Catarina Amaral¹

This review summarizes current understanding of the eight Yap transcription factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, detailing their activation by specific stress conditions and discussing their function and evolution across various fungal species.

Septin clearance from the division site triggers cytokinesis in budding yeast

Davide Tamborrini¹ and Simonetta Piatti¹

This article comments on work published by Tamborrini et al (Nat Commun., 2019), which shows that septin displacement during splitting is an essential prerequisite for contractile actomyosin ring constriction during mitosis.

The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging

Taylor N. Tibbs^1,#, Lacey R. Lopez^1,#, and Janelle C. Arthur^1,2,3

This article shows that the microbiota is crucial for immune system development and that its relationship with the immune system during aging and the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, including cancer, needs further research to inform disease treatment and prevention.

Ser/Thr protein phosphatases in fungi: structure, regulation and function

Joaquín Ariño¹, Diego Velázquez¹ and Antonio Casamayor¹

In this work we present the members of this family in S. cerevisiae and other fungal species, and review the most recent findings concerning their regulation and the roles they play in the most diverse aspects of cell biology.

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Toxin-mediated gene regulatory mechanism in Staphylococcus aureus

December 29, 2016

This article comments on work published by Joo et al. (MBio, 2016), which describes the first molecular regulatory mechanism exerted by an S. aureus toxin, setting a paradigmatic example of how S. aureus toxins may influence cell functions to adjust them to times of toxin production.

NprR, a moonlighting quorum sensor shifting from a phosphatase activity to a transcriptional activator

November 5, 2016

This article comments on work published by Perchat et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which demonstrates that, in the absence of the signaling peptide NprX, the sensor NprR is a dimer, which negatively controls sporulation in Bacillus thuringiensis, independently of its transcription factor activity.

The interaction between herpes simplex virus 1 genome and promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) as a hallmark of the entry in latency

November 4, 2016

This article comments on work published by Maroul et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which demonstrates that the interaction of the viral genomes with the nuclear architecture and specifically the promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies is a major determinant for the entry of HSV-1 into latency.

Francisella IglG protein and the DUF4280 proteins: PAAR-like proteins in non-canonical Type VI secretion systems?

October 30, 2016

This article comments on work published by Rigard et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2013), which identified the function of IgIG, a protein of unknown function, encoded within the Francisella Pathogenicity Island.

B cell-helping functions of gut microbial metabolites

September 23, 2016

This article comments on work published by Kim et al. (Cell Host & Microbe, 2016), which showed that the microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) regulate the metabolism and gene expression in B cells to promote antibody production.

Cryptococcus flips its lid – membrane phospholipid asymmetry modulates antifungal drug resistance and virulence

August 1, 2016

This article comments on work published by Huang et al. (MBio, 2016), which reported that in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans loss of lipid flippase activity sensitized cryptococcal cells to multiple classes of antifungal drugs and abolished fungal virulence in murine models.