Research, Research Articles
Luminal acetylation of microtubules is not essential for Plasmodium berghei and Toxoplasma gondii survival
Thrishla Kumar1,a, Katharina Röver2,a, Johannes F. Stortz3,a, Annika M. Binder2,a, Benjamin Spreng2, Madlen Konert2, Markus Meissner1, Friedrich Frischknecht2,4 and Elena Jimenez-Ruiz1,*
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
Angela Cirigliano1,a, Antonia Amelina2,a, Elena Passarini2, Alessandra Ricelli1, Nicole Balasco1, Mattia Mori3, Bruno Botta4, Maria Egle De Stefano2,5, Claudio Papotto6, Claudia Guerriero2, Ada Maria Tata2,5 and Teresa Rinaldi2,*
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.
Organelle activity organized by the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria encounter structure –ERMES– is essential for Podospora anserina development
Melisa Álvarez-Sánchez1, Matías Ramírez-Noguez1, Beatriz Aguirre-López1 and Leonardo Peraza-Reyes1
Eucaryotic cell functioning and development depend on the concerted activity of its organelles. In the model fungus Podospora anserina, sexual development involves a dynamic regulation of mitochondria, peroxisomes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting that their activity during this process is coordinated.
Role of the putative sit1 gene in normal germination of spores and virulence of the Mucor lusitanicus
Bernadett Vágó1,2, Kitti Bauer1,2, Naomi Varghese1,2, Sándor Kiss-Vetráb1,2, Sándor Kocsubé1,2, Mónika Varga1,2, András Szekeres1,2, Csaba Vágvölgyi1,2, Tamás Papp1,2,3,# and Gábor Nagy1,2,3,#
Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection caused by certain members of the fungal order Mucorales, with increased incidence in recent years. Individuals with untreated diabetes mellitus, and patients treated with deferoxamine are particularly susceptible to this infection.
Tumor microenvironment signatures enhances lung adenocarcinoma prognosis prediction: Implication of intratumoral microbiota
Fei Zhao1,#, Lei Wang2,3,4,#, Dongjie Du5, Heaven Zhao6,7, Geng Tian6,7, Yufeng Li2,3,8, Yankun Liu2,8,9, Zhiwu Wang2,3,10, Dasheng Liu11, Jingwu Li2,3,12, Lei Ji6,7 and Hong Zhao1
The interaction between intratumoral microbiome and the tumor microenvironment (TME) has furthered our understanding of tumor ecology. Yet, the implications of their interaction for lung cancer management remain unclear.
Persistence phenotype of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli in response to ciprofloxacin, revealing high-persistence strains
Valeria Pérez-Villalobos1, Roberto Vidal2, Marcela A. Hermoso3,4 and Paula Bustamante1
We investigated the roles of the resident antibiotic resistance plasmid, the stress response protein HtrA, and macrophage-induced persister formation. Our results revealed broad variability in persister cell formation among AIEC strains.
Knocking out histidine ammonia-lyase by using CRISPR-Cas9 abolishes histidine role in the bioenergetics and the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi
Janaína de Freitas Nascimento1, María Julia Barisón1, Gabriela Torres Montanaro1, Letícia Marchese1, Rodolpho Ornitz Oliveira Souza1, Letícia Sophia Silva2, Alessandra Aparecida Guarnieri2 and Ariel Mariano Silber1
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of this pathway in ATP production, redox balance, and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in T. cruzi. In this work, we focus on the first step of the histidine degradation pathway, which is performed by the enzyme histidine ammonia lyase. Here we determined the kinetic and biochemical parameters of the T. cruzi histidine ammonia-lyase.
Dissecting the cell cycle regulation, DNA damage sensitivity and lifespan effects of caffeine in fission yeast
John-Patrick Alao1, Juhi Kumar1, Despina Stamataki2 and Charalampos Rallis1
Our findings show that caffeine accelerates mitotic division and is beneficial for CLS through AMPK. Direct pharmacological targeting of AMPK may serve towards healthspan and lifespan benefits beyond yeasts, given the highly conserved nature of this key regulatory cellular energy sensor.
TOR-dependent regulation of the yeast homolog of the juvenile Batten Disease-associated gene CLN3
March 11, 2026
This study identifies conditions and genes that induce BTN1 expression in yeast. We show that BTN1 expression is regulated by translational control and by the mTOR1 pathway. An understanding of when and why BTN1 expression will aid in understanding the expression of CLN3, which may be helpful in the treatment of this devastating disease.
Overcoming phagocytosis resistance of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae by directly targeting capsules
February 16, 2026
This study highlights a promising strategy for disarming hypervirulent K. pneumoniae by directly targeting its key virulence factors and provides novel insights into antibacterial therapeutic approaches against this clinically significant pathogen.
VapA/Scs2 sustains polarized growth in Aspergillus nidulans by maintaining AP-2-mediated apical endocytosis
February 5, 2026
To explore the functional significance of ER–PM contact sites in filamentous fungi, we identified and genetically characterized all Aspergillus nidulans proteins homologous to Snc2/VAP, Ist2, or tricalbins.
Genetic make-up and regulation of the L-lysine biosynthesis pathway in Vibrio natriegens
February 3, 2026
This study analysed the make-up and regulation of the biosynthetic pathway for L-lysine and related L-aspartate family amino acids (AFAAs) in Vibrio natriegens DSM759 to provide a comprehensive basis for future metabolic engineering endeavours aiming at developing this strain into an amino acid overproducer.
Regulation of extracellular vesicles for protein secretion in Aspergillus nidulans
January 28, 2026
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
January 23, 2026
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
January 21, 2026
This study establishes Sir2 as a previously unrecognized regulator of selective autophagy during the stationary phase and highlight how cells dynamically control organelle degradation.
Luminal acetylation of microtubules is not essential for Plasmodium berghei and Toxoplasma gondii survival
December 17, 2025
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.