Reviews
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.
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.
The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging
Taylor N. Tibbs1,#, Lacey R. Lopez1,#, and Janelle C. Arthur1,2,3
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.
Forty-five-year evolution of probiotic therapy
Scarlett Puebla-Barragan1,2 and Gregor Reid1,2
The field of probiotics has greatly expanded over the past 45 years, driven by the need for safer alternatives to drugs, interest in natural microbial products, and clinical proof of effectiveness, with scientific formulations increasingly defining the market and promising applications for various health areas expected in the future.
Adaptive bacterial response to low level chlorhexidine exposure and its implications for hand hygiene
Günter Kampf1
This article shows that bacteria can adapt to low levels of Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), resulting in increased tolerance and cross-resistance to other antimicrobials, suggesting caution in the widespread use of CHG to minimize avoidable selection pressure for resistance.
Microevolution of the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida glabrata during antifungal therapy and host infection
Pedro Pais1,2,#, Mónica Galocha1,2,#, Romeu Viana1,2, Mafalda Cavalheiro1,2, Diana Pereira1,2, Miguel Cacho Teixeira1,2
This review explores how Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, common fungal pathogens resistant to antifungal therapy, adapt and evolve within different environments, aiming to identify stable adaptive mechanisms as potential drug targets.
The extracellular matrix of mycobacterial biofilms: could we shorten the treatment of mycobacterial infections?
Poushali Chakraborty1 and Ashwani Kumar1, 2
The article discusses the challenges presented by biofilms formed by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species, which can lead to persistent infections that are difficult to treat due to phenotypic drug tolerance. The role of various cell wall components in mycobacterial biofilm formation is outlined, with a particular focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Cellular assays of DNA repair pathways
Hannah L. Klein1, Giedrė Bačinskaja2, Jun Che3, Anais Cheblal4, Rajula Elango5, Anastasiya Epshtein1, Devon M. Fitzgerald6-9, Belén Gómez-González10, Sharik R. Khan11, Sandeep Kumar7, Bryan A. Leland12, Léa Marie13, Qian Mei14, Judith Miné-Hattab16,17, Alicja Piotrowska18, Erica J. Polleys19, Christopher D. Putnam20,21, Elina A. Radchenko19, Anissia Ait Saada22,23, Cynthia J. Sakofsky24, Eun Yong Shim3, Mathew Stracy25, Jun Xia6-9, Zhenxin Yan7, Yi Yin26, Andrés Aguilera10, Juan Lucas Argueso27, Catherine H. Freudenreich19,28, Susan M. Gasser4, Dmitry A. Gordenin24, James E. Haber29, Grzegorz Ira7, Sue Jinks-Robertson30, Megan C. King12, Richard D. Kolodner20, 31-33, Andrei Kuzminov11, Sarah AE Lambert22,23, Sang Eun Lee3, Kyle M. Miller6,15, Sergei M. Mirkin19, Thomas D. Petes26, Susan M. Rosenberg6-9,14, Rodney Rothstein34, Lorraine S. Symington13, Pawel Zawadzki18, Nayun Kim35, Michael Lisby2 and Anna Malkova5
DNA recombination, repair and mutagenesis assays are powerful tools but each comes with its particular advantages and limitations. Here the most commonly used assays are reviewed, discussed, and presented as the guidelines for future studies.
Yeast as a model system to study metabolic impact of selenium compounds
April 8, 2015
Inorganic Se forms such as selenate or selenite (the two more abundant forms in nature) can be toxic in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, which constitute an adequate model to study such toxicity at the molecular level and the functions participating in protection against Se compounds. In this article, the authors propose that yeast may be used to improve our knowledge on the impact of Se on metal homeostasis, the identification of Se-targets at the DNA and protein levels, and to gain more insights into the mechanism of Se-mediated apoptosis.
Understanding structure, function, and mutations in the mitochondrial ATP synthase
March 24, 2015
This review summarizes the current understanding of the subunit composition of the ATP synthase and the role of the subunits followed by a discussion on known mutations and their effect on the activity of the ATP synthase. The concludes with a summary of mutations in genes encoding subunits of the ATP synthase that are known to be responsible for human disease, and a brief discussion on SNPs.
Modeling non-hereditary mechanisms of Alzheimer disease during apoptosis in yeast
March 20, 2015
Impaired protein degradation and mitochondrial dysfunction are believed to contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer disease (AD). This microreview comments on the article "Accumulation of Basic Amino Acids at Mitochondria Dictates the Cytotoxicity of Aberrant Ubiquitin" by Braun et al. (2015), Cell Rep.
Translate to divide: сontrol of the cell cycle by protein synthesis
March 20, 2015
Protein synthesis underpins much of cell growth and, consequently, cell multiplication. Understanding how proliferating cells commit and progress into the cell cycle requires knowing not only which proteins need to be synthesized, but also what determines their rate of synthesis during cell division. Experiments with proliferating populations of microbial strains, animal or plant cell lines, have rigorous expectations. Under the same culture conditions, cells ought to have the same properties and composition in every single experiment. The basic “metrics” of proliferating cells remain constant, even after many rounds of cell division. These metrics include cellular mass and volume, and macromolecular composition. The constancy of such parameters reflects the fundamental ability of cells to coordinate their growth with their division. Balancing cell growth with cell division determines the overall rates of cell proliferation...
New roles for autophagy and spermidine in T cells
March 2, 2015
This microreview discusses the article "Autophagy is a critical regulator of memory CD8+ T cell formation" by Puleston et al. (2014), eLife.
Characterization of the Maf family of polymorphic toxins in pathogenic Neisseria species
March 2, 2015
In addition to harmless commensal species, Neisseria genus encompasses two pathogenic species, N. meningitidis (the meningococcus) and N. gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus), which are responsible for meningitis and genital tract infections, respectively. This microreview comments on the article "A new family of secreted toxins in pathogenic Neisseria species" by Jamet et al. (2015), PLoS Pathog.
Live fast, die soon: cell cycle progression and lifespan in yeast cells
March 2, 2015
Our understanding of lifespan has benefited enormously from the study of a simple model, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although a unicellular organism, yeasts undergo many of the processes directly related with aging that to some extent are conserved in mammalian cells. Nutrient-limiting conditions have been involved in lifespan extension, especially in the case of caloric restriction, which also has a direct impact on cell cycle progression. In fact, other environmental stresses (osmotic, oxidative) that interfere with normal cell cycle progression also influence the lifespan of cells, indicating a relationship between lifespan and cell cycle control. In the present review we compile and discuss new findings related to how cell cycle progression is regulated by other nutrients. We centred this review on the analysis of phosphate, also give some attention to nitrogen, and the impact of these nutrients on lifespan...
Yeast as a tool for studying proteins of the Bcl-2 family
March 2, 2015
This review focuses on using yeast expressing mammalian proteins of the Bcl-2 family as a tool to investigate mechanisms, by which these proteins permeabilize mitochondrial membranes, mechanisms, by which pro- and antiapoptotic members of this family interact, and involvement of other cellular components in the regulation of programmed cell death by Bcl-2 family proteins.
Mitochondrial type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in fungal cell death
March 2, 2015
During aerobic respiration, cells produce energy through oxidative phosphorylation, which includes a specialized group of multi-subunit complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane known as the electron transport chain. However, this canonical pathway is branched into single polypeptide alternative routes in some fungi, plants, protists and bacteria. They confer metabolic plasticity, allowing cells to adapt to different environmental conditions and stresses...
EzrA: a spectrin-like scaffold in the bacterial cell division machinery
January 15, 2015
Much progress has been made in identifying the components of the divisome, the assembly of proteins that undertakes the vital process of cell division in bacteria. However, how the highly interdependent processes on either side of the membrane are coordinated during division is a major unresolved question. This comment discusses the article "Structure and function of a spectrin-like regulator of bacterial cytokinesis" by Cleverley et al. (2014), Nat Commun.