Review, Reviews
Endolysosomal pathway activity protects cells from neurotoxic TDP-43
Christine Leibiger1,#, Jana Deisel1,#, Andreas Aufschnaiter2, Stefanie Ambros1, Maria Tereshchenko1, Bert M. Verheijen3,4, Sabrina Büttner2,5, and Ralf J. Braun1
In this article, the authors comment on the study "TDP-43 controls lysosomal pathways thereby determining its own clearance and cytotoxicity" by Leibiger et al. (Hum Mol Genet, 2018), proposing that ameliorating endolysosomal pathway activity enhances cell survival in TDP‑43-associated diseases.
Two distinct penicillin binding proteins promote cell division in different Salmonella lifestyles
Sónia Castanheira1, Juan J. Cestero1, Francisco García-del Portillo1, M. Graciela Pucciarelli1,2,3
In this article, the authors comment on the study "A Specialized Peptidoglycan Synthase Promotes Salmonella Cell Division inside Host Cells" by Castanheira et al. (mBio, 2017), discussing insights in two distinct penicillin binding proteins that promote cell division in different Salmonella lifestyles.
New perspectives from South-Y-East, not all about deathA report of the 12th lnternational Meeting on Yeast Apoptosis in Bari, Italy, May 14th-18th, 2017
Nicoletta Guaragnella1,#, Mariarita Stirpe2,#, William Burhans3, Manuela Côrte-Real4, Campbell Gourlay5, Paula Ludovico6,7, Frank Madeo8,9, Dina Petranovic10, Joris Winderickx11, Cristina Mazzoni2 and Sergio Giannattasio1
In this article Guaragnella et al. report on the 12th International Meeting on Yeast Apoptosis (IMYA12), which was held in Bari, Italy from May 14th to 18th, 2017, where more than 100 participants, among which senior and young scientists from Europe, USA, North Africa and Japan, had an intense and open exchange of achievements and ideas in the field of yeast regulated cell death (RCD).
pH homeostasis links the nutrient sensing PKA/TORC1/Sch9 ménage-à-trois to stress tolerance and longevity
Marie-Anne Deprez1,°, Elja Eskes1,°, Tobias Wilms1, Paula Ludovico2, Joris Winderickx1
In this article, Deprez et al. discuss accumulating evidence indicates that pH homeostasis plays a prominent role in the determination of ageing and longevity, thereby providing new perspectives and avenues to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Guidelines and recommendations on yeast cell death nomenclature
Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1,‡,*, Maria Anna Bauer1,‡, Andreas Zimmermann1, Andrés Aguilera2, Nicanor Austriaco3, Kathryn Ayscough4, Rena Balzan5, Shoshana Bar-Nun6, Antonio Barrientos7,8, Peter Belenky9, Marc Blondel10, Ralf J. Braun11, Michael Breitenbach12, William C. Burhans13, Sabrina Büttner1,14, Duccio Cavalieri15, Michael Chang16, Katrina F. Cooper17, Manuela Côrte-Real18, Vítor Costa19–21, Christophe Cullin22, Ian Dawes23, Jörn Dengjel24, Martin B. Dickman25, Tobias Eisenberg1,26, Birthe Fahrenkrog27, Nicolas Fasel28, Kai-Uwe Fröhlich1, Ali Gargouri29, Sergio Giannattasio30, Paola Goffrini31, Campbell W. Gourlay32, Chris M. Grant33, Michael T. Greenwood34, Nicoletta Guaragnella30, Thomas Heger35, Jürgen Heinisch36, Eva Herker37, Johannes M. Herrmann38, Sebastian Hofer1, Antonio Jiménez-Ruiz39, Helmut Jungwirth1, Katharina Kainz1, Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis40, Paula Ludovico41,42, Stéphen Manon43, Enzo Martegani44, Cristina Mazzoni45, Lynn A. Megeney46–48, Chris Meisinger49, Jens Nielsen50–52, Thomas Nyström53, Heinz D. Osiewacz54, Tiago F. Outeiro55–58, Hay-Oak Park59, Tobias Pendl1, Dina Petranovic50,51, Stephane Picot60,61, Peter Polčic62, Ted Powers63, Mark Ramsdale64, Mark Rinnerthaler65, Patrick Rockenfeller1,32, Christoph Ruckenstuhl1, Raffael Schaffrath66, Maria Segovia67, Fedor F. Severin68, Amir Sharon69, Stephan J. Sigrist70, Cornelia Sommer-Ruck1, Maria João Sousa18, Johan M. Thevelein71,72, Karin Thevissen73, Vladimir Titorenko74, Michel B. Toledano75, Mick Tuite32, F.-Nora Vögtle49, Benedikt Westermann11, Joris Winderickx76, Silke Wissing77, Stefan Wölfl78, Zhaojie J. Zhang79, Richard Y. Zhao80, Bing Zhou81, Lorenzo Galluzzi82–84,*, Guido Kroemer84–90,*, Frank Madeo1,26,*
In this review, we propose unified criteria for the definition of accidental, regulated, and programmed forms of cell death in yeast based on a series of morphological and biochemical criteria. Specifically, we provide consensus guidelines on the differential definition of terms including apoptosis, regulated necrosis, and autophagic cell death, as we refer to additional cell death routines that are relevant for the biology of yeast.
Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 deploys a prophage tail-like protein for mycophagy
Rahul Kumar1, Sunil Kumar Yadav1, Durga Madhab Swain1 and Gopaljee Jha1
In this article, the authors comment on the study "A prophage tail-like protein is deployed by Burkholderia bacteria to feed on fungi" by Swain et al. (Nature Communications, 2017), discussing that a prophage tail-like protein (Bg_9562) is essential for mycophagy. The protein may help the bacteria to survive in certain ecological niches and, considering its broad-spectrum antifungal activity, may be potentially useful in biotechnological applications to control fungal diseases.
Ras signalling in pathogenic yeasts
Daniel R. Pentland1, Elliot Piper-Brown1, Fritz A. Mühlschlegel1,2 and Campbell W. Gourlay1
In this article Pentland et al. review the roles of Ras protein function and signalling in the major human yeast pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans and discuss the potential for targeting Ras as a novel approach to anti-fungal therapy.
A novel basolateral type IV secretion model for the CagA oncoprotein of Helicobacter pylori
Silja Wessler1 and Steffen Backert2
In this article, the authors comment on the study "Helicobacter pylori Employs a Unique Basolateral Type IV Secretion Mechanism for CagA Delivery" by Tegtmeyer et al. (Cell Host Microbe, 2017), discussing that the finding of a T4SS receptor suggests the presence of a sophisticated control mechanism for the injection of CagA and the possible impact of this novel signaling cascade on pathogenesis during infection with Helicobacter pylori.
Ser/Thr protein phosphatases in fungi: structure, regulation and function
April 24, 2019
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
April 2, 2019
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.
Role of pheromone recognition systems in creating new species of fission yeast
March 11, 2019
This article comments on work published by Seike at al. (PloS Biol., 2019), which demonstrated an “asymmetric” pheromone recognition system in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
Adaptive bacterial response to low level chlorhexidine exposure and its implications for hand hygiene
March 7, 2019
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
February 8, 2019
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?
January 18, 2019
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
January 7, 2019
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.
Guidelines for DNA recombination and repair studies: Mechanistic assays of DNA repair processes
January 7, 2019
Mechanistic assays of DNA repair processes are a 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.
Imbalance in gut microbes from babies born to obese mothers increases gut permeability and myeloid cell adaptations that provoke obesity and NAFLD
December 19, 2018
This article comments on work published by Soderborg et al. (Nat Commun, 2018), which demonstrates a causative role of early life microbiome dysbiosis in infants born to mothers with obesity in novel pathways that promote developmental programming of NAFLD.
Retroviral integration site selection: a running Gag?
November 19, 2018
In this article, the authors comment on the study "Structural basis for spumavirus GAG tethering to chromatin" by Lesbats et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2018) that revealed that the Gag protein of the spumaretrovirus prototype foamy virus (PFV) directly interacts with the nucleosome acidic patch, acting as a chromatin tether, and its disruption leads to delocalization of viral particles and integration sites, shedding light on the importance of retroviral structural proteins in the selection of integration sites.