Reviews
Regulation of anti-microbial autophagy by factors of the complement system
Christophe Viret1, Aurore Rozières1, Rémi Duclaux-Loras1, Gilles Boschetti1, Stéphane Nancey1 and
Mathias Faure1,2
This review explores emerging evidence that components of the complement system, beyond their traditional immune roles, modulate autophagy - particularly xenophagy - thereby influencing cell-autonomous antimicrobial responses during host-pathogen interactions.
Microfluidic techniques for separation of bacterial cells via taxis
Jyoti P. Gurung1, Murat Gel2,3 and Matthew A. B. Baker1,3
Microfluidic tools, ideal for studying microbial motility due to their control over laminar flows at microscopic scales, enable precise analysis of various taxis behaviors and have advanced applications in synthetic biology, directed evolution, and medical microbiology.
Influence of delivery and feeding mode in oral fungi colonization – a systematic review
Maria Joao Azevedo1,2,3,4, Maria de Lurdes Pereira1,5, Ricardo Araujo2,3,6, Carla Ramalho3,7,8, Egija Zaura4 and Benedita Sampaio-Maia1,2,3
A systematic review of oral fungal colonization in infants found that while breastfeeding did not significantly affect the oral mycobiome, vaginal delivery was associated with higher oral yeast colonization, particularly of Candida albicans.
The role of Lactobacillus species in the control of Candida via biotrophic interactions
Isabella Zangl1, Ildiko-Julia Pap2, Christoph Aspöck2 and Christoph Schüller1,3
Microbial communities, including Candida and Lactobacillus species, play a crucial role in human health, particularly in the context of mucosal infections, but our understanding of their interactions and effects is still incomplete due to the variability of species and isolates as well as the complexity of the human host.
Gut microbial metabolites in depression: understanding the biochemical mechanisms
Giorgia Caspani1, Sidney Kennedy2-5, Jane A. Foster6 and Jonathan Swann1
This article shows how the gut microbiota contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and examines the mechanisms by which microbially-derived molecules may influence depressive behavior, highlighting the potential of dietary interventions as novel therapeutic strategies.
The multiple functions of the numerous Chlamydia trachomatis secreted proteins: the tip of the iceberg
Joana N. Bugalhão1 and Luís Jaime Mota1
CThis article shows an in-depth review on the current knowledge and outstanding questions about secreted proteins from Chlamydia trachomatis, detailing their roles in host cell interaction and immune response evasion.
Diverse conditions support near-zero growth in yeast: Implications for the study of cell lifespan
Jordan Gulli1, Emily Cook1, Eugene Kroll1, Adam Rosebrock2,3, Amy Caudy2 and Frank Rosenzweig1
This review discusses alternative cultivation methods for baker's yeast to study its chronological lifespan, with the aim of better understanding the ageing of non-dividing cells and their potential implications for the lifespan of multicellular eukaryotes such as humans.
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.
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...
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...
The dual role of cyclin C connects stress regulated gene expression to mitochondrial dynamics
September 14, 2014
This work summarizes the role cyclin C plays in regulating stress-responsive transcription in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including mitochondrial fission and regulated cell death.
Sphingolipids and mitochondrial function, lessons learned from yeast
June 25, 2014
This article reviews recent research showing that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an invaluable model to investigate sphingolipids as signaling molecules in modulating mitochondrial function, but can also be used as a tool to further enhance our current knowledge on sphingolipids and mitochondria in mammalian cells.
When less is more: hormesis against stress and disease
May 5, 2014
This article condenses the conceptual and potentially therapeutic importance of hormesis by providing a short overview of current evidence in favor of the cytoprotective impact of hormesis, as well as of its underlying molecular mechanisms.
Longevity pathways and maintenance of the proteome: the role of autophagy and mitophagy during yeast ageing
April 7, 2014
This review describes recent findings that shed light on how longevity pathways and metabolic status impact maintenance of the proteome in both yeast ageing paradigms. These findings demonstrate that yeast remain a powerful model system for elucidating these relationships and their influence on ageing regulation.
Genome-wide studies of telomere biology in budding yeast
March 1, 2014
In the last decade, technical advances have allowed carrying out systematic genome-wide screens for mutants affecting various aspects of telomere biology. In this review we summarize these efforts, and the insights that this Systems Biology approach has produced so far.