Review, Reviews
Where antibiotic resistance mutations meet quorum-sensing
Rok Krašovec1, Roman V. Belavkin2, John A.D. Aston3, Alastair Channon4, Elizabeth Aston4, Bharat M. Rash1, Manikandan Kadirvel5,6, Sarah Forbes6, and Christopher G. Knight1
This article comments on work published by Krašovec et al. (Nat Comm, 2014), which found that the modulation of de novo mutation to promote antibiotic resistance depends on the density of the bacterial population and cell-cell interactions (rather than, for instance, the level of stress).
Sphingolipids and mitochondrial function, lessons learned from yeast
Pieter Spincemaille1, Bruno P.A. Cammue1,2 and Karin Thevissen1
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.
Genome evolution in yeast reveals connections between rare mutations in human cancer
Xinchen Teng1,2 and J. Marie Hardwick2
This article comments on work published by Teng et al. (Mol Cell, 2013), which, using the yeast knockout collections, provides hard evidence that single gene deletions/mutations in most non-essential genes can drive the selection for cancer-like mutations.
Decoding the biosynthesis and function of diphthamide, an enigmatic modification of translation elongation factor 2 (EF2)
Raffael Schaffrath and Michael J. R. Stark
This article comments on work published by Uthman et al. (PLoS Genet, 2013), which suggests that Dph5 has a novel role as an EF2 inhibitor that affects cell growth when diphthamide synthesis is blocked or incomplete and shows that diphthamide promotes the accuracy of EF2 performance during translation.
Autophagy extends lifespan via vacuolar acidification
Christoph Ruckenstuhl1, Christine Netzberger1, Iryna Entfellner1, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1, Thomas Kickenweiz1, Slaven Stekovic1, Christina Gleixner1, Christian Schmid1, Lisa Klug1, Ivan Hajnal1, Alice G. Sorgo1, Tobias Eisenberg1, Sabrina Büttner1, Guillermo Marin͂o2-4, Rafal Koziel5, Christoph Magnes6, Frank Sinner6,7, Thomas R. Pieber6,7, Pidder Jansen-Dürr5, Kai-Uwe Fröhlich1, Guido Kroemer2,3,8-11, and Frank Madeo1
This article comments on work published by Ruckenstuhl et al. (PLoS Genet, 2014), which uses Saccharomyces cerevisiae to show that autophagy promotes lifespan extension upon MetR and requires the subsequent stimulation of vacuolar acidification, while it is epistatic to the equally autophagy-dependent anti-aging pathway triggered by TOR1 inhibition or deletion.
When less is more: hormesis against stress and disease
Andreas Zimmermann1, Maria A. Bauer1, Guido Kroemer2-5, Frank Madeo1 and Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1
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.
Morphed and moving: TNFα-driven motility promotes cell dissemination through MAP4K4-induced cytoskeleton remodeling
Min Ma1,2 and Martin Baumgartner1
This article comments on work published by Ma and Baumgartner (PLoS Patho, 2014), which investigated Theileria parasite control of host cell motile properties in the context of inflammatory signaling.
Hormesis: a fundamental concept in biology
Edward J. Calabrese
This article addresses the concept of hormetic dose response, which describes the limits to which integrative endpoints can be modulated (i.e., enhanced or diminished) by pharmaceutical, chemical and physical means.
Extracellular vesicles: An emerging platform in gram-positive bacteria
October 5, 2020
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria to transfer biomolecules and facilitate intercellular communication. While EV secretion in gram-negative bacteria is well understood, less is known about gram-positive bacteria. This review explores the role of EVs involved in bacterial competition, survival, immune evasion, and infection of gram-positive bacteria and compares them to gram-negative counterparts.
Structural insights into the architecture and assembly of eukaryotic flagella
September 21, 2020
Cilia and flagella are key structures in motility and signaling. This review highlights recent findings of cryo-EM studies that have mapped the structure of axonemal microtubules in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, revealing over 30 associated proteins as well as recent researcht which focused on the trafficking complexes that transport components between the cell body and cilium.
Plant and fungal products that extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
July 9, 2020
Caenorhabditis elegans' lifespan is extended by plant and fungal extracts activating pathways like autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Low to moderate concentrations promote longevity, while high doses are harmful. This review explores the health benefits of these substances in humans.
From the Uncharacterized Protein Family 0016 to the GDT1 family: Molecular insights into a newly-characterized family of cation secondary transporters
June 15, 2020
This review outlines how the formerly uncharacterized UPF0016 family, now known as the Gdt1 family, plays key roles in cation transport - especially Mn²⁺ - across species from bacteria to humans. These proteins are crucial for processes like glycosylation, photosynthesis, and calcium signaling, with functions linked to their localization in membranes such as the Golgi, chloroplast, and plasma membrane and by that highlighting their evolutionary conservation and physiological relevance, offering insights into their shared and distinct features across organisms.
Regulation of Cdc42 for polarized growth in budding yeast
May 19, 2020
This review highlights how studies in budding yeast have revealed a biphasic mechanism of Cdc42 activation that governs cell polarity establishment, with implications for understanding similar processes in mammalian cells and the role of Cdc42 in aging.
Yeast-based assays for the functional characterization of cancer-associated variants of human DNA repair genes
May 18, 2020
This article highlights how the genetic tractability and conserved DNA repair pathways of yeast make it a powerful system for functionally characterizing human cancer-associated variants in DNA repair genes, aiding in risk assessment and therapeutic decision-making.
Regulation of anti-microbial autophagy by factors of the complement system
March 19, 2020
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
January 15, 2020
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
January 7, 2020
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
November 25, 2019
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.