Vol. 04, 2017

Toxin-mediated gene regulatory mechanism in Staphylococcus aureus

Hwang-Soo Joo and Michael Otto

This article comments on work published by Joo et al. (MBio, 2016), which describes the first molecular regulatory mechanism exerted by an S. aureus toxin, setting a paradigmatic example of how S. aureus toxins may influence cell functions to adjust them to times of toxin production.

Improvement of biochemical methods of polyP quantification

Samuel Bru¹, Javier Jiménez¹, David Canadell^2,#, Joaquín Ariño², Josep Clotet¹

As the main output of this evaluation we propose a straightforward and robust procedure that can be used as gold standard protocol for cellular polyP purification and determination from unicellular organisms, thus providing consistency to measurements and facilitating inter-laboratory comparisons and biological interpretation of the results.

Yeast for virus research

Richard Yuqi Zhao

This article summarizes the use of budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) in virus research, highlighting their advantages for studying viral replication, interaction with host cells, and fundamental cellular processes affected by viruses, while discussing their potential in analyzing small viral genomes and facilitating the discovery of antiviral drugs.

Macrophages as drivers of an opportunistic infection

Annette C. Vergunst¹, Nazareth Lopez Carranza¹, Lili Zhang^1,2, Margarida C. Gomes¹, Yara Tasrini¹,
Annemarie H. Meijer³ and David O’Callaghan¹

This article comments on work published by Mesureur et al. (PloS Pathog, 2017), which shows that macrophages are essential for proliferation of B. cenocepacia in the host. This suggests a new paradigm for Bcc infections and urges the development of novel anti-infectious therapies to efficiently disarm these intrinsically antibiotic resistant facultative intracellular pathogens.

Farnesol inhibits translation to limit growth and filamentation in C. albicans and S. cerevisiae

Nkechi E. Egbe^1,2, Tawni O. Dornelles¹, Caroline M. Paget¹, Lydia M. Castelli^1,3 and Mark P. Ashe¹

Farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule, inhibits the switch from yeast to filamentous growth in Candida albicans by impeding translation initiation, differing from fusel alcohols that affect the initiation factor eIF2B, as it disrupts mRNA interaction with the ribosome and prevents preinitiation complex formation.

A yeast model for the mechanism of the Epstein-Barr virus immune evasion identifies a new therapeutic target to interfere with the virus stealthiness

María José Lista¹, Rodrigo Prado Martins², Gaelle Angrand¹, Alicia Quillévéré¹, Chrysoula Daskalogianni², Cécile Voisset¹, Marie-Paule Teulade-Fichou³, Robin Fåhraeus² and Marc Blondel¹

This article comments on a publication by Lista et al. (Nature Communications, 2017) that uncovered the role of the host cell nucleolin (NCL) in EBNA1 self-limitation of expression via a direct interaction of this protein with G-quadruplexes (G4) formed in GAr-encoding sequence of EBNA1 mRNA.

Exacerbating and reversing lysosomal storage diseases: from yeast to humans

Tamayanthi Rajakumar¹, Andrew B. Munkacsi^1,2 and Stephen L. Sturley³

This article summarizes the use of yeast models in advancing our understanding of lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), where they have been instrumental in researching LSD mechanisms, screening for therapeutic compounds, and exploring genetic and gene-environment interactions relevant to diseases like Batten disease, cystinosis, and Niemann-Pick type C disease, as well as their connection to broader health issues such as viral infections and obesity.

Live fast, die fast principle in a single cell of fission yeast

Hidenori Nakaoka¹

This article comments on a recent study (Nakaoka and Wakamoto, PLoS Biol, 2017), which developed a microfluidics-based platform to track multiple single cell lineages until death.

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Post-transcriptional regulation of ribosome biogenesis in yeast

Isabelle C. Kos-Braun and Martin Koš

Microorganisms adapt to environmental changes by regulating their metabolism, and one key survival strategy is to decrease energy use during adverse conditions by halting ribosome production, with recent findings showing yeast can switch between pre-rRNA processing pathways in response to environmental shifts, adding complexity to ribosome biogenesis regulation.

Placeholder factors in ribosome biogenesis: please, pave my way

Francisco J. Espinar-Marchena, Reyes Babiano¹ and Jesús de la Cruz

In ribosome synthesis, "placeholder" factors are crucial trans-acting elements that regulate the timing and assembly of ribosomal proteins, ensuring speed and accuracy in this intricate process by preventing premature interactions and guiding the proper formation of functional ribosomal subunits.

Insights from the redefinition of Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide O-antigen and core-oligosaccharide domains

Hong Li^1,2, Tiandi Yang³, Tingting Liao², Aleksandra W. Debowski^2,4, Hans-Olof Nilsson², Stuart M. Haslam³, Anne Dell³, Keith A. Stubbs⁴, Barry J. Marshall² and Mohammed Benghezal^2,5

This article comments on work published by Li et al. (PloS Pathog, 2017), focusing on Helicobacter pylori infections. They are mostly asymptomatic but can lead to serious conditions, and H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is crucial for colonization and persistence, making the study of its structure and biosynthesis pathway vital for understanding pathogenesis and developing treatments.

Evading plant immunity: feedback control of the T3SS in Pseudomonas syringae

Christopher Waite¹, Jörg Schumacher¹, Milija Jovanovic¹, Mark Bennett¹ and Martin Buck¹

This article comments on work published by Waite et al. (mBio, 2017), which indicates that a negative autogenous control mechanism, where the sigma factor HrpL represses its own expression, permits the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae to fine-tune its type III secretion system, potentially reducing the elicitation of plant immunity and enhancing its ability to cause disease.

Microbial flora, probiotics, Bacillus subtilis and the search for a long and healthy human longevity

Facundo Rodriguez Ayala, Carlos Bauman, Sebastián Cogliati, Cecilia Leñini, Marco Bartolini and Roberto Grau

This article comments on work published by Donato et al. (Nat Commun, 2017), which reveals that the probiotic Bacillus subtilis extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via mechanisms including the formation of biofilms and the production of signaling molecules like NO and CSF, suggesting a potential pathway through insulin-like signaling that could impact human longevity and age-related diseases.

Chlamydia trachomatis’ struggle to keep its host alive

Barbara S. Sixt^1-4, Raphael H. Valdivia⁵, Guido Kroemer^1-4,6-7

This article comments on work published by Sixt et al. (Cell Host Microbe, 2016), which analyzed a CpoS-deficient mutant yielding unique insights into the nature of cell-autonomous defense responses against Chlamydia.

New insights into the function of a versatile class of membrane molecular motors from studies of Myxococcus xanthus surface (gliding) motility

Tâm Mignot¹ and Marcelo Nöllmann²

This article comments on work published by Faure et al. (Nature, 2016), which deciphers force transmission at focal adhesion complexes that are involved in gliding motility in bacteria.

Advancing host-directed therapy for tuberculosis: new therapeutic insights from the Toxoplasma gondii

Chul-Su Yang

This article comments on work published by Koh et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2017), which uncovered that infection-induced signaling pathways suggest possibilities for the development of novel therapeutic modalities for TB that target the intracellular signaling pathways permitting the replication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).

Breaking the bilayer: OMV formation during environmental transitions

Katherine E. Bonnington, Meta J. Kuehn

This article comments on work published by Bonnington & Kuehn (MBio, 2016), which shows how gram-negative bacteria maintain the barrier properties of the outer membrane (OM) in a wide array of physiological conditions despite their inability to degrade lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and protein material present in the outer leaflet of the OM.

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Uncovering the hidden: complexity and strategies for diagnosing latent tuberculosis

Mario Alberto Flores-Valdez

This editorial postulates that advanced proteomic and transcriptomic techniques are evolving and may enhance the detection of latent tuberculosis, thereby distinguishing true M. tuberculosis infections from other conditions, which is vital for controlling potential reactivation and transmission.

The Yin & Yang of Mitochondrial Architecture – Interplay of MICOS and F₁F_o-ATP synthase in cristae formation

Heike Rampelt¹ and Martin van der Laan²

This Editorial posits that mitochondrial cristae architecture is shaped by the interplay of MICOS and ATP synthase, with a recent study illuminating their roles in cristae formation and maintenance.

When a ribosomal protein grows up – the ribosome assembly path of Rps3

Brigitte Pertschy

This article comments on two papers by Mitterer et al., which followed yeast protein Rps3, highlighting the sophisticated mechanisms for protein protection, nuclear transport, and integration into pre-ribosomal particles for final assembly with 40S subunits.

Staphylococcus aureus type I signal peptidase: essential or not essential, that’s the question

Wouter L.W. Hazenbos¹, Elizabeth Skippington² and Man-Wah Tan¹

This article comments on work published by Morisaki et al. (mBio, 2016), which characterized a novel ABC transporter. This transporter apparently compensates for SpsB’s essential function by mediating alternative cleavage of a subset of proteins at a site distinct from the SpsB-cleavage site, leading to SpsB-independent secretion.

Transceptors as a functional link of transporters and receptors

George Diallinas

A relative newcomer in environment sensing are the so called transceptors, membrane proteins that possess both solute transport and receptor-like signaling activities. Now, the transceptor concept is further enlarged to include micronutrient sensing via the iron and zinc high-affinity transporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

S. pombe placed on the prion map

Jacqueline Hayles

This article comments on work published by Sideri et al. (Microbial Cell, 2017), which identified the Ctr4 prion in S. pombe.

Using microbes as a key tool to unravel the mechanism of autophagy and the functions of the ATG proteins

Mario Mauthe^1,2 and Fulvio Reggiori^1,2

Microbes have served to discover and characterize unconventional functions of the ATG proteins, which are uncoupled from their role in autophagy. In our recent study, we have taken advantage of viruses as a screening tool to determine the extent of the unconventional functions of the ATG proteome and characterize one of them.

The tug-of-war over MTOR in Legionella infections

January 30, 2017

This article comments on work published by Abshire et al (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which uncovered that the host metabolic checkpoint kinase Mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR) is a central regulator of the pathogen niche expansion program.

A new role for Holliday junction resolvase Yen1 in processing DNA replication intermediates exposes Dna2 as an accessory replicative helicase

January 2, 2017

This article comments on work published by Ölmezer et al. (Nat Commun, 2016), which revealed a new function of Yen1, distinct from its previously known role as a Holliday junction resolvase, mediating the removal of branched HR intermediates.