Vol. 08, 2021

Mechanisms underlying lactic acid tolerance and its influence on lactic acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Arne Peetermans1,2, María R. Foulquié-Moreno1,2 and Johan M. Thevelein1,2,3

This article reviews the manner in which Saccharomyces cerevisiae deals with the accumulation of lactic acid as a singular stress factor as well as in combination with other stresses. In addition, different methods to improve lactic acid tolerance in S. cerevisiae using targeted and non-targeted engineering methods are discussed.

Means of intracellular communication: touching, kissing, fusing

Anne Spang1

This work highlights different aspects of communication between organelles, including the importance of organellar contact sites.

Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled

Katherine Figarella1

This Editorial addresses the meningo-encephalitic stage of Trypanosoma brucei infection and the resultig neuropathogenesis as well as the impact that the application of tools developed in the last years in the field of neuroscience will have on the study of neglected tropical diseases.

Aeration mitigates endoplasmic reticulum stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae even without mitochondrial respiration

Huong Thi Phuong1, Yuki Ishiwata-Kimata1, Yuki Nishi1, Norie Oguchi1, Hiroshi Takagi1 and Yukio Kimata1

This work demonstrates a scenario, in which aeration acts beneficially on Saccharmyces cerevisiae cells even under fermentative conditions.

Lichens – growing greenhouses en miniature

Martin Grube1

This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.

When the pandemic opts for the lockdown: Secretion system evolution in the cholera bacterium

Francis J. Santoriello1,2 and Stefan Pukatzki1,2

This article comments on work published by Santoriello et al. (Nat Comm, 2020), which demonstrates that the T6SS island Auxiliary Cluster 3 (Aux3) is unique to pandemic strains of V. cholerae.

Biofilms by bacterial human pathogens: Clinical relevance – development, composition and regulation – therapeutical strategies

Adina Schulze1,#, Fabian Mitterer1,#, Joao P. Pombo1 and Stefan Schild1,2,3

This review focuses on bacterial biofilms formed by human pathogens, highlights their relevance for diverse diseases and discusses therapeutical intervention strategies targeting biofilms.

A novel BR-SMAD is required for larval development in barber’s pole worm Haemonchus contortus

Fangfang Li1, Peixi Qin1, Lisha Ye1, Nishith Gupta1,2,3 and Min Hu1

The herein presented results show a BMP-like receptor-regulated SMAD in Haemonchus contortus that is required for larval differentiation and underscore an adaptive functional repurposing of BMP-signaling in parasitic worms.

Milestones in Bacillus subtilis sporulation research

Eammon P. Riley1, Corinna Schwarz2, Alan I. Derman2 and Javier Lopez-Garrido2

In this review, the foundational discoveries that shaped the sporulation field are discussed, from its origins to the present day, tracing a chronology that spans more than one hundred eighty years.

Mechanisms underlying lactic acid tolerance and its influence on lactic acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Arne Peetermans1,2, María R. Foulquié-Moreno1,2 and Johan M. Thevelein1,2,3

This article reviews the manner in which Saccharomyces cerevisiae deals with the accumulation of lactic acid as a singular stress factor as well as in combination with other stresses. In addition, different methods to improve lactic acid tolerance in S. cerevisiae using targeted and non-targeted engineering methods are discussed.

Means of intracellular communication: touching, kissing, fusing

Anne Spang1

This work highlights different aspects of communication between organelles, including the importance of organellar contact sites.

Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled

Katherine Figarella1

This Editorial addresses the meningo-encephalitic stage of Trypanosoma brucei infection and the resultig neuropathogenesis as well as the impact that the application of tools developed in the last years in the field of neuroscience will have on the study of neglected tropical diseases.

Aeration mitigates endoplasmic reticulum stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae even without mitochondrial respiration

Huong Thi Phuong1, Yuki Ishiwata-Kimata1, Yuki Nishi1, Norie Oguchi1, Hiroshi Takagi1 and Yukio Kimata1

This work demonstrates a scenario, in which aeration acts beneficially on Saccharmyces cerevisiae cells even under fermentative conditions.

Lichens – growing greenhouses en miniature

Martin Grube1

This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.

When the pandemic opts for the lockdown: Secretion system evolution in the cholera bacterium

Francis J. Santoriello1,2 and Stefan Pukatzki1,2

This article comments on work published by Santoriello et al. (Nat Comm, 2020), which demonstrates that the T6SS island Auxiliary Cluster 3 (Aux3) is unique to pandemic strains of V. cholerae.

When the pandemic opts for the lockdown: Secretion system evolution in the cholera bacterium

Francis J. Santoriello1,2 and Stefan Pukatzki1,2

This article comments on work published by Santoriello et al. (Nat Comm, 2020), which demonstrates that the T6SS island Auxiliary Cluster 3 (Aux3) is unique to pandemic strains of V. cholerae.

Biofilms by bacterial human pathogens: Clinical relevance – development, composition and regulation – therapeutical strategies

Adina Schulze1,#, Fabian Mitterer1,#, Joao P. Pombo1 and Stefan Schild1,2,3

This review focuses on bacterial biofilms formed by human pathogens, highlights their relevance for diverse diseases and discusses therapeutical intervention strategies targeting biofilms.

Milestones in Bacillus subtilis sporulation research

Eammon P. Riley1, Corinna Schwarz2, Alan I. Derman2 and Javier Lopez-Garrido2

In this review, the foundational discoveries that shaped the sporulation field are discussed, from its origins to the present day, tracing a chronology that spans more than one hundred eighty years.

Murals meet microbes: at the crossroads of microbiology and cultural heritage

Maria A. Bauer1, Katharina Kainz1, Christoph Ruckenstuhl1, Frank Madeo1-3 and Didac Carmona-Gutierrez1

This article comments on the duality of microorganisms in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, which encompasses the negative impact of damaging microorganisms and recent advances in using specific microorganisms and microbial-based technologies for cultural heritage preservation.

Urm1, not quite a ubiquitin-like modifier?

Lars Kaduhr1, Cindy Brachmann1, Keerthiraju Ethiraju Ravichandran2,3, James D. West4, Sebastian Glatt2 and Raffael Schaffrath1

This article comments on work published by Brachmann et al. (Redox Biol, 2020), which studied urmylation of the yeast 2-Cys peroxiredoxin Ahp1, uncovering that promiscuous lysine target sites and specific redox requirements determine the Urm1 acceptor activity of the peroxiredoxin.

The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi

Miguel A. Chiurillo1 and Noelia Lander1

This Editorial provides a brief historic overview that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the molecular strategies that have been developed to genetically modify Trypanosoma cruzi, emphasizing the future directions of the field.

Means of intracellular communication: touching, kissing, fusing

Anne Spang1

This work highlights different aspects of communication between organelles, including the importance of organellar contact sites.

Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled

Katherine Figarella1

This Editorial addresses the meningo-encephalitic stage of Trypanosoma brucei infection and the resultig neuropathogenesis as well as the impact that the application of tools developed in the last years in the field of neuroscience will have on the study of neglected tropical diseases.

Lichens – growing greenhouses en miniature

Martin Grube1

This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.

Neuropathogenesis caused by Trypanosoma brucei, still an enigma to be unveiled

April 5, 2021

This Editorial addresses the meningo-encephalitic stage of Trypanosoma brucei infection and the resultig neuropathogenesis as well as the impact that the application of tools developed in the last years in the field of neuroscience will have on the study of neglected tropical diseases.

Aeration mitigates endoplasmic reticulum stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae even without mitochondrial respiration

March 31, 2021

This work demonstrates a scenario, in which aeration acts beneficially on Saccharmyces cerevisiae cells even under fermentative conditions.

Lichens – growing greenhouses en miniature

March 1, 2021

This commentary article provides an overview on different aspects of lichen biology and the remarkable symbiotic association between fungi and algae.

When the pandemic opts for the lockdown: Secretion system evolution in the cholera bacterium

February 18, 2021

This article comments on work published by Santoriello et al. (Nat Comm, 2020), which demonstrates that the T6SS island Auxiliary Cluster 3 (Aux3) is unique to pandemic strains of V. cholerae.

Biofilms by bacterial human pathogens: Clinical relevance – development, composition and regulation – therapeutical strategies

February 1, 2021

This review focuses on bacterial biofilms formed by human pathogens, highlights their relevance for diverse diseases and discusses therapeutical intervention strategies targeting biofilms.

A novel BR-SMAD is required for larval development in barber’s pole worm Haemonchus contortus

December 23, 2020

The herein presented results show a BMP-like receptor-regulated SMAD in Haemonchus contortus that is required for larval differentiation and underscore an adaptive functional repurposing of BMP-signaling in parasitic worms.

Milestones in Bacillus subtilis sporulation research

November 27, 2020

In this review, the foundational discoveries that shaped the sporulation field are discussed, from its origins to the present day, tracing a chronology that spans more than one hundred eighty years.

Nutrient sensing and cAMP signaling in yeast: G-protein coupled receptor versus transceptor activation of PKA

October 12, 2020

The herein presented work supports a model, in which nutrient transceptors are evolutionary ancestors of GPCRs, employing a more primitive direct signaling mechanism compared to the indirect cAMP second-messenger signaling mechanism used by GPCRs for activation of PKA.