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Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis was found to cause intestinal barrier dysfunction resulting in T-helper-17-cell-mediated hepatobiliary injury, providing evidence for specific gut-derived, pore-forming pathogens as triggers for immune-mediated liver disease.
Sterols are a hallmark of eukaryotes. So how do hordes of primitive eukaryotes survive and thrive without a key enzyme for making these crucial lipids? We now learn what solution evolution arrived at — invention of an alternative enzyme that does the same job.
A secreted effector from the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis has evolved to acquire a new function that contributes to the unique lifestyle of this species, highlighting the utility of using comparative genetic analyses to address current questions in plant–microorganism interactions.
Only a tiny fraction of bacterial species can be cultured and engineered in the laboratory, limiting our ability to deploy bacteria in harsh environments or use them to produce important compounds. Recent work has opened this frontier by developing new methods to characterize and engineer diverse, undomesticated bacterial species.
