News & Views in 2023

Improving HIV interventions for men could reduce HIV acquisition in women, close the growing gender gap in HIV infections and further reduce HIV incidence in African countries.

Marine diatoms can switch from chlorophyll-based photosynthesis to rhodopsin-based phototrophy under iron-limitation conditions.

Computational, molecular and structural analyses reveal the presence of bacterial histones that bind DNA to form dense, DNA-enveloping fibres in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.

Lactulose is used to treat patients with hepatic encephalopathy but this prebiotic can also increase intestinal Bifidobacteria, thereby reducing systemic infection, growth of multidrug-resistant bacteria and mortality that often accompanies chronic liver disease.

Genomic epidemiology of the Yemen cholera outbreak reveals the genetic basis for emergence of multidrug resistance with implications for Vibrio cholerae surveillance and control.

Recovery and characterization of the wild-type pangolin coronavirus GD strain helps determine whether these viruses present risks for human transmission and an emerging threat to public health.

Structural analysis reveals that spores of the microsporidium Spraguea lophii contain dimeric hibernating ribosomes.

Genetic and phenotypic changes that enable Pseudomonas to adapt to an animal host are identified. These traits are controlled by a universal signalling molecule and are shared by diverse strains.

Diverse marine bacteria exhibit a preference for either sugars or acids as carbon sources and this preference is predictable from genomic signatures.

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae uses transfer RNA modifications to fine-tune effector protein secretion into host plant cells.

Multi-cohort meta-analysis provides a framework for studies that aim to define causal relationships between the microbiome and autism spectrum disorder.

CRISPR systems canonically confer microorganisms with protection against invading viral DNA, plasmids and mobile genetic elements, however a multi-omics investigation of deep subsurface archaeal communities suggests that archaeal CRISPR systems might target other archaeal parasites or force a transition from parasitism to mutualism.

A mouse model identifies FcγRIIIa engagement on splenic macrophages as a driver of disease severity during dengue infection.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa drives heterogeneity of cyclic di-GMP signalling in biofilms as a division-of-labour strategy to maximize colonization and dispersal using the protein HecE.

Tracking the journey of inulin, a soluble dietary fibre, reveals its fate and transformation by the gut microbiota to alleviate liver disease in mice.

Influenza A virus can selectively recognize and degrade host transcripts via a specific molecular motif, facilitating modulation of the host immune response.

A combination of four phages engineered with a CRISPR–Cas payload can reduce the burden of Escherichia coli infections in animal models without inducing the host immune response.

Population genomics and functional validation show that a second parasite transporter, pfaat1, has a role in chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum.

Many microorganisms remain understudied due to the challenges and complexities of culturing. An integrated lab automation and machine learning platform called BacterAI could be the future.

Residual human DNA reads in sequenced faecal samples may allow some individuals to be identified.