Articles in 2023

Decades of coronavirus research and intense studies of SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an unprecedented level of knowledge of coronavirus biology and pathogenesis, yet many outstanding questions remain. Here, we discuss knowledge gaps and research priorities in the field.

This study shows that Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis can evade phage predation by transient conversion to a cell wall-deficient L-form state.

In this Review, Stelzner, Vollmuth and Rudel summarize current knowledge of Chlamydia trachomatis intracellular replication, its metabolism within the host cell and how it defends against host cell autonomous and innate immune responses, as well as its transition to a persistence state.

This month’s Genome Watch explores how synonymous mutations may have wider implications for protein function than previously acknowledged.

Invasive fungal diseases are on the increase globally. The World Health Organization fungal priority pathogens list highlights fungi of critical or high importance to human health and provides pathways for action. The report calls for improved surveillance (diagnostics and antifungal resistance monitoring), research and innovation (implementation research) and public-health interventions.

Mazzolini and colleagues have developed an engineered Mycoplasma pneumoniae strain to treat and prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the lung.

In this Review, Howden and co-workers examine and integrate recent key advances in understanding the mechanisms that Staphylococcus aureus uses to cause infections.

Yang et al. present the fluorogenic reversible reporter SURF to monitor real-time interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2, and identify compounds that block such interaction.

In this Review, the authors summarize the mutations harboured by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern. They describe the impact of mutations on virus infectivity and transmissibility, and discuss SARS-CoV-2 evolution in the context of T cells, innate immunity and population immunity.

This study reports that Acinetobacter baumannii establishes intracellular reservoirs in the bladder that can seed recurrent infections following catheterization.

Choi et al. demonstrate there is a mutualistic interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and cancer cells that modulates tumour homeostasis.

This study reports the finding that the commensal Streptococcus salivarius exacerbates allergic rhinitis.

A recent study found that the Helicobacter pylori genome evolves during disease progression and that these genomic changes select for effective colonizers of gastric metaplasia.

A recent study reports the development of a biomarker-responsive engineered bacterium that can diagnose, record and treat inflammatory bowel disease in mice.

Long COVID is an often debilitating illness of severe symptoms that can develop during or following COVID-19. In this Review, Davis, McCorkell, Vogel and Topol explore our knowledge of long COVID and highlight key findings, including potential mechanisms, the overlap with other conditions and potential treatments. They also discuss challenges and recommendations for long COVID research and care.

Xie et al. show that the harmaline metabolite produced by Akkermansia muciniphila modulates nuclear factor-κB signalling and reduces severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome severity.

In this Review, Minkoff and tenOever examine the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 biology and innate immunity, and they explore how antagonism and dysregulation of host innate immune defences contribute to COVID-19 disease severity.

This Genome Watch explores how metagenomics aids in profiling plant-derived microorganisms and molecules that could have an impact on the composition and function of the human gut microbiome.

Thaiss and colleagues report a gut–brain connection in mice that regulates the motivation for exercise, linking the intestinal microbiome to midbrain dopamine signalling.