Volume 11 Issue 10, October 2013

Two new papers inNature reveal that the Escherichia coli effector protein NleB blocks host death receptor signalling by a novel N-acetylglucosamine transferase activity.

InCaulobacter crescentus, DNA replication is paused during proteotoxic stress through Lon-mediated degradation of DnaA.

TheBacillus subtilisprotein BslA self-assembles into a water-repellent film that coats the surface of biofilms.

The first proofreading protein identified in RNA viruses might lead to new therapeutics against coronaviruses.

Initiation of theVibrio fischeri–squid symbiosis involves the induction of a transcriptional response in the host to alter the local chemical environment and thus promote V. fischericolonization.

A new study offers insights into the changes that drove the switch from a commensal to a pathogenic lifestyle inEnterococcus faecium.

This month's Genome Watch looks back over the past 10 years and highlights how the incredible advances in sequencing technologies have transformed research into microbial genomes.

Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) are staphylococcal toxins with multiple roles in staphylococcal infection. Here, Peschel and Otto discuss recent progress made in our understanding of the biochemical and genetic properties of PSMs and their role inStaphylococcus aureus pathogenesis.

Recent studies have revealed that bacteriophages have a remarkable capacity to defend against the antiviral systems of their bacterial hosts. Here, Moineau and colleagues discuss the diverse mechanisms that phages use to evade adsorption inhibition, restriction–modification systems, CRISPR–Cas systems and abortive infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that causes significant pathology in humans. Here, Lindenbach and Rice discuss recent insights into the unique properties of HCV particles and then review HCV entry and assembly, with a focus on the viral and host factors involved.

The symptoms of malaria are associated with the erythrocytic phase ofPlasmodiumspp. infection, but the pre-erythrocytic (PE) phase, which is clinically silent, has long been of interest as a potential vaccination target. Robert Ménard and colleagues review how our understanding of the PE phase has changed over the past decade and how this in turn has informed our understanding of the host immune response.

In this Essay, Alberset al. discuss the remarkable achievements of two leaders of the archaeal research field: the late Carl Woese and the late Wolfram Zillig. They highlight how the discoveries of these two researchers have inspired the current and upcoming generations of microbiologists.

Richards and Talbot propose that in osmotrophic eukaryotic microorganisms, horizontal gene transfer has had a major role in reconfiguring osmotrophic functions, which involve the production and acquisition of public goods.

Assessing the genetic variation of bacteria has become ever more complex as more sequencing data has become available. Here, Maiden and colleagues propose a gene-by-gene approach of analysing whole-genome data; this approach is based on their experience with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and reflects the functional and evolutionary relationships among bacteria.