Volume 14 Issue 11, November 2016

Visualization of the morphogenesis and egress of a prototypical archaeal virus reveals some key similarities with eukaryotic viruses.

ProQ is revealed to be a global post-transcriptional regulator that stabilizes structured RNAs.

This study shows that T6SS components that are transferred between cells can be reused to assemble a fucntional T6SS system in the recipient.

This study reveals that TcdB binds to two different receptors, CSPG4 and FZD, in a cell type-dependent manner.

This month's Genome Watch discusses how advances in genome editing have contributed to our understanding of apicomplexan parasite biology.

Protozoan parasites produce extracellular vesicles to communicate with the host and within the parasite population. In this Progress article, Hajduk and colleagues review the production and effects of extracellular vesicles from parasites, includingPlasmodium spp., Trichomonas vaginalisand kinetoplastids.

Mycobacteria use ESX systems to secrete substrates across their cell envelopes. In this Review, Brosch and colleagues describe the roles of ESX systems in host–pathogen interactions and consider how studies of ESX systems might inform vaccine design and therapy development.

In this Review, Claassenset al. discuss recent advances in microbial autotrophic production platforms, in particular the genetic engineering of autotrophic systems in autotrophic microorganisms, the transplantation of partial or complete CO₂fixation pathways and autotrophic energy-harvesting systems into heterotrophs, and the large potential of hybrid systems as autotrophic production platforms. They also explore strategies for the design, quantitative analysis and modular experimental implementation of autotrophic cell factories.

The placenta forms the foremost barrier that protects the developing fetus during pregnancy in eutherian organisms. However, diverse pathogens such asToxoplasma gondii, rubella virus and cytomegalovirus can breach this barrier. In this Opinion article, Coyne and Lazear review mechanisms of vertical transmission, with a focus on the current Zika virus epidemic.

The division of labour is an important strategy in microbial species. In this Perspective, Cooper and West propose a set of conditions that define division of labour, describe recent examples according to these conditions and discuss how clarifying what constitutes division of labour highlights key evolutionary questions.