Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A recent study identified a host-derived ammonium transporter in the genome of an algal virus that increases the rate of nitrogen uptake by infected cells and changes how the host accesses diverse nitrogen sources during infection.
A recent study describes a new molecular mechanism used by the gut microbiota to maintain a state of homeostasis in the intestinal lumen, and highlights the importance of PPARγ signalling in this complex regulation.
A recent study by Florezet al. shows a direct correlation between the export of PQS and OMV biogenesis, which suggests that by modulating the export of PQS it is possible to regulate the production of OMVs.
This study reports thatLegionella pneumophilaregulates mitochondrial dynamics to subvert mitochondrial bioenergetics of infected cells in a process that involves a bacterial T4SS effector and a host fission protein.
A recent study investigated how the history of adaptation to a single antibiotic influences the trajectory of evolutionary dynamics during subsequent treatments with different antibiotics.
This month's Genome Watch discusses the release of 1,003 bacterial and archaeal genomes, and describes how they could increase our understanding of the diversity of microbial biological functions and contribute to improved metagenomic analyses.
Soil contains a vast diversity of microorganisms that can directly or indirectly modulate soil processes and terrestrial ecosystems. In this Review, Fierer summarizes the challenges in characterizing the composition and functions of the soil microbiome, and discusses key future research directions.
The intracellular pathogensLegionella pneumophila and Coxiella burnetiiuse the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system to translocate effectors into host cells. Qiu and Luo explore the biochemical and cell biological functions of these effectors and their roles in our understanding of bacterial virulence.
It is remarkable how robustly a bacterial species can maintain its preferred size. In this Review, Willis and Huang explore classic and current knowledge of the mechanisms that coordinate bacterial cell size with essential growth and cell cycle processes.
The evolutionary function of natural competence remains controversial and several hypotheses for a function have been proposed. In this Opinion article, Veening and Blokesch propose that kin-discriminated predation that is linked to natural competence serves as a DNA acquisition strategy and therefore contributes to bacterial evolution.
The resilience of the microbiota can protect us from disease, but a resilient dysbiotic microbiota may also cause disease. This Opinion article discusses the concepts and mechanisms of microbial resilience against dietary, antibiotic or bacteriotherapy-induced perturbations and the implications these have for human health.
