Avian influenza: Solving another piece of the H5N1 puzzle

p321 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1412

Antimicrobials: A ringing success

p322 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1415

Bacterial evolution: A small leap for adaptation

p322 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1421

Fungal pathogenesis: Understanding rice blast disease

p323 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1422

Bacterial pathogenesis: Anthrax researchers complete triumvirate

p324 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1416

Innate immunity: CRIg clears out the bad guys

p324 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1420

Bacterial physiology: The Mtb proteasome: an open and shut case

p325 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1411

Cold-adapted archaea

Ricardo Cavicchioli

p331 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1390

To survive at temperatures as low as -45°C, all components of psychrophilic archaea must be adapted to function in cold conditions. Rick Cavicchioli highlights the diverse roles of archaea in cold environments and reviews the molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation revealed by genomic and functional studies.

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Plasmodium post-genomics: better the bug you know?

Taco W. A. Kooij, Chris J. Janse & Andrew P. Waters

p344 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1392

Since the publication of the complete genome sequence of Plasmodium falciparum in 2002, many comparative genome analyses and transcriptome and proteome studies have followed. Here, the authors review the data published to date, and discuss its application to the development of new malaria therapeutics.

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Exploiting pathogenic Escherichia coli to model transmembrane receptor signalling

Richard D. Hayward, John M. Leong, Vassilis Koronakis & Kenneth G. Campellone

p358 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1391

EPEC and EHEC encode both the ligand and receptor required to trigger actin-pedestal assembly in intestinal epithelial cells. Here, the authors discuss the latest data on this interaction and how this system can be used to model eukaryotic transmembrane receptor signalling processes, including immunological synapse and focal-adhesion formation.

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Parallels among positive-strand RNA viruses, reverse-transcribing viruses and double-stranded RNA viruses

Paul Ahlquist

p371 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1389

Despite major differences in the life cycles of the seven different classes of known viruses, the genome-replication processes of certain positive-strand RNA viruses, double-stranded RNA viruses and reverse-transcribing viruses show striking parallels. Paul Ahlquist highlights these similarities and discusses their intriguing evolutionary implications.

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Pushing the envelope: extracytoplasmic stress responses in bacterial pathogens

Gary Rowley, Michael Spector, Jan Kormanec & Mark Roberts

p383 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1394

Roberts and colleagues review the roles of extracytoplasmic stress responses (ESRs) in the pathogenesis of Gram-negative bacteria. ESRs respond to perturbations in the cell envelope and are mediated by the alternative sigma factor ^E (RpoE), the two-component regulator CpxAR, the BaeSR system and phage shock proteins (PSPs).

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