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It is well established that microorganisms can convert organic matter into electricity in devices known as microbial fuel cells. Recent discoveries, however, suggest new strategies for the highly efficient microbial conversion of waste into electricity through stable, self-sustaining systems. Here, Derek Lovley reviews the microbiology of electricity production.
Pili were first identified on the surface of Gram-positive bacteria almost 40 years ago, but it is only in the past decade that these structures have been studied in detail. In this Review, the authors summarize what is known about the structure, assembly and function of the pili of Gram-positive bacteria, focusing on the streptococci.
An increasing number of thermophilic crenarchaeal viruses have been isolated in recent years. Here, the authors present an overview of the crenarchaeal viruses through comparisons of virus isolates, analysis of structural and genetic features and integration of environmental studies.
Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are ancient host defence molecules found in virtually all organisms. Here, the authors discuss how the current repertoire of host CAMPs has been shaped by co-evolution between CAMPs and microbial resistance mechanisms.
To survive in extreme habitats, archaea must assemble a unique cell surface, which requires distinct protein-secretion systems. In this Review, Arnold Driessen and colleagues outline the specialized protein-translocation systems of the Archaea, and explain how these differ from bacteria and eukaryotes.
Source–sink models of adaptive evolution were initially used to study the population ecology of animals and plants. Here, the authors propose that such models can also be applied to the bacterial world and can help to understand how bacterial pathogens adapt to their human hosts.
Bacteria can have genetically determined mechanisms for resistance to antibiotics, but can also be phenotypically refractory to their action — known as 'non-inherited antibiotic resistance'. A mathematical model and computer simulations show how non-inherited resistance could translate to treatment failure and increase the likelihood of inherited resistance in treated patients.
