Table of contents
July 2006 Vol 4 No 7
Editorial: Microbial ecologists: it's time to 'go large'
p488 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1455
Research Highlights
Quorum sensing: Fungal quorum sensing: in vino veritas?
p489 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1449
Innate immunity: A new way to get complement
p490 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1447
Bacterial ecology: Snapshot of a superorganism
p490 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1448
Virology: Structural insights into calicivirus function
p490 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1452
In brief
Biofilms | Innate immunity | Virology
p491 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1459
Bacterial pathogenesis: Exploiting the host
p492 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1451
Bacterial evolution: Unravelling regulatory networks
p492 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1453
Bacterial pathogenesis: Sticky fingers
p493 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1450
News Analysis
Genome watch
Peddling the nitrogen cycle
p494 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1456
Disease watch
HIV: getting to know the family | Avian influenza | HIV: engaging with chromatin | Acorn alert for Lyme disease | New TB treatment guidelines | HPV vaccine gets the thumbs up
p496 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1457
Reviews
Bug juice: harvesting electricity with microorganisms
Derek R. Lovley
p497 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1442
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 in Gram-positive pathogens
John L. Telford, Michèle A. Barocchi, Immaculada Margarit, Rino Rappuoli and Guido Grandi
p509 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1443
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.
Hot crenarchaeal viruses reveal deep evolutionary connections
Alice C. Ortmann, Blake Wiedenheft, Trevor Douglas and Mark Young
p520 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1444
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.
The co-evolution of host cationic antimicrobial peptides and microbial resistance
Andreas Peschel and Hans-Georg Sahl
p529 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1441
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.
Protein secretion in the Archaea: multiple paths towards a unique cell surface
Sonja-Verena Albers, Zalán Szabó and Arnold J. M. Driessen
p537 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1440
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.
Perspectives
Opinion
Source–sink dynamics of virulence evolution
Evgeni V. Sokurenko, Richard Gomulkiewicz and Daniel E. Dykhuizen
p548 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1446
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.
Opinion
Non-inherited antibiotic resistance
Bruce R. Levin and Daniel E. Rozen
p556 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1445
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.
Correspondence
Correspondence: Cost of cell–cell signalling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: why it can pay to be signal-blind
Dieter Haas
p562 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1466-c1
Author Reply: Cost of cell–cell signalling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: why it can pay to be signal-blind
Laurent Keller and Michael G. Surette
p562 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1466-c2