Table of contents
September 2006 Vol 4 No 9
Research Highlights
Virology: Cutting edge research...
p641 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1488
Environmental microbiology: Photosynthetic mix and match
p642 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1501
Microbial physiology: New electricigens get wired
p642 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1502
Cell biology: Is MipZ the new MinCD?
p643 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1503
Innate immunity: Gut feeling
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1487
Fungal genetics: Fungal resistance needs a little extra
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1500
Bacterial pathogenesis: Triggering GAS invasive disease
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1504
In brief
In Brief
p645 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1505
News Analysis
Genome watch
Where there's muck there's microbes
p646 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1497
Disease watch
In the news
p648 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1498
Reviews
MicroRNAs: expression, avoidance and subversion by vertebrate viruses
Peter Sarnow, Catherine L. Jopling, Kara L. Norman, Sylvia Schütz and Karen A. Wehner
p651 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1473
MicroRNAs are exciting new regulators of genes involved in cell growth and development. Regulatory roles for microRNAs have been identified in plants and animals, but these tiny regulators have not been found in bacteria or fungi. Here, Sarnow and colleagues discuss the fascinating roles of both virus- and host-cell-encoded microRNAs in virus lifestyles.
Fundamental processes in the evolutionary ecology of Lyme borreliosis
Klaus Kurtenbach, Klára Hanincová, Jean I. Tsao, Gabriele Margos, Durland Fish and Nicholas H. Ogden
p660 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1475
Statistical models of vector-borne zoonoses can be useful, but models based on fundamental biological processes are thought to be more powerful in deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the observed distribution patterns. Here, Kurtenbach and colleagues describe the framework needed to develop models of vector-borne zoonoses based on biological processes, using Lyme borreliosis as an example.
Bottlenecks and broomsticks: the molecular evolution of Mycobacterium bovis
Noel H. Smith, Stephen V. Gordon, Ricardo de la Rua-Domenech, Richard S. Clifton-Hadley and R. Glyn Hewinson
p670 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1472
Unlike many other bacterial pathogens, there is little evidence for genetic recombination in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Smith et al. review how this strict clonality has shaped the phylogeny of the M. tuberculosis complex, focusing on the consequences of clonality for the population structure of Mycobacterium bovis within the British Isles.
Ensuring quality and access for malaria diagnosis: how can it be achieved?
David Bell, Chansuda Wongsrichanalai and John W. Barnwell
p682 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1474
Early and accurate disease diagnosis is a pivotal, yet frequently overlooked, component of successful malaria management programmes. Here, David Bell and colleagues discuss the importance of parasite-based diagnosis, and how rapid diagnostic tests have the potential to significantly improve tropical fever management.
Perspectives
Opinion
The genomic code: inferring Vibrionaceae niche specialization
F. Jerry Reen, Salvador Almagro-Moreno, David Ussery and E. Fidelma Boyd
p697 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1476
Comparative genomic analysis can be a powerful tool to investigate the molecular and genetic mechanisms responsible for bacterial niche specialization. Here, the clues that can be gleaned from the complete genome sequences of five different Vibrionaceae species are discussed.
Opinion
Sensing by bacterial regulatory systems in host and non-host environments
Eduardo A. Groisman and Chakib Mouslim
p705 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1478
To survive in various niches, bacteria must effectively integrate a multiplicity of signals from their environment. In this Opinion article, the authors discuss whether recent reports that the Salmonella typhimurium PhoP/PhoQ system recognizes antimicrobial peptides are likely to be biologically significant.
Opinion
Breaching the great wall: peptidoglycan and microbial interactions
Karen A. Cloud-Hansen, S. Brook Peterson, Eric V. Stabb, William E. Goldman, Margaret J. McFall-Ngai and Jo Handelsman
p710 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1486
In this Opinion article the authors propose that peptidoglycan is not only an essential structural component of the bacterial cell wall, but is also involved in diverse biological processes, such as microbial pathogenesis, symbiotic associations and a range of interactions between bacteria and other organisms.
