Table of contents
August 2007 Vol 5 No 8
In this issue
p565 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1722
Editorial: SysMO: back to the future
p566 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1719
Research Highlights
Cellular microbiology: Mycobacterial escape artists
p567 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1728
Infectious disease: A deadly partnership
p568 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1724
Bacterial Transcription: Elongation stopped in its tracks
p568 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1726
Bacterial secretion: Post-translational control for secretion
p568 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1727
Virology: Hitching a ride with fibrillarin
p570 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1725
Bacterial physiology: Stuck on you...
p571 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1723
Environmental microbiology: Just add water...
p571 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1729
News and Analysis
Genome watch
Say hello to our little friends
p572 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1720
Disease watch
In the news
p574 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1721
Progress
Beneficial suicide: why neutrophils die to make NETs
Volker Brinkmann & Arturo Zychlinsky
p577 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1710
In addition to their phagocytic activity, neutrophils can also kill microorganisms by the release of neutrophil extracellular traps or NETs — fibrous extracellular structures that are composed of chromatin with proteins from the neutrophilic granules attached. Brinkmann and Zychlinsky provide an overview of the structure, function and generation of NETs.
Reviews
Targeting the glycans of glycoproteins: a novel paradigm for antiviral therapy
Jan Balzarini
p583 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1707
Carbohydrate-binding agents (CBAs) are a family of diverse molecules that can bind to specific glycan structures on viruses or target cells. Jan Balzarini describes a new antiviral mechanism that is based on the specific interaction of CBAs with the glycans that are present on viral-envelope glycoproteins.
Viral RNA pseudoknots: versatile motifs in gene expression and replication
Ian Brierley, Simon Pennell & Robert J. C. Gilbert
p598 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1704
RNA pseudoknots have been identified in many different viral and cellular RNAs and are known to have various roles in virus and cellular gene expression. Here, Ian Brierley and colleagues review viral pseudoknots and the role of these structural motifs in virus gene expression and genome replication.
Prions of fungi: inherited structures and biological roles
Reed B. Wickner, Herman K. Edskes, Frank Shewmaker & Toru Nakayashiki
p611 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1708
Several prions have been identified in fungi, where they behave as non-chromosomal cytoplasmic genetic elements that are translated from cell to cell during cell fusion. In this Review, Reed B. Wickner and colleagues take an in-depth look at the biology and structure of fungal prions.
How rhizobial symbionts invade plants: the Sinorhizobium–Medicago model
Kathryn M. Jones, Hajime Kobayashi, Bryan W. Davies, Michiko E. Taga & Graham C. Walker
p619 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1705
The symbiotic relationship between leguminous plants and rhizobial bacteria is one of the most well-studied microbial symbioses. The availability of genome sequence information for many of the bacterial and plant partners involved has been invaluable and in this article, the authors review the most recent discoveries about the mutual recognition between Sinorhizobium meliloti and Medicago truncatula.
Friend and foe: the two faces of Xenorhabdus nematophila
Erin E. Herbert & Heidi Goodrich-Blair
p634 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1706
Although microorganisms have gained notoriety as pathogens, many interactions with microorganisms benefit hosts and can affect development, immunity and nutrition. This Review discusses common features of pathogenic and mutualistic interactions that have arisen from studies with Xenorhabdus nematophila, which influences the lives of two different host animals.
Perspective
Timeline
The nineteenth century roots of 'everything is everywhere'
Maureen A. O'Malley
p647 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1711
This Timeline examines the legacy of nineteenth-century microbiology in relation to plant and animal biogeography of the time. The particular focus is Beijerinck's experimental and theoretical work, and what it implies for twentieth century studies of microbial biodiversity and biogeography.
