Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2011

Plans by several US federal agencies to fight the rapid spread of white-nose syndrome in bats are to be welcomed, but the benefits of further basic research into the causative agent should not be ignored.

The identification of the genes that determine the mating types inDictyostelium discoideumopens the way for the use of sexual genetics in this model organism.

A host RNA-editing enzyme (ADAR1) inhibits the replication and cytotoxicity of measles virus and other respiratory RNA viruses.

The identification of a bacterial 'meta-effector' an effector that acts directly on another effector to modulate its function inside the host cell

A new paper describes a mechanism by which some bacteria can bore through carbonate rock by locally readjusting the calcium concentration.

The cyanobacteriumCyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 is capable of highly efficient H₂production under natural aerobic conditions.

A series of mutations can produce a novel functional connection between two separate two-component systems.

This month's Genome Watch looks at the differentBacillusspecies that can cause anthrax.

Our monthly round up of infectious diseases news, which this month includes tuberculosis thriving in 'Victorian-like' conditions in London, further doubt about the link between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome, and the finding thatEchinaceapreparations do nothing for the duration of the common cold.

RNA polymerase is an ancient enzyme that is present in all cellular life. Werner and Grohmann provide an evolutionary view of this enzyme by describing the differences and similarities in the three domains of life, and propose a hypothesis for the evolution of transcriptional regulation.

Viruses have traditionally been thought of as pathogens, but many confer a benefit to their hosts and some are essential for the host life cycle. In this Review, Marilyn Roossinck describes beneficial viruses that are found in a range of hosts, including bacteria, insects, plants and animals.

The formation ofCandida albicans biofilms on implanted medical devices is a major source of infection. Here, Finkel and Mitchell review the latest insights into the mechanisms and regulatory pathways that govern C. albicansbiofilm formation and biofilm-based drug resistance.

Dormancy is a bet-hedging strategy used by microorganisms to generate a seed bank that helps bacteria survive adverse conditions. Lennon and Jones describe some of the mechanisms of dormancy and explain how dormancy affects the stability of ecosystems.

One promising application of synthetic biologies lies in the production of new drugs from secondary metabolites. In this Opinion article, Takano and colleagues describe potential strategies to spatially and temporally regulate the activity of metabolite biosynthetic modules for the design of efficient drug production systems.

There is much to be gained for the biotechnology sector from collaborations between developing countries and developed countries. Thorsteinsdóttir and colleagues describe the benefits of such collaborations and the hurdles that they must overcome in order to succeed.