Volume 10 Issue 12, December 2012

Characterization of a bacterial cytoplasmic membrane protein that requires the action of both the Sec and Tat pathways to ensure correct insertion into the membrane.

The identification of a novel endonuclease inC. crescentusthat cleaves chromosomal DNA in response to DNA damage, providing support for the hypothesis that bacteria undergo apoptosis-like cell death.

The identification of cable-like filamentous bacteria that support the long-distance transport of electrons in anoxic sediments.

Didier Raoult, Eugene Koonin and colleagues now provide more details about the complement of mobile genetic elements associated with giant viruses.

A newly discovered lytic phage of the phytopathogenPectobacterium atrosepticumsuppresses toxin-mediated abortive infection by mimicking or hijacking the corresponding RNA antitoxin.

Pathogenic SIV infection is associated with expansion of the enteric virome.

Alternative splicing of a hypervariable pattern recognition receptor confers pathogen specificity in insects.

This month's Genome Watch highlights new insights into the use of bacteria in industrial processes such as electricity generation and bioremediation.

The throughput of protein structure determination has increased greatly over the past decade, thanks to advances in X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. Protein structure information is now routinely used in vaccine design, and here, Rappuoli and colleagues describe some of the most recent developments in this new field of structural vaccinology.

Invertebrates lack conventional antibody-based immunity but have the capacity to distinguish between symbionts and pathogens. In this Review, Nyholm and Graf describe how the innate immune system of four model invertebrates functions in the establishment and maintenance of bacterial symbioses.

Compared with our understanding of the microbial ecology of the rhizosphere (the below-ground parts of plants), our understanding of the microbial ecology of the phyllosphere (the aerial parts of plants) has lagged behind, but this has begun to change in recent years. Here, Julia Vorholt reviews the latest research into the composition of microbial phyllosphere communities, the factors that drive this composition and the adaptation of these communities to the plant environment.

Pseudomonas aeruginosainfection of the airways is a major cause of mortality and morbidity for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Here, Molin and colleagues discuss howP. aeruginosa infection evolves from a state of early, intermittent colonization to a state of chronic infection. Studying the in vivo adaptation of P. aeruginosawill enhance our understanding of bacterial evolution, and could also be important for the development of new therapeutic strategies for CF-associated and other chronic infections.

Although it may never be possible for a single animal model to recapitulate all of the features of HIV-1 infection of humans, there have been great advances in the development of small-animal and non-human primate models, as well as in the development of recombinant challenge viruses. Here, the authors review the advantages and disadvantages of the different animal models of HIV/AIDS with respect to their use in the preclinical development of vaccines and antiretroviral therapies.

It has recently emerged that environmental factors such as ambient temperature can strongly influence insect immunity and, thus, shape the outcome of host–parasite interactions. Here, Murdock, Thomas and colleagues argue that, to get more accurate insights into vector resistance, we need to incorporate temperature variation into studies.