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Five studies report the initial findings of the international Tara Oceans consortium, which describe the microbial composition of the global oceans and the ecological factors that govern community structure in these ecosystems.
This study identifies cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) as a crucial regulator of both cell morphogenesis and chromosome replication inCaulobacter crescentus.
A new study reports a highly specific partnership between a marine diatom and a bacterium, which is the result of a mutually beneficial exchange of nutrients and signalling molecules.
This month's Genome Watch highlights studies that investigate links betweenWolbachia genotypes and their phenotypes, and explore how Wolbachiaadapts to new host environments.
In this Review, Malim and colleagues discuss the evidence that type I interferons (IFNs) can control HIV-1 replicationin vivoand debate the controversial role of IFNs in promoting the pathological sequelae of chronic HIV-1 infection.
HIV-1 infection typically results from the transmission of a single viral variant, the transmitted/founder (T/F) virus. In this Review, Joseph and colleagues discuss how studying these T/F viruses contributes to a better understanding of HIV-1 transmission and affects prevention strategies.
In this Review, Lee and colleagues describe the mechanism of fusion between virus and host cell membranes that occurs during enveloped virus entry and discuss how broad-spectrum antivirals can target this process to prevent viral infection.
In this Opinion article, James Prosser considers the conceptual limitations of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics in contributing to our understanding of soil microbial ecology, and also explores potential opportunities for using these techniques to address specific ecological questions.
In this Opinion article, López-Garcíaet al. describe recent archaeal phylogenomic data relating to the massive acquisition of bacterial genes by horizontal gene transfer. They argue that the findings presented suggest that the import of these bacterial genes was crucial for the adaptation of archaea to mesophilic lifestyles.
