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One of the most potently neutralizing flavivirus-specific monoclonal antibodies ever isolated, WNV-86, targets an epitope in E domain II of the West Nile virus (WNV), preferentially recognizes mature virions lacking an uncleaved form of the prM chaperone protein and protects mice from lethal WNV challenge when administered two days after infection.
The ribonucleotide reductase large subunit of the Epstein–Barr virus, BORF2, inhibits the DNA cytosine deaminase activity of the host restriction factor APOBEC3B and sequesters it in perinuclear and cytoplasmic bodies, thus preserving viral genome integrity during lytic reactivation.
A Legionella pneumophila effector, MavC, mediates ubiquitination through a transglutamination reaction and targets host UBE2N to inhibit immune signalling during infection.
The E3 ligase TRIM43 ubiquitinates the centrosomal protein pericentrin, targeting it for proteasomal degradation, leading to alterations of the nuclear lamina that repress active viral chromatin states of a range of herpesviruses.
Following cleavage by ADAM10, the vaccinia virus epidermal growth factor homologue, VGF, promotes infected cell motility at the leading edge of infection and spread of the virus.
The characterization of the type IV CRISPR system from Aromatoleum aromaticum shows that Csf2 serves as a backbone to which Csf5, Csf3 and Csf1 bind to form CRISPR–ribonucleoprotein complexes. Csf5 (a Cas6 variant) generates CRISPR RNAs with short, 7 nucleotide 5′-repeat tags and stable 3′ hairpin structures.
Chlamydia trachomatis DUB1 uses a single catalytic centre to carry out dual lysine deubiquitinase and acetyltransferase activity. Deubiquitination is required for Golgi fragmentation during bacterial infection.
Structures of three enterovirus D68 capsid states and two monoclonal antibodies provide a molecular explanation for the transition of picornavirus capsid conformations and reveal distinct mechanisms for viral neutralization.
Roseburia intestinalis is a butyrate-producing member of the gut microbiome that can use dietary plant polysaccharides to alter host metabolism, transcription and epigenetics, and lower inflammation and endotoxaemia, resulting in reduced atherosclerosis.
Shotgun metagenomes recovered from a thermal gradient at a coal-seam fire site identified distinct microbial communities with smaller genomes and cell sizes and altered metabolic genes in higher-temperature soils.
Faecal carbon:nitrogen measurements and manipulation of nitrogen availability via diet and host secretions in a murine model suggest that intestinal nitrogen limitation occurs due to host absorption and microbial use, leading to benefits for specific taxa.
Although essential to restrict systemic replication, the small interfering RNA pathway fails to efficiently silence dengue virus in the midgut of Aedes aegypti in the absence of ectopic expression of the double-stranded RNA-binding protein Loqs2.
Protein translocation across bacterial membranes can take many routes through dedicated transport machines. A new study finds that Salmonella Typhi utilizes a distinct pathway to translocate typhoid toxin across the peptidoglycan layer and prime the bacterium for host intoxication.
A key step of the antiviral immune response is detection of the viral intruder. Infection with highly pathogenic strains of influenza virus is now shown to produce short aberrant viral RNAs that potently trigger activation of innate immunity.
A powerful in vivo biotinylation approach identifies TagA as a binding partner of TssA, a central regulator of the assembly of the type VI secretion system (T6SS). TagA terminates assembly of the T6SS tail and tethers it to the membrane, acting as a crossbow latch that allows for efficient firing.
Access to toilets and basic sanitation systems revolutionized living environments and reduced the burden from diarrhoeal diseases in the developed world. With more than half of the global population still living without access to a household toilet, the need to tackle this feculent problem requires greater prominence.
The discovery of CD153 as a novel driver of T-cell-mediated host defence against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection advances our understanding of the requirements for protective immunity. Future investigation of CD153 as a potential correlate of tuberculosis immunity could open new avenues for vaccine design.