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Dietary fibre deprivation in mice increases the abundance of gut microbial mucin-degrading species, leads to barrier dysfunction and increases local type 2 inflammation. In a tractable human microbiota mouse model, the presence of Akkermansia muciniphila results in increased anti-commensal IgE and type 2 immune responses, worsening food allergy symptoms following sensitization.
Genetic and phenotypic changes that enable Pseudomonas to adapt to an animal host are identified. These traits are controlled by a universal signalling molecule and are shared by diverse strains.
Multi-cohort meta-analysis provides a framework for studies that aim to define causal relationships between the microbiome and autism spectrum disorder.
Armillaria species, fungal pathogens prevalent in temperate forests, have acquired hundreds of genes from Ascomycota fungi through horizontal gene transfer. These genes have influenced Armillaria spp. pathogenicity and plant biomass degradation abilities and contribute to uncovering key insights into the evolutionary history and ecological effects of these fungi.
CRISPR systems canonically confer microorganisms with protection against invading viral DNA, plasmids and mobile genetic elements, however a multi-omics investigation of deep subsurface archaeal communities suggests that archaeal CRISPR systems might target other archaeal parasites or force a transition from parasitism to mutualism.
Antigenic variation is used by pathogens to evade the host immune system. This Review describes the impact of nuclear organization on antigenic variation in protozoan parasites.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa drives heterogeneity of cyclic di-GMP signalling in biofilms as a division-of-labour strategy to maximize colonization and dispersal using the protein HecE.
d-amino acids are known to have a variety of functions. An investigation into the roles of d-arginine and d-lysine shed light on the stress-dependent mechanism employed by Vibrio cholerae to escape from unfavourable niches and to shape complex ecological systems.
The beneficial rhizobacterium Bacillus velezensis SQR9 secretes YukE by the type VII secretion system; YukE inserts into the plant root cell membrane to cause iron leakage, which benefits SQR9 and thus promotes its rhizosphere colonization.
Influenza A virus can selectively recognize and degrade host transcripts via a specific molecular motif, facilitating modulation of the host immune response.
Mutational analysis of Akkermansia muciniphila identified genes important for growth in mucin and gut colonization. Mucin-degrading capabilities are essential for the bacterium to compete with other members of the microbiota, and mucin metabolism by A.muciniphila resulted in reduced transcription of genes involved with cholesterol biosynthesis in the host gut.
We characterized the cell-free DNA of bacteria and bacteriophages circulating in blood plasma of two cohorts of individuals with sepsis and uninfected controls. We found that the circulating phageome enables the identification of the bacterial pathogen with species-level resolution.
A combination of four phages engineered with a CRISPR–Cas payload can reduce the burden of Escherichia coli infections in animal models without inducing the host immune response.