Reviews & Analysis

Structural analysis reveals that spores of the microsporidium Spraguea lophii contain dimeric hibernating ribosomes.

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.

Diverse marine bacteria exhibit a preference for either sugars or acids as carbon sources and this preference is predictable from genomic signatures.

The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae uses transfer RNA modifications to fine-tune effector protein secretion into host plant cells.

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.

Walker and Hoyles highlight selected myths and misconceptions in the human microbiota literature.

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.

A mouse model identifies FcγRIIIa engagement on splenic macrophages as a driver of disease severity during dengue infection.

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.

Tracking the journey of inulin, a soluble dietary fibre, reveals its fate and transformation by the gut microbiota to alleviate liver disease in mice.

An overview of methods that can be used in high and maximum containment to study virus–host interactions in the infection microenvironment.

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.

Population genomics and functional validation show that a second parasite transporter, pfaat1, has a role in chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum.