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Chemotaxis towards the interspecies quorum sensing signal autoinducer 2 (AI-2) promotes gut colonization by Escherichia coli and is linked to fructoselysine metabolism. The differential ability of E. coli strains to chemotactically respond to AI-2 further leads to niche segregation and co-existence of E. coli strains in the murine gut.
A combined quantitative and isotope-tracking proteomics approach illuminates how scarce nitrogen is allocated to protein biosynthesis by members of an ocean-surface microbial community. We identify taxon-specific substrate preferences and a distinct subset of functions — particularly infrastructure for protein production, folding and turnover — that constitute the bulk of community nitrogen demand.
An argument for how anaerobic eukaryotes have maintained cellular complexity over evolutionary time, despite reliance on the low energy-yielding fermentation.
‘Candidatus Methanoperedens nitroreducens’, an anaerobic methanotrophic archaeon, sectors itself into two morphologically and functionally distinct populations that enable adaptation and cross-species interactions in a dynamic bioreactor ecosystem.
New World arenaviruses are pathogens capable of zoonotic infections that cause viral haemorrhagic fevers, which are frequently lethal in humans. However, a recombinant live-attenuated pentavalent vaccine shows promising efficacy against infection.
This work shows that Akkermansia muciniphila and its metabolite, harmaline, upregulate the production of bile acid-coenzyme A: amino acid N-acyltransferase (BAAT) in hepatocytes. As a result of enhanced BAAT production, increased synthesis of conjugated primary bile acids suppresses the severe systemic inflammation caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus infection.
Longitudinal sampling of patients with hepatitis C virus before and after elimination of the virus reveals links between functions of the gut microbiome and liver disease.
Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the ocean, but single-cell measurements and model simulations reveal that this organism might obtain only 20% of the carbon required for growth from photosynthesis in the deep water column.
Combining simultaneous host and pathogen metagenomic profiles in a cohort of hospitalized and critically ill patients allows for more accurate diagnosis of sepsis.
Pandemic viruses cause major global disease burden and economic disruption. We investigated pandemic HIV-1(M) to understand its unique characteristics by comparing it with HIV strains that did not achieve pandemic human-to-human spread. We observed structural adaptations in the HIV-1(M) capsid that reduce detection by innate immune sensors.
In this Perspective, the authors discuss the importance and current challenges of using genomic data to predict the emergence of infectious disease outbreaks, and propose the next steps to integrate genomics and modelling for infectious diseases forecasting.
The authors review archaeal morphology, surface features, internal organization and cell division, discussing the state of the art and future research directions.
Efforts to futureproof global microbial biodiversity are proposed, in particular in managed landscapes, to monitor, manage and restore the soil fungal microbiome.
Probiotics given to preterm infants not only persist but restructure early-life microbiota, which presents an opportunity to optimize developmental outcomes and a responsibility to fully understand the long-term consequences.
A computational analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters with unique structural features unveils new natural product scaffolds, leading to the discovery of an antibiotic targeting BamA with activity against Gram-negative pathogens.
Most prokaryotes cannot easily be grown in the laboratory and distributed as pure cultures. Thus, these organisms could not be officially named. A code of nomenclature — the SeqCode — provides paths to name such organisms on the basis of genomic data, aiming to unify field and laboratory studies in microbiology.
Plant-beneficial pseudomonads use a type IVB secretion system to kill bacterial competitors and invade biofilms, playing a major role in root-associated lifestyle.
Multidimensional phenotyping links sequencing data and bacterial phenotypic diversity to uncover crucial virulence pathways in the emerging pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus.
This work used DNA and RNA sequencing to investigate how wildfire burn severity affects forest soil microbiomes. The results revealed the mechanisms that allow specific bacteria, fungi and viruses to colonize and thrive in burned soils. These changes can influence nutrient cycling and carbon storage in soil.
