Going with the flow

Hydraulic conditions result in selective taxonomic pressures determining the formation of biofilm or aggregate communities in experimental fluvial systems. 

See Niederdorfer et al. 1, 16178 (2016)

Ebola on the inside

Deep sequencing of samples from patients infected with Ebola virus during the latest West Africa outbreak reveals intra-host single nucleotide variations, including events that modulate the expression of the gene encoding the viral nucleoprotein.

See Ni et al. 1, 16151 (2016)

Visualizing the Ebola virus glycoprotein landscape

The cryoEM structures of Ebola virus GP and sGP in complex with GP-specific and GP/sGP cross-reactive antibodies provides insight into the oligomeric arrangement of sGP and a comparison of its structure and epitope presentation with GP.

See Pallesen et al. 1, 16128 (2016)

We are the champions

Following the success of the inaugural games, the Microbial Olympics return with a new series of events and microbial competitors. The games may have moved to a new hosting venue, but the dedication to training, fitness, competition (and yes, education and humour) lives on.

See Nelson et al. 1, 16122 (2016)

Human interactions

Fully replication competent HIV-1 viruses engineered to harbour a foreign epitope tag enabled the unbiased characterization of the cellular interactomes of viral Env and Vif proteins during the natural infection of human lymphocytes.

See Luo et al. 1, 16068 (2016)

Reef microbialization

Analysis of 60 sites in three ocean basins suggests that overgrowth of fleshy algae on coral reefs supports higher microbial abundances dominated by copiotrophic, potentially pathogenic bacteria via the provision of dissolved inorganic carbon.

See Haas et al. 1, 16042 (2016)

Here comes the sun

Light sensing in Aspergillus nidulans is shown to depend on the SakA (HogA) pathway, known to be crucial for osmosensing and now revealed as a hub for environmental signal integration in fungi.

See Yu et al. 1, 16019 (2016)

Modifying the message

HIV-1 infection in T cells triggers N6-methyladenosine modification in the viral and human RNAs. Methylation of two conserved adenosines in a regulatory RNA structure in HIV-1 called the Rev response element (RRE) enhances binding of viral Rev protein to the RRE in vivo and influences nuclear export of RNA.

See Lichinchi et al. 1, 16011 (2016)

Making an entrance

Toxoplasma gondii infection and lysis of endothelial cells in the brain vasculature is a new route of access to the central nervous system.

See Konradt et al. 1, 16001 (2016)

Blood curdling bacterial toxin

Group A Streptococcus streptolysin S (SLS)-mediated red blood cell lysis occurs through disruption of the function of major erythrocyte anion exchange protein, band 3, leading to Cl- ion influx.

See Higashi et al 1, 15004

Islands in the stream

Surface topography and fluid flow conditions influence quorum-sensing-mediated communication in bacterial biofilms, leading to complex spatial and temporal phenotypic patterns in genetically identical populations.

See Kim et al. 1, 15005 (2016)