Volume 2 Issue 10, October 2017

The Streptococcus pyogenes surface M protein is a critical multifunctional virulence factor. Recent work sheds light on a new unexpected function of the M protein in activating the host inflammasome to induce macrophage cell death and promote infection.

The goal of malaria eradication is threatened by drug resistance. Now, two studies characterize Plasmodium falciparum PKG inhibitors and hexahydroquinolines as antimalarial compounds that could block transmission and help mitigate the risk of parasite escape via drug resistance.

The study of phages that pose a threat to the cheese industry, which enabled the original demonstration that CRISPR–Cas systems work as adaptive immune systems in bacteria, now leads to the identification of a new anti-CRISPR that inhibits Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes.

A newly described plasmid, which encodes proteins facilitating its packaging and cell-to-cell transfer via membrane vesicles, challenges the way we think about the delineation of viruses, plasmids and extracellular vesicles.

Influenza B virus causes substantial illness globally, particularly in children. Treatment options are limited, as the most widely used antiviral drug appears to be less effective than against influenza A. A new antibody targeting the influenza B neuraminidase shows promise in mice as a therapeutic option.

A microfluidics-based assay for in situ chemotaxis experiments.

Isolation of a cyanophage encoding photosystem I genes reveals that these are expressed during infection and inserted into host membranes, resulting in enhanced electron flow, and that phage carrying these genes are abundant in marine environments.

Toxoplasma gondii uses its proteins RON2, RON4 and RON5 to recruit host proteins, including the ESCRT-I components ALIX and TSG101 to the moving junction, a multimolecular structure that enables invasion.

Metagenomic analyses reveal that microbial genomes undergo a community-wide transition in size and GC content across a narrow depth range, indicating that nutrient limitation is a major driver in marine microbial genomic and proteomic evolution.

A virulent phage of Streptococcus thermophilus encodes an anti-CRISPR protein that is active against the CRISPR–Cas9 of multiple bacteria and inhibits the SpCas9 system commonly used for genome engineering.

A genome-wide association approach identifies differential biofilm and virulence attributes associated with mortality in two Staphylococcus aureus clonal complexes.

During acute HIV type 1 infection, a subset of γδ T cells that express Δ42PD1 are shown to home to the gut, where they activate innate immunity and inflammation through direct interaction of Δ42PD1 with Toll-like receptor 4. Blockade of this pathway reduces mucosal damage.

A new class of drugs, hexahydroquinolines, inhibits host haemoglobin endocytosis by Plasmodium falciparum and displays both therapeutic and transmission-blocking activities.

This study reports the identification of broadly protective antibodies targeting the influenza B neuraminidase away from its active site. One dose of antibody therapy was more protective in mice than multiple doses of the current standard of care.

The group A streptococcal M protein virulence factor induces inflammasome activation during infection.

Chikungunya virus infection leads to painful arthritis-like joint inflammation. This study shows that the NLRP3 inflammasome is crucial for alphavirus-induced inflammation and its inhibition is an effective therapeutic strategy.

An archaeal plasmid that can be transported in membrane vesicles, similar to a virus, and encodes proteins that can insert into host membranes and membrane vesicles, provides insights into the evolutionary link between plasmids and viruses.