Volume 3 Issue 6, June 2018

Comparative genomics of all known Laverania species that infect African great apes reveals interspecies gene transfer and convergent evolution, and identifies features of Plasmodium falciparum, the only human-infective species within this subgenus, that may have led to its speciation and spread globally.

Genetic integration of a humanized chemotaxis receptor unexpectedly reveals that a widely expressed immune protein is targeted by Staphylococcus aureus Panton–Valentine leukocidin in a novel way, changing our fundamental understanding of toxin–receptor biology and host–pathogen interaction.

The discovery and characterization of a phylum-level archaeal lineage in iron-rich hot springs—the Marsarchaeota—expands the phylogenetic depth and physiological diversity of aerobic archaea.

Antibodies that potently neutralize highly diverse HIV-1 variants offer great potential for therapy and prevention. Passive administration of HIV-specific neutralizing antibodies genetically modified to have a long serum half-life has now been shown to confer long-lasting protection from infection in the rhesus macaque model.

The small intestine microbiome has been revealed to play a critical role in nutritional signal transduction that enables the host to adapt its fat digestion and absorption capacities, suggesting that this microbial community may serve as a target to improve conditions of over- and undernutrition.

This Review Article details various methods that can be used for phylogeny-aware analyses of microbiome datasets, together with online tutorials, including the considerations and challenges of each method depending on the research question.

A murine diet high in microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) reduces Clostridium difficile colonization compared to a low-MAC diet, which is associated with changes in microbiota composition, short-chain fatty acid concentrations and inflammation.

Cross-neutralizing antibodies from human survivors of the West Africa Ebola outbreak target a conserved membrane-proximal region in the virus glycoprotein HR2–MPER, which can be used as an immunogen to elicit neutralizing antibodies in rabbits.

The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Dot–Icm apparatus from Legionella pneumophila reveals the formation of a complex between the ATPases DotB and DotO, which creates a channel at the base of the type IV secretion system that defines the route of substrate transfer.

Sequencing of gorilla- and chimpanzee-infecting Plasmodium species elucidates the evolutionary history of the Laverania subgenus and highlights features of the human-infecting Plasmodium falciparum species that enable parasite transmission in humans.

Quorum sensing (QS) is shown to control eukaryotic-specific behaviours. QS peptide Qsp1 plays a crucial role in the intercellular regulation of unisexual and bisexual reproduction in the ubiquitous fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Human CD45 serves as a receptor for the Staphylococcus aureus Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) F-component LukF-PV and contributes to the species specificity behind PVL intoxication of human immune cells.

Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli have a high frequency of collateral sensitivity to antimicrobial peptides, which may arise from changes in lipopolysaccharide regulation.

A combination of metagenome, single-cell and transcriptome sequencing, enrichment cultures and microscopy of geothermal environments in Yellowstone National Park leads to the discovery of a new archaeal lineage, the Marsarchaeota.

Nutrient stress impacts the coordination of transcription and translation in Escherichia coli: N starvation limits translation and (p)ppGpp slows transcription elongation accordingly; and C starvation limits transcription, which is resolved using a translation-aid-transcription mechanism.