Volume 5 Issue 12, December 2020

Many bacteria rely on their flagella for motility, yet the molecular mechanism of flagellar rotation was previously unclear. Recently, multiple papers solved the atomic structure of the bacterial flagellum stator complex, elucidating how these intricate molecular machines operate.

Spermine is essential for adhesion to the hydrophobic rice leaf surface by the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae during infection.

Growth of Escherichia coli on carbon dioxide and formate is achieved by rational metabolic engineering alone.

Cellular targets of anthrax lethal factor are identified to reveal the molecular basis of toxin-induced death.

Spermine facilitates mucilage production and rice cell invasion by mitigating endoplasmic reticulum stress in the developing Magnaporthe oryzae appressorium.

A small RNA regulates the production of metabolites with roles in symbiosis and virulence in Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus.

The authors do a CRISPR-knockout selection to investigate host factors required for influenza replication. They identified IFIT2 as being repurposed by influenza to promote replication.

Large freshwater phage genomes can encode the pmoC gene, an important subunit of the methane oxidation enzyme, methane monooxygenase. These genes are similar to bacterial homologues and are actively expressed in situ. Further work is needed to confirm whether these phages contribute to methane oxidation in the environment.

Transcriptional and functional immune-cell profiling reveals that Candida auris is a strong inducer of innate host defence and identifies possible targets for adjuvant immunotherapy.

Preclinical studies show that fluoxazolevir, which inhibits the fusion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatic cells by binding viral envelope protein 1, could be useful in drug cocktails to treat HCV.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of three varicella-zoster virus (VZV) capsids show VZV-specific features of the capsid-associated tegument complex (CATC) and genome packaging. The authors conclude that the VZV capsid is less stable and the CATC binds more weakly than in the homologues in other herpesviruses, characteristics that are linked to the small genome size of VZV.

Using single-particle analysis cryogenic electron microscopy, the authors determine the structures of the bacterial flagellum stator complexes from three diverse bacteria.

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) mediate recruitment of septins to the plasma membrane in fungal appressoria, leading to formation of a septin ring at the point of plant infection. VLCFA biosynthesis-inhibiting chemicals prevent septin assembly and have broad-spectrum fungicidal activity.

Extracellular SQSTM1 has a role in immunometabolism and could be targeted to develop therapeutics to treat sepsis.

Here, the authors show that Salmonella activates the cytosolic PRR Nod-like Receptor CARD 4 (NLRC4), which limits adaptive T-cell responses in a NLRP3-dependent manner. Modification of Salmonella flagellin reduces NLRC4 activation and enhances protective immunity.

Neutralizing antibody responses of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 peak at 3–4 weeks post onset of symptoms, then decline to low levels over the course of 3 months in some individuals.

An analysis of more than 5,000 CBASS systems from 38,000 bacterial and archaeal genomes enabled a classification and nomenclature scheme to be devised for this growing field.