Volume 6 Issue 3, March 2021

Bifidobacterium bifidum is enriched in the gut microbiome of patients who respond to cancer treatment, but only selected strains of commercial B. bifidum reduced tumour burden synergistically with therapy in a mouse model.

An analysis of gut microbiomes of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer reveals an association between Bifidobacterium bifidum abundance and response to cancer therapy. In murine models of syngeneic tumours, administration of commercial B. bifidum strains synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade to reduce tumour burden, but the therapeutic potential of B. bifidum is affected by strain-level variation.

The spatial integration of transcription and mRNA splicing in a dedicated sub-nuclear compartment underpins monogenic antigen expression in trypanosomes.

A CRISPR interference platform to compare the essentiality of core genes in different genetic backgrounds of Escherichia coli and growth conditions reveals that the essentiality of core genes can substantially vary at the strain level, and can be modulated by HGT and gene loss events.

Mucorales fungi produce a ricin-like toxin, mucoricin, which is required for fungal pathogenesis and represents a potential therapeutic target.

Stepwise evolution of invasive Salmonella Typhimurium in Africa is defined using genotypic and phenotypic analyses of isolates collected over a 50-yr period.

Interactions between SARS-CoV-2 viral RNAs and host cell proteins during infection are evaluated to improve our understanding of viral RNA functions and the host innate immune response.

Metagenomics and electron microscopy are combined to analyse the diversity of episymbiotic CPR bacteria and DPANN archaea in eight groundwater communities.

Modulation of mitochondrial metabolism can increase the survival of intracellular bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes inside cells.

The cryo-electron microscropy structures of the full-length ectodomain of VAR2CSA in both ligand-binding and ligand-free states reveal the sequestration mechanism of placental malaria.

The co-crystal structure of VSGsur with the trypanocidal compound suramin directly links the binding of the drug to the resistance phenotype displayed by strains of Trypanosoma brucei expressing VSGsur. Therefore, VSGs can have a function beyond that of antigenic variation.

Here, the authors present the upstream pathway that controls the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome during bacteraemia. The CNF1 toxin from Escherichia coli activates the Rho GTPase Rac2 and its activity is sensed by NLRP3, which is activated by a signalling cascade involving p21-activated kinases 1 and 2.