Review Articles

The initial sensing of an infection is mediated by innate pattern recognition receptors, which detect pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. In this Review, Stewart and Cookson discuss the molecular mechanisms by which microorganisms evade or inhibit intracellular detection that is coupled to pro-inflammatory caspase-dependent protective responses, thus delaying protective host responses.

The gut of honey bees is inhabited by a small group of highly host-adapted bacteria. In this Review, Kwong and Moran detail the composition and functions of the microbiota of honey bees and highlight similarities and differences to the human microbiota.

Chlamydiaspp. are intracellular bacteria that depend on the host for their metabolic requirements, while hiding from host immune defences. In this Review, Elwell, Mirrashidi and Engel detail the molecular mechanisms that enable these pathogens to shape and thrive in their niche in host cells.

Bacterial cell division occurs under tight temporal and spatial regulation by the divisome. In this Review, Haeusser and Margolin review the structure and function of the divisome, highlighting insights into the assembly of this multicomponent machinery that were provided by recent technical advances.

In this Review, Kahne and colleagues discuss how lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is transported across the cellular envelope and inserted into the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. They propose a new model, which explains how energy from the cytoplasm is used to power LPS transport to the cell surface.

In this article, James Liaoet al. review how microorganisms can be explored for the production of next-generation biofuels. They discuss the different substrates that are available for biofuel production and how these substrates can be directed to various biosynthetic pathways, and they highlight examples of microbial engineering aimed at optimizing biofuel production.

Biofilms dominate microbial life in streams and rivers. In this Review, Battin and colleagues describe the interactions between the microbiome of stream biofilms and ecosystem processes, and they consider the effects of global ecosystem change and climate change on these biofilms.

In this Review, Turnbaugh and colleagues discuss several mechanisms by which the human gut microbiome affects the metabolism of xenobiotics, including drugs and dietary compounds, and explore how this knowledge can be applied to improve the treatment of human disease.

The metabolism of pathogens and hosts are intertwined — they compete for resources, sense metabolites produced by each other and target metabolic processes to mediate virulence and immunity. In this Review, Olive and Sassetti discuss the emerging roles of metabolism in host–pathogen interactions.

Shigellaspp. harbour an arsenal of virulence factors that enable host invasion. Here, Baker and colleagues review how these bacteria have evolved fromEscherichia colion several occasions into highly specialized, human-restricted pathogens that have spread globally.

In this Review, Oikonomou and Jensen discuss how electron cryotomography has provided structural and mechanistic insights into the physiology of bacteria and archaea, from morphogenesis to subcellular compartmentalization and from metabolism to complex interspecies interactions.

In the genomics era,Yersiniahas proven to be a model genus for studying the emergence of pathogenesis. Focusing on this model, McNally and colleagues highlight the events in genome evolution that underlie pathogenesis and argue for an 'eco–evo' perspective of pathogen evolution.

Advances in synthetic biology have simplified the characterization and production of biologically active molecules from various organisms. In this Review, Voigt and colleagues outline the design and construction of pathways used for the synthesis of such natural products in host microorganisms.

Phagocytes can detect and eliminate fungal pathogens, but fungi have evolved several mechanisms that enable them to subvert immune recognition, uptake and killing. In this Review, Erwig and Gow detail how fungi interact with the host innate immune system and describe the mechanisms of immune evasion used by fungal pathogens to promote infection.

Advances in whole-genome sequencing have enabled within-host genome evolution to be studied with unprecedented detail. In this Review article, Didelot, Wilson and colleagues discuss how these studies have altered our view of host adaptation and antibiotic resistance during bacterial infection.

The spatial organization of microbial communities can affect their function, both in the environment and during infections. In this article, Whiteley and colleagues review the factors that govern biogeography during polymicrobial infections and how spatial positioning can influence bacterial virulence. They also discuss how targeting biogeography can be used as a therapeutic strategy.

Recent studies have elucidated multiple virulence mechanisms used byCryptococcus spp. to infect, disseminate within and ultimately kill their human host. In this Review, May et al. describe these recent developments in understanding host–fungal interactions, discuss how they affect disease severity and debate current and future therapeutic interventions against cryptococcosis.

AAA+ proteolytic machines unfold and degrade damaged and unneeded proteins in all domains of life. In this Review, Sauer and colleagues discuss the molecular mechanisms and structures of bacterial AAA+ machines, focusing on recent studies of ClpXP as a paradigm.

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are produced as virulence factors by many pathogenic bacteria. In this Review, Dal Peraro and van der Goot describe new mechanistic insights into the assembly of these toxins and their target specificity, and discuss recent therapeutic developments.

Several bacterial pathogens have evolved the ability to subvert host cell functions. In this Review, Buchrieser and colleagues discuss the mechanisms used by bacteria to target eukaryotic organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, highlighting how these strategies potentiate bacterial infection.