Articles in 2012

Given the rise of antibiotic resistance and the decreasing rate of discovery of new antimicrobials, exploring new paradigms for antimicrobial therapy is essential. Here, Hancock, Nijnik and Philpott describe the promise of one such alternative approach: host-directed immunomodulatory therapies for enhancing protective antimicrobial immunity.

HIV-1 has been subjected to more structural analyses than any other virus. Here, Engelman and Cherepanov review recent advances in HIV-1 structural biology, focusing on the impact that these results have had on our understanding of viral replication and on the development of new therapeutics.

Arias and Murray discuss the factors that may have contributed to the rise of enterococci as nosocomial pathogens, with an emphasis on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of these species and their mechanisms of resistance to the most relevant anti-enterococcal agents used in clinical practice.

RNA thermometers allow bacteria to respond quickly to temperature changes by controlling the translation of existing or nascent mRNAs. Here, Kortmann and Narberhaus discuss zipper-like thermometers, which control the translation of heat shock and virulence genes, and switch-like thermometers, which control the translation of cold shock and phage genes.

This month's Genome Watch highlights the power of palaeomicrobiology in extracting detailed information about the genomes of ancient microorganisms.

Our monthly round up of infectious diseases news, which this month includes inhibiting autophagy to target H5N1 influenza, how MRSA gained resistance down on the farm and 're-education' for the boy who cried outbreak.

SAMHD1 functions by reducing intracellular levels of deoxynucleoside 5′-triphosphates (dNTPs) to below those required for the synthesis of viral DNA.

InStaphylococcus aureus, the FusB-type family of proteins mediates resistance to fusidic acid by accelerating the release of elongation factor G from the ribosome.

2′-O-methylation of bacterial tRNA can mask its immunostimulatory ability.

Modelling of metabolic networks has facilitated genome-scale analysis of microbial metabolism for both basic and applied uses. Here, Palsson and colleagues describe the ever-growing 'phylogeny' of constraint-based reconstruction and analysis (COBRA) approaches used for modelling numerous aspects of microbial life.

A better understanding of the factors that affect children's desire to follow a career in science is vital if we are to inspire the next generation of scientists.

This month's Genome Watch highlights new insights into the impact of food production on the evolution of microorganisms.

Our monthly round up of infectious diseases news, which this month includes the spread of a new virus affecting livestock in Europe, the H5N1 controversy and a report that mortality from malaria may be much higher than was previously suspected.

Autotransporters are a superfamily of proteins that were thought to contain all of the functional elements required for their delivery, via the type V secretion pathway, to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. In this Review, Leyton, Rossiter and Henderson describe how recent studies have challenged the perceived simplicity of this secretion pathway.