In Brief in 2019

Two studies report that a nucleus-like structure protects jumbo phages against DNA-targeting immune pathways.

A recent study found that antimicrobial sensing coupled with cell membrane remodelling mediates antimicrobial resistance and virulence in Enterococcus faecalis.

This study investigated the ability of individual members of the bee gut microbiota to digest polysaccharides.

Two studies highlight that the growth of genome data and the development of new tools provide further opportunities for understanding the tree of life.

Two recent studies report marine microbial diversity pole to pole, using data collected from the Tara Oceans expedition.

This study shows that surface-attached bacteria modulate flagellar rotation to promote persistence at the surface.

A recent study finds that probiotic yeasts can inhibit virulence of several non-albicans Candida species, including mutidrug-resistant Candida auris.

This study observed that the functional diversity of core and accessory genes in the soil microbiome are governed by distinct processes.

This study finds that gut segmented filamentous bacteria prevent and cure rotavirus infection in immunodeficient mice.

This study reports the feasibility of vaginal microbiome transplantation from healthy donors as treatment for patients suffering from symptomatic, intractable and recurrent bacterial vaginosis.

A study reports the generation of synthetic ‘phagebodies’ with a broadened host range that were able to target naturally occurring phage-resistant bacterial mutants.

This study shows that sublethal doses of ciprofloxacin enhanced aggregation of bacterial cells, which resulted in their increased expulsion from the gut by the mechanical activity of the intestine.

The results of this study further corroborate that the mode of delivery is a crucial factor that shapes the gut microbiota during the neonatal period, with effects that persist into infancy.

This study reports the assembly and seasonal dynamics of bacterial and archaeal microbiomes of the leaf surfaces and the associated soils of switchgrass and miscanthus.

This study reports that the archaeal chromosome is organized into two compartments with differential gene expression activities that are maintained by a novel Sulfolobus-encoded structural maintenance of chromosomes protein.

This study found that metabolic state and ATP levels at the time of treatment are more accurate predictors of antibiotic lethality than growth rate.

This study reports a structure of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) polymerase complex, providing atomic-level insights into transcription and replication of the RSV genome.

This study uncovers a new signalling mechanism by which rhizobial bacteria regulate root nodulation in legumes.

This study used single-cell viral tagging to pair phages with their bacterial host in the human gut.

This study challenges the previous suggestion that many environmental bacteria have been cultured already and concludes that most remain uncultured.