Progress in 2014

In addition to their role in inhibiting apoptosis, viral anti-apoptotic proteins function in multiple immune and metabolic pathways to promote fitness and pathogenesis. In this Progress article, Jung and colleagues review novel functions of these viral proteins in the regulation of autophagy, as well as in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway and in interferon signalling.

The crosstalk between the metabolic pathways of intracellular pathogens and host cells can have important consequences for infection. In this Progress article, Neyrolles and colleagues describe recent insights into nitrogen acquisition and assimilation inMycobacterium tuberculosisand highlight potential links to bacterial virulence.

Although the CRISPR–Cas system of prokaryotes has an established role in defence, recent studies suggest that this system has other functional roles. Here, Westra and colleagues explore the more unconventional roles of CRISPR–Cas, such as endogenous gene regulation and genome remodelling, and consider their evolutionary implications.

Understanding the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of anti-tuberculosis drugs is crucial for designing more effective dosing regimens. In this Progress article, Véronique Dartois describes the methods that are available to monitor the distribution of drugs as they travel from the blood compartment to granulomatous lesions and penetrate infected immune cells to finally reach their intended targets inside mycobacterial cells.