Research Highlights in 2019

This study identifies a new family of T6SS-delivered ion-selective pore-forming toxins that is distinct from previously described T6SS effectors.

Two recent studies report new compounds that could be useful in combatting antibiotic resistance.

This study describes a novel fungus-related microbial eukaryote that infects marine diatoms.

Two recent studies find that pioneering bacterial cells use chemotaxis as a navigation strategy to boost range expansion, but colonizing too quickly can leave the population susceptible to invasion by competitors.

Further evidence that measles induce ‘immunological amnesia’ highlight the importance of the vaccination and the need to increase vaccination rates.

This study identifies a role for members of the endophytic root microbiome and their functional traits in plant protection from the fungal root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.

A recent study reveals a sequence of molecular events that led to the origin of the most lethal malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in humans.

Three recent studies highlight how the gut microbiome responds to dietary change, with potential consequences for host–microbiota interactions.

This study links a histone deacetylase and the gut microbiota to the circadian regulation of host metabolism.

This study explores the response of the gut microbiota to dietary fibres and presents new biosensors that can measure microbial fibre use in vivo.

A recent study finds that the re-seeding of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium persister cells into the gut lumen promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance plasmids.

This study determines that the host metabolism of a dietary fatty acid determines the host range of sexual reproduction in Toxoplasma gondii.

The findings of this study suggest that commensal Neisseria species antagonize infection by pathogenic Neisseria species through their DNA, by a mechanism based on genetic competence and DNA methylation state.

Two studies report synthetic genetic circuits for inducible asymmetric cell division that give rise to cellular differentiation in Escherichia coli.

Two studies now provide structural insights into the stator–rotor interaction, stator assembly and stator maintenance of the bacterial flagellum.

The simultaneous, independent emergence of different clades of Candida auris and the high temperature tolerance of the species compared to other fungi has inspired researchers to propose links to climate change.

This study reports the identification and characterization of spindle-shaped viruses that infect a marine ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaeon and that are distinct from other known marine viruses.

A supercomputing study determines the optimal cell shape of free-swimming bacteria.

Two papers provide novel insights into how Vibrio cholerae colonizes chitin, revealing the role of a type IV pilus and filamentation.

A new study investigates which strategies are effective to mitigate the effects of science denialism.