Review Articles

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  • In this Review, Jiao, Robinson and colleagues examine recent advances related to the microbial carbon pump, exploring its role in the carbon cycle and climate change, and proposing future research directions and approaches to ocean negative carbon emissions.

    • Nianzhi Jiao
    • Tingwei Luo
    • Carol Robinson
    Review Article
  • In this Review, de Souza and Weaver discuss the potential effects on vector-borne diseases of climate change, weather and other anthropogenic factors, including land use, human mobility and behaviour, as possible contributors to the redistribution of vectors and spread of vector-borne diseases worldwide.

    • William M. de Souza
    • Scott C. Weaver
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Voolstra, Raina, Peixoto and colleagues discuss our current knowledge of the function and role of the bacterial microbiome in coral health and disease, and elucidate the response of the host-associated bacteria to global change, which bears implications for coral reef conservation.

    • Christian R. Voolstra
    • Jean-Baptiste Raina
    • Raquel S. Peixoto
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Ledvina and Whiteley highlight the key similarities between eukaryotic and bacterial innate immune systems, exploring conserved immune components and signalling strategies, as well as conserved mechanisms for pathogen restriction.

    • Hannah E. Ledvina
    • Aaron T. Whiteley
    Review Article
  • Finding a cure for HIV-1 infection, once considered elusive, now represents a major priority for the global microbiology research community. In this article, Armani-Tourret, Lichterfeld and colleagues highlight recent advances in understanding immunological vulnerabilities of virally infected cells that persist lifelong and represent the major barrier to a cure.

    • Marie Armani-Tourret
    • Benjamin Bone
    • Mathias Lichterfeld
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Jones, Marken and Silver develop a conceptual framework for synthetic microbiology organized into three domains — factory, farm and field — to explore the utility of synthetic microbiology in addressing sustainability challenges, and examine several examples of microbial engineering applications relevant to each domain.

    • Ethan M. Jones
    • John P. Marken
    • Pamela A. Silver
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Thiel and colleagues summarize our emerging knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 intracellular life cycle and the molecular functions of the viral proteins, as well as their interaction with the host cell.

    • Silvio Steiner
    • Annika Kratzel
    • Volker Thiel
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Roussin-Léveillée, Mackey and colleagues examine microorganism interaction with and manipulation of the plant apoplast. Effector-driven extracellular niche establishment is conceptualized as foundational to plant pathogenesis and frames the discussion of the complex interplay between pathogen virulence, host immunity and the physiological dynamics shaping plant–microorganism interactions.

    • Charles Roussin-Léveillée
    • David Mackey
    • Peter Moffett
    Review Article
  • In this study, Ratiner et al. examine the advantages, challenges and future perspectives of utilizing microbiome data in personalized medicine for optimal patient care.

    • Karina Ratiner
    • Dragos Ciocan
    • Eran Elinav
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Jassey and Jackson explore the intricate relationship between viruses and the autophagic pathway, highlighting how viruses either exploit or manipulate the autophagy pathway to influence their replication and survival within host cells.

    • Alagie Jassey
    • William T. Jackson
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Tan and colleagues highlight recent efforts to discover non-traditional antimicrobials and explore the therapeutic potential of antimicrobial peptides and macrocycles, antibodies, bacteriophages and antisense-based therapeutics, focusing on how current research efforts are pushing these technologies towards clinical implementation.

    • Craig R. MacNair
    • Steven T. Rutherford
    • Man-Wah Tan
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Motta and Moran explore recent research investigating the role of the gut microbiota in honeybee biology and health, as well as the environmental factors that can impair the microbiota and the potential strategies to restore a perturbed microbiota in honeybees.

    • Erick V. S. Motta
    • Nancy A. Moran
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Segata, Waldron and colleagues discuss important key concepts of machine learning that are relevant to microbiologists and provide them with a set of tools essential to apply machine learning in microbiology research.

    • Francesco Asnicar
    • Andrew Maltez Thomas
    • Nicola Segata
    Review Article
  • Beneficial biofilms are in demand for diverse applications ranging from the production of specialized compounds to roles in agriculture and bioremediation. In this Review, Gescher and colleagues provide an overview of the applications, challenges and future of beneficial biofilms.

    • Laura-Alina Philipp
    • Katja Bühler
    • Johannes Gescher
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Philippot et al. explore how soil microorganisms can affect the physical and chemical properties of soil and discuss the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these microbially driven shifts in soil properties. They also explore how microbially mediated changes in soil properties can be used to combat threats to soil health and other environmental challenges.

    • Laurent Philippot
    • Claire Chenu
    • Noah Fierer
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Vardi and colleagues examine the different microbial interactions that modulate algal blooms in the ocean, discuss the role of microbial chemicals in mediating such interactions and explore the latest technological developments aimed at deepening our understanding of cellular communication in the ocean.

    • Constanze Kuhlisch
    • Adva Shemi
    • Assaf Vardi
    Review Article
  • In this Review, Costa and colleagues summarize the current knowledge of type IV secretion system functioning in Gram-negative bacteria, with a focus on their architectures and adaptations for specialized functions. They also explore the biogenesis pathways and spatial localization of type IV secretion systems.

    • Tiago R. D. Costa
    • Jonasz B. Patkowski
    • Gabriel Waksman
    Review Article
  • In this Review, White and Sears examine recent evidence showing the link between the gut microbiota and colorectal cancer (CRC) and discuss the roles and mechanisms of specific microorganisms as well as of complex microbial communities in the pathogenesis of CRC.

    • Maxwell T. White
    • Cynthia L. Sears
    Review Article