Articles in 2016

Two new studies provide insights into the close association betweenWolbachiaspp. and their hosts; one shows plant-mediated transmission and the other the bacterial origin of a new host sex chromosome.

This study shows that circadian changes in the gut microbiota influence host physiology in the intestine and the liver.

Entry into the nucleus and integration into the host cell are key steps during HIV-1 infection. In this Review, Lusic and Siliciano discuss viral and host factors that influence HIV-1 integration and how it can be targeted therapeutically.

Cellulosomes are sophisticated multicomponent complexes that are used by bacteria to degrade cellulose from plant cell walls. In this review, Artzi, Bayer and Moraïs explore the structural and functional diversity of cellulosomes and their applications; for example, in microbial biofuel production.

This study shows that histones are loaded onto unintegrated Moloney murine leukemia virus DNAs shortly after they have entered the nucleus.

This study identifies 1,445 RNA viruses in invertebrate animals, including new virus families, and uncovers unexpected levels of evolutionary flexibility.

This month's Genome Watch describes how whole-genome sequencing used for surveillance purposes has enabled the identification of new drug resistance markers in the malaria parasite.

This study finds that quorum sensing, which is induced at high cell density, activates CRISPR–Cas immunity inPseudomonas aeruginosa.

In this Review, Tsirigotakiet al. discuss recent biochemical, structural and mechanistic insights that have been gained into the consecutive steps of the general secretory (Sec) pathway. They focus on the architecture and dynamics of SecYEG and its regulation by ribosomes and SecA, and present current models of the mechanisms and energetics of the Sec-pathway-dependent secretion process in bacteria.

In this Review, De Nizet al. discuss the contribution of key imaging tools to advances in our understanding of Plasmodiumspp. biology and host–pathogen interactions over the past decade. These advances, pertaining to parasite structure and motility, as well as the liver and blood stages, have led to paradigm shifts in our knowledge of malaria.

Two studies discover new avenues that could be explored for the novel therapeutic intervention of fungal infections.

In this Review, Noble and colleagues discuss the characteristics of the classic cell types ofCandida albicans— yeast, hyphae, pseudohyphae and chlamydospores — as well as newly identified yeast-like morphotypes, including grey and gastrointestinally induced transition (GUT) cell types, and highlight emerging knowledge about their associations with different host niches and propensities towards virulence versus commensalism.

Protists are an important part of the marine food web. In this Review, Caronet al. summarize recent insights from transcriptomic studies of cultured and free-living protists and discuss how these findings highlight the functions and interactions of these single-celled eukaryotes in the global oceans.