Articles in 2020

This study found that blacklegged ticks resist skin Staphylococcus commensals with an immune factor of bacterial origin.

This study describes the isolation of a new compound, turbinmicin, which shows potent activity in mice against multidrug-resistant fungi and might have a novel mechanism of action.

A recent study reports the development of a DNA-based vaccine that protects against Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus disease in cynomolgus macaques.

A recent study found that slow movement is important when bacteria move as dense collectives because faster bacteria cause topological defects that trap cells in place.

This study reports the widespread endogenization of nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses in diverse green algae.

A recent study provides new evidence that rotavirus-infected cells produce pancrine signals that uninfected cells respond to, leading to intercellular calcium waves and ultimately to diarrhoea.

This study links anthropogenic disturbance, coral symbioses and heat stress resilience.

This study shows that the toxin of a toxin−antitoxin system triggers the rapid transformation of spiral-shaped Helicobacter pylori into coccoids.

This study shows that N-linked glycans have a direct effect on efflux pump activity.

This month’s Under the Lens discusses the application of high-speed atomic force microscopy to image fragile bacterial membrane vesicles by briefly touching them with a gentle tapping force, revealing species-specific heterogeneity in membrane vesicle size distribution linked to biological function.

This study shows that a distinct gut microbiome composition as well as specific bacterial metabolites provide radioprotection in mice.

This month’s Genome Watch examines how natural language processing and machine learning are being implemented in the hunt for new antimicrobial peptides.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows high diversity and plasticity, which enables it to succeed in the challenging environment of cystic fibrosis airways. In this Review, Johansen and colleagues highlight genomic and phenotypic adaptation of P. aeruginosa and the implications for infection management.

This study reports a mutant Clamydia muridarum strain that infects the gastrointestinal tract and protects against genital tract infection in mice.

This study reported the diversity of CMV, HIV-1 and RSV viral populations during acute infection from clinical samples.

This study reports that retrons function in defence against phage infection by inducing abortive infection.

A recent study found that a small RNA released by the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri modulates crucial host responses in the Hawaiian bobtailed squid Euprymna scolopes, revealing a new mode of communication in beneficial animal–bacterial symbioses.

This study provides insights into how the malaria parasite persists in its human host through the dry season in Mali to enable transmission by mosquitoes during the wet season.