Featured
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Article
| Open Access
Coordination of bacterial cell wall and outer membrane biosynthesis
A study demonstrates that specific interactions between the two committed enzymes for the synthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan enable coordinated assembly of the outer membrane and cell wall in the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- Katherine R. Hummels
- , Samuel P. Berry
- & Thomas G. Bernhardt
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Article
| Open Access
Decoupling of respiration rates and abundance in marine prokaryoplankton
Cell-specific respiration rates differ by more than 1,000× among prokaryoplankton genera, and the majority of respiration was found to be performed by minority members of prokaryoplankton, whereas cells of the most prevalent lineages had extremely low respiration rates.
- Jacob H. Munson-McGee
- , Melody R. Lindsay
- & Ramunas Stepanauskas
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Article
| Open Access
Undecaprenyl phosphate translocases confer conditional microbial fitness
Members of the DUF368-containing and DedA transmembrane protein families have conditional roles in undecaprenyl phosphate translocation in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and may have a widely conserved function in the biogenesis of microbial cell surface glycopolymers.
- Brandon Sit
- , Veerasak Srisuknimit
- & Matthew K. Waldor
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Article |
Distinct gene clusters drive formation of ferrosome organelles in bacteria
A fez gene cluster drives formation of ferrosomes, a distinct lipid-bounded organelle for iron storage, in diverse bacterial species.
- Carly R. Grant
- , Matthieu Amor
- & Arash Komeili
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Article |
Discovery of a Ni2+-dependent guanidine hydrolase in bacteria
A bacterial enzyme is characterized and demonstrated to have Ni2+-dependent activity and high specificity for free guanidine enabling the bacteria to use guanidine as the sole nitrogen source for growth.
- D. Funck
- , M. Sinn
- & J. S. Hartig
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Article |
High CO2 levels drive the TCA cycle backwards towards autotrophy
In the deltaproteobacterium Hippea maritima, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle can be reversed by high partial pressures of CO2 for the autotrophic fixation of carbon.
- Lydia Steffens
- , Eugenio Pettinato
- & Ivan A. Berg
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Article |
Marine Proteobacteria metabolize glycolate via the β-hydroxyaspartate cycle
Marine Proteobacteria use the β-hydroxyaspartate cycle to assimilate glycolate, which is secreted by algae on a petagram scale, providing evidence of a previously undescribed trophic interaction between autotrophic phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterioplankton.
- Lennart Schada von Borzyskowski
- , Francesca Severi
- & Tobias J. Erb
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Article |
An interbacterial toxin inhibits target cell growth by synthesizing (p)ppApp
The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa attacks competing bacteria using the toxin Tas1, which pyrophosphorylates adenosine nucleotides to generate (p)ppApp, thereby depleting ATP and disrupting multiple cellular functions.
- Shehryar Ahmad
- , Boyuan Wang
- & John C. Whitney
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Review Article |
Progress in and promise of bacterial quorum sensing research
A Review of the genetics, biochemistry, ecology and evolution of bacterial quorum sensing.
- Marvin Whiteley
- , Stephen P. Diggle
- & E. Peter Greenberg
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Article |
SEDS proteins are a widespread family of bacterial cell wall polymerases
SEDS proteins are core peptidoglycan polymerases involved in bacterial cell wall elongation and division.
- Alexander J. Meeske
- , Eammon P. Riley
- & David Z. Rudner
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Letter |
Ribosome-dependent activation of stringent control
The structure of a bacterial ribosome–RelA complex reveals that RelA, a protein recruited to the ribosome in the case of scarce amino acids, binds in a different location to translation factors, and that this binding event suppresses auto-inhibition to activate synthesis of the (p)ppGpp secondary messenger, thus initiating stringent control.
- Alan Brown
- , Israel S. Fernández
- & V. Ramakrishnan
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Letter |
Complete nitrification by a single microorganism
Until now, the oxidation steps necessary for complete nitrification had always been observed to occur in two separate microorganisms in a cross-feeding interaction; here, together with the study by Daims et al., van Kessel et al. report the enrichment and characterization of Nitrospira species that encode all of the enzymes necessary to catalyse complete nitrification, a phenotype referred to as ‘comammox’ (for complete ammonia oxidation).
- Maartje A. H. J. van Kessel
- , Daan R. Speth
- & Sebastian Lücker
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Letter |
Supramolecular assemblies underpin turnover of outer membrane proteins in bacteria
Fluorescent labelling is used to show that in E. coli, outer membrane protein (OMP) turnover is passive and binary in nature, and OMPs cluster to form islands in which diffusion of individual proteins is restricted owing to lateral interactions with other OMPs; new OMPs are inserted mostly at mid-cell, meaning that old OMP islands are displaced to the poles of growing cells.
- Patrice Rassam
- , Nikki A. Copeland
- & Colin Kleanthous
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Letter |
Fucose sensing regulates bacterial intestinal colonization
FusKR, a fucose-sensing two-component system, has been identified in enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, linking fucose utilization and virulence factor gene expression and providing insight into how sensing of a host signal can facilitate bacterial colonization.
- Alline R. Pacheco
- , Meredith M. Curtis
- & Vanessa Sperandio
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News & Views |
A piece of the methane puzzle
The identification of a sea-floor microorganism that single-handedly conducts anaerobic oxidation of methane changes our picture of how the flux of this greenhouse gas from the ocean to the atmosphere is regulated. See Article p.541
- Samantha B. Joye
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Article |
Filamentous bacteria transport electrons over centimetre distances
Oxygen reduction occurring in the surface layer of marine sediments can be coupled to sulphide oxidation in deeper anoxic layers; it is now shown that the electron transfer is mediated by filamentous bacteria acting like living electrical cables.
- Christian Pfeffer
- , Steffen Larsen
- & Lars Peter Nielsen
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News |
‘Arsenic-life’ bacterium prefers phosphorus after all
Transport proteins show 4,000-fold preference for phosphate over arsenate.
- Daniel Cressey
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Letter |
The molecular basis of phosphate discrimination in arsenate-rich environments
Ultrahigh-resolution X-ray crystallography study of a phosphate-binding protein from Pseudomonas fluorescens yields insight into how phosphate ions essential for life are discriminated from the arsenate ions inimical to it, even in arsenate-rich environments.
- Mikael Elias
- , Alon Wellner
- & Dan S. Tawfik
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News |
Bacteria replicate close to the physical limit of efficiency
Bacteria reproduce themselves rapidly — but could we make them faster still?
- Philip Ball
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News |
India moves to tackle antibiotic resistance
Drug regulator aims to restrict over-the-counter sales.
- Erica Westly
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News |
Resistance to backup tuberculosis drugs increases
Disease control hindered by strains that can't be treated with second-line antibiotics.
- Kathryn Lougheed
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Research Highlights |
Cigarette smoke boosts biofilms
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News |
Arsenic-loving bacterium needs phosphorus after all
Two teams repeat much-debated study, and find that the chemical rules of life remain unbroken.
- Quirin Schiermeier
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Letter |
Reduced airway surface pH impairs bacterial killing in the porcine cystic fibrosis lung
In a porcine cystic fibrosis model, lack of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is shown to result in acidification of airway surface liquid (ASL), and this decrease in pH reduces the ability of ASL to kill bacteria; the findings directly link loss of the CFTR anion channel to impaired defence against bacterial infection.
- Alejandro A. Pezzulo
- , Xiao Xiao Tang
- & Joseph Zabner
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Comment |
Recover the lost art of drug discovery
Bacterial evolution is overwhelming our antibiotic defences, says Kim Lewis. Using modern technology to replicate past success might tip the balance in our favour.
- Kim Lewis
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News |
Drug-resistant bacteria go undetected
Poor training in use of tests allows ‘superbugs’ to evade surveillance.
- Daniel Cressey
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Research Highlights |
Gene behind MRSA's menace
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News & Views |
Adaptation by target remodelling
Bacteria direct their movement in response to certain chemicals by controlling the rotation of whip-like appendages called flagella. The sensitivity of the response can be adjusted at the signal's target, the flagellar motor. See Letter p.233
- Gerald L. Hazelbauer
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Research Highlights |
A pulsating gut on a chip
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Research Highlights |
Unintended antimicrobial effects
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News |
Antibiotic resistance marching across Europe
Multimillion-euro research initiative set up to address the problem.
- Natasha Gilbert
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Letter |
Molecular mechanism of anaerobic ammonium oxidation
- Boran Kartal
- , Wouter J. Maalcke
- & Marc Strous
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Letter |
The NLRC4 inflammasome receptors for bacterial flagellin and type III secretion apparatus
- Yue Zhao
- , Jieling Yang
- & Feng Shao
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News |
Electrified bacterial filaments zap uranium
Mechanism by which microbes scrub radioactive contamination revealed.
- Lee Sweetlove
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News |
Open research casts doubt on arsenic life
Blog documenting quest to replicate finding could be taste of things to come.
- Erika Check Hayden
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Research Highlights |
Bacteria whip around corners
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Research Highlights |
Bacteria 'blink' to expel molecules
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News & Views |
Molecular syringes scratch the surface
New data suggest that the most recently discovered class of bacterial 'molecular syringes' inject proteins only across the outer membrane of target cells during interbacterial competition. See Article p.343
- Peggy Cotter
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Article |
Type VI secretion delivers bacteriolytic effectors to target cells
- Alistair B. Russell
- , Rachel D. Hood
- & Joseph D. Mougous
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News |
Calcified clue to ancient photosynthesis
Mat of microbes contains calcium carbonate that could only have formed through photosynthesis.
- Katharine Sanderson
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Article |
Crystal structure of the FimD usher bound to its cognate FimC–FimH substrate
- Gilles Phan
- , Han Remaut
- & Gabriel Waksman
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Letter |
Detection of prokaryotic mRNA signifies microbial viability and promotes immunity
- Leif E. Sander
- , Michael J. Davis
- & J. Magarian Blander
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Letter |
Preserving the membrane barrier for small molecules during bacterial protein translocation
- Eunyong Park
- & Tom A. Rapoport
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Letter |
Metabolite-enabled eradication of bacterial persisters by aminoglycosides
- Kyle R. Allison
- , Mark P. Brynildsen
- & James J. Collins
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News |
Antibiotic resistance shows up in India's drinking water
Discovery of NDM-1 outside hospital environment raises alarm.
- Naomi Lubick
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Article |
CRISPR RNA maturation by trans-encoded small RNA and host factor RNase III
CRISPR is a microbial RNA-based immune system protecting against viral and plasmid invasions. The CRISPR system is thought to rely on cleavage of a precursor RNA transcript by Cas endonucleases, but not all species possessing CRISPR-type immunity encode Cas proteins. This study now describes an alternative pathway in Streptococcus pyogenes that employs trans-encoded small RNA that directs the processing of precursor RNA into crRNAs through endogenous RNase III and the CRISPR-associated Csn1 protein.
- Elitza Deltcheva
- , Krzysztof Chylinski
- & Emmanuelle Charpentier
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Research Highlights |
Stopping the cellular pump
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News |
Dumped drugs lead to resistant microbes
A continual discharge of antibiotic-contaminated water has created a hotspot of bacterial antibiotic resistance in an Indian river.
- Naomi Lubick
Single-molecule dynamics show a transient lipopolysaccharide transport bridge