Bacterial physiology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Proton pumps that are driven by light to pump protons out of the cell are involved in the conversion of sunlight into proton motive force; pumps to drive protons in the other direction have been engineered. Here, the authors report the identification and characterisation of a naturally occurring inward-driven protein pump.

    • Keiichi Inoue
    • , Shota Ito
    •  & Hideki Kandori

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mycobacteria can adapt to the stress of human infection by entering a dormant state. Here the authors show that hypoxia-induced dormancy in M. bovisBCG involves the reprogramming of tRNA wobble modifications and copy numbers, coupled with biased use of synonymous codons in survival genes.

    • Yok Hian Chionh
    • , Megan McBee
    •  & Peter C. Dedon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Counteracting oxidative stress is essential in all organisms. Here, the authors outline a mechanism used by actinomycete bacteria in which oxidation of zinc-binding RsrA blocks its interaction with σR by sequestering hydrophobic residues used to bind σRwithin its own core.

    • Karthik V. Rajasekar
    • , Konrad Zdanowski
    •  & Colin Kleanthous

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The membrane-bound kinase CckA controls the activity of the Caulobacter crescentusmaster regulator CtrA, which in turn coordinates asymmetric cell division. Here, the authors show that CckA contains two sensory domains that have distinct sensitivities to fluctuations in cyclic-di-GMP concentration and subcellular niche.

    • Thomas H. Mann
    • , W. Seth Childers
    •  & Lucy Shapiro

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Catch bonds have a role in bacterial adhesion and infection by uropathogenic E. coli.Here, the authors report crystal structures, molecular dynamics simulations, ligand binding analysis and cell tracking to characterise the catch bond interaction between the adhesin FimH and carbohydrate receptors.

    • Maximilian M. Sauer
    • , Roman P. Jakob
    •  & Rudi Glockshuber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that play important roles in pathogenesis and intercellular interactions. Here, Roier et al. provide evidence supporting that phospholipid accumulation in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane participates in OMV formation in Gram-negative bacteria.

    • Sandro Roier
    • , Franz G. Zingl
    •  & Stefan Schild

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The clinical application of new sequencing techniques is expected to accelerate pathogen identification. Here, Bradley et al. present a clinician-friendly software package that uses sequencing data for quick and accurate prediction of antibiotic resistance profiles for S. aureus and M. tuberculosis.

    • Phelim Bradley
    • , N. Claire Gordon
    •  & Zamin Iqbal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The accumulation of chemoreceptor proteins at bacterial poles is thought to depend on their clustering into arrays. Strahl et al. show that in Bacillus subtilis, the chemoreceptor TlpA uses high membrane curvature as a spatial cue for polar localization, through the intrinsic curvature sensitivity of the receptor complex.

    • H. Strahl
    • , S. Ronneau
    •  & L. W. Hamoen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One of the key aspects for controlling infectious diseases is understanding how pathogens cross host species. Here the authors conduct a genome-wide analysis of Salmonella and show a high degree of variation, enabling host-adapted colonization among Salmonellaintestinal and systemic serovars.

    • Min Yue
    • , Xiangan Han
    •  & Dieter M. Schifferli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    ZnuD is a conserved zinc transporter expressed in several bacterial pathogens with potential as a target against infection. Here the authors demonstrate a requirement for ZnuD in systemic infection by N. meningitidisand define the molecular mechanism of ZnuD-mediated Zinc transport across the bacterial outer membrane.

    • Charles Calmettes
    • , Christopher Ing
    •  & Trevor F. Moraes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Staphylococci are spherical bacteria that divide in sequential orthogonal planes. Here, the authors use super-resolution microscopy to show that staphylococcal cells elongate before dividing, and that the division septum generates less than one hemisphere of each daughter cell, generating asymmetry.

    • João M. Monteiro
    • , Pedro B. Fernandes
    •  & Mariana G. Pinho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A few bacterial cells within a genetically homogeneous population can become ‘persisters’, or temporarily tolerant to antibiotics. Here Orman and Brynildsen show that development of persisters among growth-arrested E. colicells can be prevented by inhibiting bacterial respiration.

    • Mehmet A. Orman
    •  & Mark P. Brynildsen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In bacteria, type III secretion systems (T3SS) allow the direct transport of protein across membranes, and related elements of a sorting platform facilitate hierarchical secretion of protein substrates. Here, the authors illustrate the mechanism of selective assembly of the T3SS sorting platforms in injectisome and flagellar systems.

    • Ryan Q. Notti
    • , Shibani Bhattacharya
    •  & C. Erec Stebbins

  • Article |

    AbgT family of transporters have previously been implicated in the uptake of folate catabolites but remain poorly understood. Here the authors present a structural and functional characterization of Alcanivorax borkumensisYdaH, an AbgT-type transporter, revealing a unique topology and possible function as a drug efflux pump.

    • Jani Reddy Bolla
    • , Chih-Chia Su
    •  & Edward W. Yu

  • Article |

    Bacterial secretion systems deliver proteins to the extracellular milieu or directly into the cytoplasm of other cells. Here Souza et al. show that a type IV secretion system (T4SS) allows Xanthomonas citrito kill other Gram-negative bacterial species in a contact-dependent manner.

    • Diorge P. Souza
    • , Gabriel U. Oka
    •  & Chuck S. Farah

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular basis for the high toxicity of cadmium is unclear. Here, Begg et al. use the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniaeas a model system, and show that cadmium uptake increases sensitivity to oxidative stress by reducing intracellular concentrations of manganese and zinc through different mechanisms.

    • Stephanie L. Begg
    • , Bart A. Eijkelkamp
    •  & Christopher A. McDevitt

  • Article |

    MinC, MinD and MinE proteins form part of an oscillatory network that ensures bacteria divide precisely at their midpoints. Ghosal et al.show that MinC and MinD can form membrane-binding copolymers, and propose a mechanism by which these copolymers may regulate cytokinetic ring assembly.

    • Debnath Ghosal
    • , Daniel Trambaiolo
    •  & Jan Löwe

  • Article |

    Magnetotactic bacteria sense and migrate along the geomagnetic field, but the molecular mechanism for directed motion is not known. Here, Popp et al. show that M. gryphiswaldensedisplays swimming polarity in an oxygen gradient sensed by the chemotactic sensory pathway CheOp1, revealing a link between aerotactic sensing and magnetotactic polarity.

    • Felix Popp
    • , Judith P. Armitage
    •  & Dirk Schüler

  • Article |

    Certain bacterial metabolites can affect insect behaviour, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, the authors show that 2-aminoacetophenone, produced by the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, attracts flies and facilitates microbial dissemination and colonization of the fly gut.

    • Stefania-Elisavet Kapsetaki
    • , Ilias Tzelepis
    •  & Yiorgos Apidianakis

  • Article |

    Overexpression of a drug’s molecular target increases drug resistance in some cases. Here the authors show that overexpressing antibiotic targets in Escherichia colican cause positive and negative changes in drug resistance, depending on whether the drug induces harmful reactions involving its target.

    • Adam C. Palmer
    •  & Roy Kishony

  • Article |

    Mycobacterium tuberculosisis intrinsically resistant to most antibiotics. Here, the authors show that the pathogen’s tolerance to three antibiotics, each one targeting a distinct cellular process, is mediated by an antioxidant response that requires the activation of isocitrate lyases.

    • Madhumitha Nandakumar
    • , Carl Nathan
    •  & Kyu Y. Rhee

  • Article |

    Bacterial autotransporters are folded in a process that entraps segments of their N-terminal passenger domain. Here, Leyton et al. identify glycine-aromatic mortise and tenon motifs that mediate the passenger domain’s translocation to the bacterial cell surface, and show that the motifs are evolutionarily conserved.

    • Denisse L. Leyton
    • , Matthew D. Johnson
    •  & Trevor Lithgow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Penicillin inhibits growth of chlamydial pathogens despite their lack of a conventional peptidoglycan cell wall. Here the authors report that the chlamydial amidase, AmiA, which can rescue cell division defects of an E. coli amiAmutant, has dual activity as a penicillin sensitive, lipid II-targetting carboxypeptidase.

    • Anna Klöckner
    • , Christian Otten
    •  & Beate Henrichfreise

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nitrogen regulation stress response and the stringent response are two major regulatory pathways in bacteria, but their mutual coordination is unclear. Here, the authors show that NtrC, the main regulatory protein from the first pathway, activates expression of relA, a key gene from the second pathway.

    • Daniel R. Brown
    • , Geraint Barton
    •  & Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj

  • Article |

    In bacteria, chromosomal architecture exhibits spatial and temporal fluctuations, which affect cellular functions. Here, Javer et al. use high-resolution tracking of chromosomal loci in E. colito uncover rare events of unusually large and fast movements, providing new insight into bacterial chromosome dynamics.

    • Avelino Javer
    • , Nathan J. Kuwada
    •  & Marco Cosentino Lagomarsino

  • Article |

    The potential advantages of specific cell shapes among microbes are unclear. Here, the authors show that the curved shape of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, which lives in lakes and streams, helps cells to colonize surfaces in the presence of fluid flow.

    • Alexandre Persat
    • , Howard A. Stone
    •  & Zemer Gitai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The factors varying mutation rate at a particular site in a single genotype remain elusive. Here, Krašovec et al. show that mutation rates at sites conferring resistance to rifampicin in Escherichia coli decrease with population density, and that mutation-rate plasticity is controlled by the luxSgene.

    • Rok Krašovec
    • , Roman V. Belavkin
    •  & Christopher G. Knight

  • Article |

    Lactate racemase is an enzyme that interconverts the L and D isomers of the common metabolite lactate. Here, the authors show that lactate racemase represents a new type of nickel-dependent enzyme, which is activated by accessory proteins that are widespread among prokaryotic microbes.

    • Benoît Desguin
    • , Philippe Goffin
    •  & Pascal Hols

  • Article |

    Little is known about extracellular electron uptake by microbes. Here Bose et al. show that the anoxygenic photoautotroph Rhodopseudomonas palustrisTIE-1 accepts electrons from a poised electrode, which can be uncoupled from photosynthesis, and the pioABC system has a role in this uptake.

    • A. Bose
    • , E.J. Gardel
    •  & P.R. Girguis

  • Article |

    Bacterial two-component systems relay extracellular signals to transcriptional networks via response regulators. Narayanan et al.present structures of the response regulator KdpE bound to DNA, and show that asymmetric interactions between the receiver and DNA-binding domains are required to sustain gene expression.

    • Anoop Narayanan
    • , Shivesh Kumar
    •  & Dinesh A. Yernool

  • Article |

    New classes of antitubercular drugs are in constant demand as drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis become more prevalent. Here, the authors characterize a class of drugs that are active against various M. tuberculosisstrains, including those resistant to currently used antituberculars.

    • Shichun Lun
    • , Haidan Guo
    •  & William R. Bishai

  • Article |

    Bacterial persistence is one of the major causes of failure of antibiotic treatment, and several toxin–antitoxin modules have been linked to the persistent phenotype. Here, the authors show that HipA toxin causes growth arrest and persistence via phosphorylation of the glutamyl-tRNA-synthetase.

    • Ilana Kaspy
    • , Eitan Rotem
    •  & Gad Glaser

  • Article |

    Bacterial chemoreceptors regulate the kinase CheA via ligand-induced conformational changes. Using long molecular dynamics simulations, Ortega et al.show that these changes are associated with flipping of the stacked aromatic rings of highly conserved phenylalanine residues within the kinase-activating domain.

    • Davi R. Ortega
    • , Chen Yang
    •  & Igor B. Zhulin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Helicobacter pylori survives in the acidic environment of the stomach by taking up urea and converting it to ammonia and carbon dioxide, which buffer the bacterial periplasm. Using molecular dynamics simulations, McNulty et al. provide insight into the mechanism of urea uptake through the H. pyloriurea transporter.

    • Reginald McNulty
    • , Jakob P. Ulmschneider
    •  & Martin B. Ulmschneider

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