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| Open AccessPrey killing without invasion by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus defective for a MIDAS-family adhesin
The bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predator of other bacteria, invading the prey’s periplasm and forming a rounded killed cell where it replicates. Here, Tyson et al. identify a B. bacteriovorus protein that is important for successful invasion of prey, and show that prey killing can occur without invasion.
- Jess Tyson
- , Paul Radford
- & R. Elizabeth Sockett
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Article
| Open AccessPhage-specific immunity impairs efficacy of bacteriophage targeting Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus in a murine model
Bacteriophage can be used to target bacterial infection and used as a therapeutic approach for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Here the authors show that the use of bacteriophage to target antibiotic resistant bacteria in a mouse model of infection can induce phage specific immune responses and may impair their therapeutic efficacy.
- Julia D. Berkson
- , Claire E. Wate
- & Paul E. Carlson Jr.
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Article
| Open AccessLipoarabinomannan mediates localized cell wall integrity during division in mycobacteria
Mycobacteria have a unique cell envelope that includes characteristic lipoglycans, such as lipoarabinomannan. Here, Sparks et al. show that this lipoglycan plays roles in maintenance of local cell envelope integrity and septal placement during cell division.
- Ian L. Sparks
- , Takehiro Kado
- & Yasu S. Morita
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Article
| Open AccessbacLIFE: a user-friendly computational workflow for genome analysis and prediction of lifestyle-associated genes in bacteria
Many bacteria live in close association with eukaryotic hosts, exhibiting detrimental, neutral or beneficial effects on host growth and health. Here, the authors present a streamlined computational workflow for bacterial genome annotation, large-scale comparative genomics, and prediction of genes potentially involved in niche adaptation.
- Guillermo Guerrero-Egido
- , Adrian Pintado
- & Víctor J. Carrión
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Article
| Open AccessProtein NirP1 regulates nitrite reductase and nitrite excretion in cyanobacteria
Some cyanobacteria excrete nitrite when the supply of inorganic carbon is limiting, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, Kraus et al. identify a conserved protein that interacts with nitrite reductase, thus regulating nitrogen metabolism and promoting nitrite excretion.
- Alexander Kraus
- , Philipp Spät
- & Wolfgang R. Hess
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Article
| Open AccessGonococcal OMV-delivered PorB induces epithelial cell mitophagy
Neisseria gonorrhoeae secretes outer membrane vesicles (OMV) during colonization of epithelial cells. Here, the authors demonstrate that gonococcal OMVs induce epithelial cell mitophagy by a PorB-dependent mechanism to enhance intracellular survival.
- Shuai Gao
- , Lingyu Gao
- & Stijn van der Veen
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Article
| Open AccessA convergent evolutionary pathway attenuating cellulose production drives enhanced virulence of some bacteria
Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli cause urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Here, the authors show how mutations that disrupt the production of cellulose, a polysaccharide produced by many bacteria, drive enhanced virulence.
- Nguyen Thi Khanh Nhu
- , M. Arifur Rahman
- & Mark A. Schembri
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| Open AccessUltrastructure of macromolecular assemblies contributing to bacterial spore resistance revealed by in situ cryo-electron tomography
Bacterial endospores are among the most resilient forms of life. Here, authors reveal ultrastructural details of the spore chromosome and the multiprotein, multilayered extracellular coat, shedding light on mechanisms contributing to spore resistance.
- Elda Bauda
- , Benoit Gallet
- & Cecile Morlot
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Article
| Open AccessA two-step activation mechanism enables mast cells to differentiate their response between extracellular and invasive enterobacterial infection
Mast cells serve as sentinels for mucosal infection. This study shows how mast cells can differentially detect extracellular and invasive gut bacteria, and in response tune their cytokine production to signal different levels of danger.
- Christopher von Beek
- , Anna Fahlgren
- & Mikael E. Sellin
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| Open AccessNatural reversion promotes LPS elongation in an attenuated Coxiella burnetii strain
In vitro propagation of the pathogenic bacterium Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, leads to attenuated virulence and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) truncation. Here, Long et al. show that a strain considered to be avirulent (NMII) can be recovered from infected animals, and these isolates display increased virulence and an elongated LPS due to reversion of a 3-bp mutation in a gene.
- Carrie M. Long
- , Paul A. Beare
- & Robert A. Heinzen
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| Open AccessAssembly of a unique membrane complex in type VI secretion systems of Bacteroidota
The type VI secretion system (T6SS) of Gram-negative bacteria is typically anchored to the cell envelope through a membrane complex (MC), but Bacteroidota appear to lack genes encoding canonical MC components. Here, Bongiovanni et al. identify the Bacteroidota MC and study its biogenesis and connections with the conserved T6SS components.
- Thibault R. Bongiovanni
- , Casey J. Latario
- & Eric Durand
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobial co-occurrences on catheters from long-term catheterized patients
The authors examine temporal polymicrobial community composition in patients with long-term urinary catheters to identify species co-occurrences and demonstrate uropathogenic Escherichia coli augments growth of a prevalent opportunistic uropathogen in urine.
- Taylor M. Nye
- , Zongsen Zou
- & Scott J. Hultgren
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Article
| Open AccessA unique sigma/anti-sigma system in the actinomycete Actinoplanes missouriensis
Bacteria of the genus Actinoplanes form sporangia which, upon contact with water, release motile spores. Here, the authors study the mechanisms behind sporangium dehiscence and discover a sigma/anti-sigma system with unique features.
- Takeaki Tezuka
- , Kyota Mitsuyama
- & Yasuo Ohnishi
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Article
| Open AccessMachine learning-based motion tracking reveals an inverse correlation between adhesivity and surface motility of the leptospirosis spirochete
A common approach to study bacterial motility is fluorescent labelling, but this can be hampered by protein expression instability and/or interference with bacterial physiology. Here, Abe et al. describe a machine learning-based method for motion tracking of spirochetes on cultured animal cells, which does not require labelling and might be applied to study motility of other bacterial species.
- Keigo Abe
- , Nobuo Koizumi
- & Shuichi Nakamura
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Article
| Open AccessKlebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates with features of both multidrug-resistance and hypervirulence have unexpectedly low virulence
Convergent strains, those containing characteristics of both multidrug-resistant & hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, are a global threat to public health. In this work, authors analyse convergent isolates from the United States and reveal unexpectantly low virulence.
- Travis J. Kochan
- , Sophia H. Nozick
- & Alan R. Hauser
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| Open AccessDiversification of division mechanisms in endospore-forming bacteria revealed by analyses of peptidoglycan synthesis in Clostridioides difficile
The enzymes FtsW and FtsI are thought to be essential for the synthesis of septal peptidoglycan (PG) during bacterial cell division. Here, Shrestha et al. show that the pathogen Clostridioides difficile lacks a canonical FtsW/FtsI pair, with its homologs fulfilling sporulation-specific roles including the synthesis of septal PG during sporulation-specific cell division.
- Shailab Shrestha
- , Najwa Taib
- & Aimee Shen
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| Open AccessThe protein interactome of the citrus Huanglongbing pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus
Research on the biology and pathogenicity of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterium that causes citrus Huanglongbing disease, is hampered by our inability to cultivate it in artificial media. Here, Carter et al. use a high-throughput yeast-two-hybrid screen to identify thousands of interactions between CLas proteins, thus providing insights into their potential functions.
- Erica W. Carter
- , Orlene Guerra Peraza
- & Nian Wang
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| Open AccessThe Mla system of diderm Firmicute Veillonella parvula reveals an ancestral transenvelope bridge for phospholipid trafficking
E. coli maintains membrane lipid asymmetry by transferring glycerophospholipids from the outer membrane to the inner membrane; this requires outer membrane protein MlaA, periplasmic chaperone MlaC, and inner-membrane complex MlaBDEF. Here, the authors show that in some bacteria that lack MlaA and MlaC, MlaD forms a transenvelope bridge comprising a typical inner-membrane domain and, in addition, an outer-membrane domain.
- Kyrie P. Grasekamp
- , Basile Beaud Benyahia
- & Christophe Beloin
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| Open AccessA smooth tubercle bacillus from Ethiopia phylogenetically close to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) includes several pathogens thought to have originated in East Africa from an ancestor closely related to Mycobacterium canettii. Here, the authors describe a clinical tuberculosis strain isolated in Ethiopia that has typical M. canettii features but is phylogenetically much closer to the MTBC clade, supporting that the emergence of MTBC pathogens is a recent evolutionary event.
- Bazezew Yenew
- , Arash Ghodousi
- & Daniela Maria Cirillo
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Article
| Open AccessMid-cell migration of the chromosomal terminus is coupled to origin segregation in Escherichia coli
In slow-growing Escherichia coli, the chromosomal terminus is initially located at the new pole and must therefore migrate to midcell during replication to reproduce the same pattern in the daughter cells. Here, Sadhir & Murray use high-throughput time-lapse microscopy to quantify this transition, its timing and its relationship to chromosome segregation, identifying an unexplored connection between the origin of replication locus and the terminus.
- Ismath Sadhir
- & Seán M. Murray
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Article
| Open AccessGlutamine metabolism inhibition has dual immunomodulatory and antibacterial activities against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Parveen et al., using immunological, and metabolomics-based assays, demonstrate the importance of host glutamine metabolism in tuberculosis pathogenesis and show host-directed activity against tuberculosis.
- Sadiya Parveen
- , Jessica Shen
- & William R. Bishai
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Article
| Open AccessStructures of the DarR transcription regulator reveal unique modes of second messenger and DNA binding
The molecular basis for 2nd messenger binding to the TetR family regulator (TFR), DarR, is unknown. Here the authors obtain DarR structures bound to adenine 2nd messengers and DNA, revealing both a new TFR allosteric binding site and DNA binding mode.
- Maria A. Schumacher
- , Nicholas Lent
- & Raul Salinas
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Article
| Open AccessStructure of a heteropolymeric type 4 pilus from a monoderm bacterium
Here, Anger et al. report the structure of the type 4 pilus (T4P) from Streptococcus sanguinis. They show that the T4P architecture seen in diderm bacteria – where the N-terminal α-helices of pilin subunits are partially unfolded upon polymerisation – is conserved in distant monoderm species.
- Robin Anger
- , Laetitia Pieulle
- & Rémi Fronzes
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Article
| Open AccessHierarchical AI enables global interpretation of culture plates in the era of digital microbiology
DeepColony is a multi-level AI solution for the interpretation of bacterial culturing images in clinical microbiology laboratory automations. Here, the authors show it allows presumptive identification and quantitation of relevant pathogens at both colony- and plate-level.
- Alberto Signoroni
- , Alessandro Ferrari
- & Karissa Culbreath
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| Open AccessThe leaderless communication peptide (LCP) class of quorum-sensing peptides is broadly distributed among Firmicutes
The human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes secretes a short peptide (LCP) that mediates intercellular communication and controls bacterial virulence. Here, the authors show that LCP homologues act as bacterial intercellular signals and regulate gene expression also in other bacteria.
- Shifu Aggarwal
- , Elaine Huang
- & Muthiah Kumaraswami
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| Open AccessA conserved membrane protein negatively regulates Mce1 complexes in mycobacteria
Mycobacterial Mce systems are putative ABC transporters for lipids. Here, the authors revealed two distinct Mce1 complexes comprising different heterohexameric substrate binding assemblies that are negatively regulated via a novel mechanism.
- Yushu Chen
- , Yuchun Wang
- & Shu-Sin Chng
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Article
| Open AccessEcophysiology and interactions of a taurine-respiring bacterium in the mouse gut
Authors utilise a multi-omics approach for the ecophysiological characterization of a taurine-respiring mouse gut bacterium.
- Huimin Ye
- , Sabrina Borusak
- & Alexander Loy
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| Open AccessMechanism of outer membrane destabilization by global reduction of protein content
The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is an asymmetric bilayer, with phospholipids in the inner leaflet. Here the authors show that a reduction in OM proteins and the subsequent mislocalization of phospholipids weaken the OM and alter growth rate and cell shape, emphasizing the role of OM proteins in OM stiffness and cell shape.
- Irina V. Mikheyeva
- , Jiawei Sun
- & Thomas J. Silhavy
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| Open AccessGrowth-rate dependency of ribosome abundance and translation elongation rate in Corynebacterium glutamicum differs from that in Escherichia coli
Bacterial growth rate depends on the number of active ribosomes and translation elongation rate. Matamouros et al. show that Corynebacterium glutamicum, a gram-positive model species, uses a different strategy than Escherichia coli during slow growth by strongly reducing the translation elongation rate while keeping a high number of active ribosomes.
- Susana Matamouros
- , Thomas Gensch
- & Michael Bott
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Article
| Open AccessMulti-scale dynamic imaging reveals that cooperative motility behaviors promote efficient predation in bacteria
Myxococcus xanthus forages and moves collectively to prey and feed on other bacterial species. Here, the authors challenge the conventional idea that during Myxococcus xanthus predation, A- and S-motilities are limited to specific forager and swarm roles and reveal a synergistic interaction between these motilities to enhance predation efficiency.
- Sara Rombouts
- , Anna Mas
- & Marcelo Nollmann
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Article
| Open AccessThe RIX domain defines a class of polymorphic T6SS effectors and secreted adaptors
Bacteria use the type VI secretion system (T6SS) to deliver toxic effectors into bacterial or eukaryotic cells. Here, Kanarek et al. identify a protein domain, RIX, that defines a class of polymorphic T6SS effectors with antibacterial and anti-eukaryotic toxic domains, and that enables T6SS-mediated delivery of other effectors.
- Katarzyna Kanarek
- , Chaya Mushka Fridman
- & Dor Salomon
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| Open AccessConformational restriction shapes the inhibition of a multidrug efflux adaptor protein
Multidrug efflux protein pumps are key players in bacterial antimicrobial resistance. Here, the authors show how dynamics of a periplasmic pump component can be targeted for efflux inhibition.
- Benjamin Russell Lewis
- , Muhammad R. Uddin
- & Eamonn Reading
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| Open AccessMolecular basis and design principles of switchable front-rear polarity and directional migration in Myxococcus xanthus
Cell polarity is key to many processes in bacteria. By focusing on the roadblock domain protein MglC, the authors elucidate the mechanistic basis and design principles of a system that spatiotemporally regulates switchable front-rear polarity and directional migration.
- Luís António Menezes Carreira
- , Dobromir Szadkowski
- & Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
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| Open AccessExtensive diversity in RNA termination and regulation revealed by transcriptome mapping for the Lyme pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi
Transcription termination can tune bacterial gene expression in response to diverse signals. Here, the authors use several RNA-seq approaches to map RNA ends for the transcriptome of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, providing insights into various modes of transcription termination and identifying potential RNA regulators in this pathogen.
- Emily Petroni
- , Caroline Esnault
- & Philip P. Adams
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Article
| Open AccessBiomolecular condensate drives polymerization and bundling of the bacterial tubulin FtsZ to regulate cell division
How cell division is regulated with spatiotemporal precision is not fully understood. Here the authors show that a bacterial protein undergoes phase separation through surface-assisted condensation to enrich the tubulin homolog FtsZ in M. xanthus cell division.
- Beatrice Ramm
- , Dominik Schumacher
- & Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
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Article
| Open AccessGut microbiota Turicibacter strains differentially modify bile acids and host lipids
Mechanisms by which the gut microbiota affects its host are a main research focus. Here, Lynch et al. characterize bile acid modifications performed by a prevalent bacterial taxon from the gut, the genus Turicibacter, and found they broadly altered host lipids, connecting Turicibacter functions and host physiology.
- Jonathan B. Lynch
- , Erika L. Gonzalez
- & Elaine Y. Hsiao
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Article
| Open AccessA polyamine acetyltransferase regulates the motility and biofilm formation of Acinetobacter baumannii
Acinetobacter baumanii has an uncharacterized surface-associated motility which is a feature of its persistence. Here, Armalytė et al identify an acetyltransferase that affects this motility and present a functional and structural characterisation of it
- Julija Armalytė
- , Albinas Čepauskas
- & Dukas Jurėnas
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Article
| Open AccessThe divisome but not the elongasome organizes capsule synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae
The bacterial cell envelope consists of multiple layers, the synthesis of which is coordinated through unclear mechanisms. Here, Nakamoto et al. reveal a mechanism linking the synthesis of capsular polysaccharides and cell wall peptidoglycan in pneumococci.
- Rei Nakamoto
- , Sarp Bamyaci
- & Lok-To Sham
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Article
| Open AccessPulcherriminic acid modulates iron availability and protects against oxidative stress during microbial interactions
Microbes often produce molecules (termed siderophores) that bind iron and then are taken up using specific receptors for iron acquisition. Here, the authors show that a compound produced by Bacillus subtilis plays a more complex role, by modulating iron availability and conferring protection against oxidative stress during inter-species competition.
- Vincent Charron-Lamoureux
- , Lounès Haroune
- & Pascale B. Beauregard
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Article
| Open AccessBacterial capsular polysaccharides with antibiofilm activity share common biophysical and electrokinetic properties
Bacteria produce several high molecular weight polysaccharides with ill-defined anti-adhesion properties. Here, the authors identified key molecular and biophysical determinants of active antibiofilm polysaccharides, opening new perspectives to identify or engineer new compounds able to control bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.
- Joaquín Bernal-Bayard
- , Jérôme Thiebaud
- & Jean-Marc Ghigo
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| Open AccessA nonstop thrill ride from genes to the assembly of the T3SS injectisome
The type three secretion system (T3SS) is a membrane-anchored nano-machine utilized by many pathogenic bacteria to inject effector proteins and thus take control of host cells. In a recent article, Kaval et al. reveal a striking colocalization of a T3SS-encoding locus, its transcriptional activators, protein products, and the complete structure at the cell membrane, which they claim provides evidence for a mechanism known as ‘transertion’.
- Itzhak Fishov
- & Sharanya Namboodiri
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Article
| Open AccessModulation of MRSA virulence gene expression by the wall teichoic acid enzyme TarO
The two-component regulatory system VraRS regulates transcription of penicillin-binding protein 2 in response to cell wall antimicrobials. Here, Lu et al. show that an enzyme from the wall teichoic acid biosynthetic pathway of MRSA can also modulate the expression of virulence factors such as Staphylococcal protein A via VraRS.
- Yunfu Lu
- , Feifei Chen
- & Lefu Lan
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Article
| Open AccessLipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and traffic in the envelope of the pathogen Brucella abortus
Pathogenic Brucella abortus, containing a mix of lipopolysaccharides with or without O-antigen, grows its envelope in a unipolar manner. Here, Servais et al, localize the LPS translocation machinery and identify the main O-antigen ligase in Brucella species, shedding light on the basic biology of this organism.
- Caroline Servais
- , Victoria Vassen
- & Xavier De Bolle
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Article
| Open AccessStringent response ensures the timely adaptation of bacterial growth to nutrient downshift
Bacteria undergo nutrient fluctuations during repeated feast and famine cycles and need to metabolically adapt to these changes. Using quantitative proteomics, Zhu & Dai show that the stringent response of (p)ppGpp is crucial for the timely adaption of bacterial growth to both amino acid and carbon downshift.
- Manlu Zhu
- & Xiongfeng Dai
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Article
| Open AccessReal-time visualisation of the intracellular dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer
Conjugation is a contact-dependent mechanism for the transfer of plasmid DNA between bacterial cells. Here, Couturier et al. use live-cell microscopy to visualise the intracellular dynamics of conjugation in real time, revealing a molecular strategy that allows the sequential production of factors involved in establishing, maintaining and disseminating the plasmid.
- Agathe Couturier
- , Chloé Virolle
- & Christian Lesterlin
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| Open AccessGenome-wide identification of genes required for alternative peptidoglycan cross-linking in Escherichia coli revealed unexpected impacts of β-lactams
β-lactam-induced bacterial killing is complex and not fully resolved. Authors carry out a genome-wide analysis, through penicillin-binding protein replacement, to identify genes essential for drug efficacy.
- Henri Voedts
- , Sean P. Kennedy
- & Jean-Emmanuel Hugonnet
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Article
| Open AccessGenomic insights into the physiology of Quinella, an iconic uncultured rumen bacterium
Uncultured bacteria of the genus Quinella are found in the rumen of ruminant animals, especially in sheep that emit low amounts of methane. Here, Kumar et al. reconstruct genomic sequences from Quinella cells to provide insights into their metabolic capabilities, including lactate and propionate formation as major fermentation pathways and an apparent lack of production of H2, a major precursor of methane.
- Sandeep Kumar
- , Eric Altermann
- & Peter H. Janssen
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| Open AccessPromiscuity of response regulators for thioredoxin steers bacterial virulence
The response regulator SsrB, a master activator of the Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 gene cluster, is under allosteric control of thioredoxin. Authors utilise in vitro and in vivo models to investigate if other members of the response regulator family might have adopted thioredoxin as a regulator.
- Ju-Sim Kim
- , Alexandra Born
- & Andrés Vázquez-Torres
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Article
| Open AccessMcaA and McaB control the dynamic positioning of a bacterial magnetic organelle
Magnetotactic bacteria use intracellular chains of ferrimagnetic nanocrystals, produced within magnetosome organelles, to align and navigate along the geomagnetic field. Here, Wan et al. identify two proteins involved in magnetosome positioning in Magnetospirillum magneticum, homologs of which are widespread among magnetotactic bacteria.
- Juan Wan
- , Caroline L. Monteil
- & Arash Komeili