Cellular microbiology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is an oncogenic bacterium reported to promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here the authors show that the virulence factor of Fn, Fn-Dps upregulates PD-L1 and that Fn promotes cell death in T-cells, hence, limiting the efficacy of immunotherapy in ESCC.

Plant PR-1 proteins participate in defense responses against pathogens. Here, the authors show that PR-1-like proteins from the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis are important for virulence by detecting plant-derived phenolics and modulating plant PR-1-mediated defenses.

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.

In bacteria such as E. coli, Min proteins ensure proper localization of the septum at the mid-zone of the cell before cell division. Here, the authors study the effects of changes in relative expression of Min proteins on cell size, providing evidence that Min proteins contribute to the regulation of cell size and the timing of septum formation.

This study provides insights into the mechanism whereby Citrobacter rodentium transitions from the intestinal lumen to its mucosal niche.

This study reports how fluid flow is linked to changes in gene expression in bacterial pathogens.

This study shows that Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis can evade phage predation by transient conversion to a cell wall-deficient L-form state.

This Genome Watch highlights how studying endosymbiotic gene transfer in more recently established endosymbioses sheds light on how the algal plastid evolved more than a billion years ago.

This study uncovers how Yersinia pestis is protected from engulfment by macrophages by the capsule-like antigen F1.

Focused research efforts provide important advances in science, but huge global problems will only be solved through interdisciplinary collaborations, argues David Ng.