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Article
| Open AccessThe chromosomal organization of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important mechanism for genome evolution and adaptation in bacteria. Here, Oliveira and colleagues find HGT hotspots comprising ~ 1% of the chromosomal regions in 80 bacterial species.
- Pedro H. Oliveira
- , Marie Touchon
- & Eduardo P. C. Rocha
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Article
| Open AccessReplication defective viral genomes exploit a cellular pro-survival mechanism to establish paramyxovirus persistence
Replication defective viral genomes (DVGs) can facilitate persistence of paramyxoviruses, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Using FISH, Xu et al. here analyze the cellular response to DVGs on a single cell level and show that a MAVS-mediated TNF response specifically extends survival of cells enriched in DVGs.
- Jie Xu
- , Yan Sun
- & Carolina B. López
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular architecture of the PBP2–MreC core bacterial cell wall synthesis complex
Bacterial wall biosynthesis is a complex process that requires the coordination of multiple enzymes. Here, the authors structurally characterize the PBP2:MreC complex involved in peptidoglycan elongation and cross-linking, and demonstrate that its disruption leads to loss of H. pylori shape and inability to sustain growth.
- Carlos Contreras-Martel
- , Alexandre Martins
- & Andréa Dessen
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Article
| Open AccessEpitope-associated and specificity-focused features of EV71-neutralizing antibody repertoires from plasmablasts of infected children
Enterovirus 71 is a leading cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease and herpangina. Here, the authors characterize a large panel of plasmablast-derived IgG mAbs that target the capsid of EV71 to identify neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection.
- Kuan-Ying Arthur Huang
- , Mei-Feng Chen
- & Tzou-Yien Lin
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| Open AccessThe cryo-EM structure of hibernating 100S ribosome dimer from pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus
Under conditions of nutrient limitation, bacterial ribosomes undergo dimerization, forming a 100S complex that is translationally inactive. Here the authors present the structural basis for formation of the 100S complexes in Gram-positive bacteria, shedding light on the mechanism of translation suppression by the ribosome-silencing factors.
- Donna Matzov
- , Shintaro Aibara
- & Ada E. Yonath
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Article
| Open AccessA secreted antibacterial neuropeptide shapes the microbiome of Hydra
Certain neuropeptides, in addition to their neuromodulatory functions, display antibacterial activities of unclear significance. Here, the authors show that a secreted neuropeptide modulates the distribution of bacterial communities on the body surface during development of the model organism Hydra.
- René Augustin
- , Katja Schröder
- & Thomas C. G. Bosch
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Article
| Open AccessRSV glycoprotein and genomic RNA dynamics reveal filament assembly prior to the plasma membrane
Assembly of filamentous RSV particles is incompletely understood due to a lack of techniques suitable for live-cell imaging. Here Vanover et al. use labeled soybean agglutinin to selectively label RSV G protein and show how filamentous RSV assembly, initiated in the cytoplasm, uses G protein recycled from the plasma membrane.
- Daryll Vanover
- , Daisy V. Smith
- & Philip J. Santangelo
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Article
| Open AccessA single-dose live-attenuated vaccine prevents Zika virus pregnancy transmission and testis damage
Zika virus infection can result in congenital disorders and cause disease in adults, and there is currently no approved vaccine. Here Shan et al. show that a single dose of a live-attenuated Zika vaccine prevents infection, testis damage and transmission to the fetus during pregnancy in different animal models.
- Chao Shan
- , Antonio E. Muruato
- & Pei-Yong Shi
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Article
| Open AccessBacterial outer membrane vesicles suppress tumor by interferon-γ-mediated antitumor response
Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) contain immunogens but no study has yet examined their potential in treating cancer. Here, the authors demonstrate that OMVs can suppress established tumours and prevent tumour metastasis by an interferon-γ mediated antitumor response.
- Oh Youn Kim
- , Hyun Taek Park
- & Yong Song Gho
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Article
| Open AccessA comprehensive characterization of PncA polymorphisms that confer resistance to pyrazinamide
The antibiotic pyrazinamide is central to tuberculosis treatment regimens, globally. Despite its efficacy, resistance to the drug is increasing. Here, Eric Rubin and colleagues characterise the genetic basis of pyrazinamide resistance.
- Adam N. Yadon
- , Kashmeel Maharaj
- & Alexander S. Pym
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Article
| Open AccessDimerization regulates both deaminase-dependent and deaminase-independent HIV-1 restriction by APOBEC3G
APOBEC3G inhibits HIV-1 viral replication via catalytic and non-catalytic processes. Here the authors show that APOBEC3G binds single-stranded DNA as an active deaminase monomer, subsequently forming catalytic-inactive dimers that block reverse transcriptase-mediated DNA synthesis.
- Michael Morse
- , Ran Huo
- & Mark C. Williams
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Article
| Open AccessFunctional organization of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in cells infected by respiratory syncytial virus
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) induces formation of inclusion bodies (IBs) sheltering viral RNA synthesis. Here, Rincheval et al. identify highly dynamic IB-associated granules (IBAGs) that accumulate newly synthetized viral mRNA and the viral M2-1 protein but exclude viral genomic RNA and RNA polymerase complexes.
- Vincent Rincheval
- , Mickael Lelek
- & Marie-Anne Rameix-Welti
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Article
| Open AccessProtein O-fucosylation in Plasmodium falciparum ensures efficient infection of mosquito and vertebrate hosts
The role of O-glycosylation in the malaria life cycle is largely unknown. Here, the authors identify a Plasmodium protein O-fucosyltransferase and show that it is important for normal trafficking of a subset of surface proteins, particularly CSP and TRAP, and efficient infection of mosquito and vertebrate hosts.
- Sash Lopaticki
- , Annie S. P. Yang
- & Justin A. Boddey
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Article
| Open AccessComplete fusion of a transposon and herpesvirus created the Teratorn mobile element in medaka fish
Teratorn is a large mobile genetic element originally identified in the small teleost fish medaka. Here, the authors show that Teratorn is derived from the fusion of a piggyBac superfamily DNA transposon and an alloherpesvirus and that it is widely found across teleost fish.
- Yusuke Inoue
- , Tomonori Saga
- & Hiroyuki Takeda
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Article
| Open AccessEnvelope glycoprotein mobility on HIV-1 particles depends on the virus maturation state
To become infectious, HIV-1 particles undergo a maturation process involving the clustering of envelope glycoprotein Env. Here, Chojnacki et al. employ super-resolution STED-FCS microscopy to study dynamics of Env molecules on HIV-1 particles and show that Env undergoes a maturation-induced increase in mobility.
- Jakub Chojnacki
- , Dominic Waithe
- & Christian Eggeling
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Article
| Open AccessA systematic exploration of the interactions between bacterial effector proteins and host cell membranes
Microbial pathogens secrete effector proteins into host cells to affect cellular functions. Here, the authors use a yeast-based screen to study around 200 effectors from six bacterial species, showing that over 30% of them interact with the eukaryotic plasma membrane or intracellular organelles.
- Bethany A. Weigele
- , Robert C. Orchard
- & Neal M. Alto
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Article
| Open AccessPerturbed cholesterol and vesicular trafficking associated with dengue blocking in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti cells
Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes can block dengue virus infection and is tested in field trials, but the mechanism of action is unclear. Using proteomics, Geoghegan et al. here identify effects of Wolbachia on cholesterol homeostasis and dengue virus replication in Aedes aegypti.
- Vincent Geoghegan
- , Kirsty Stainton
- & Steven P. Sinkins
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of a proteolytic flagellin family in diverse bacterial phyla that assembles enzymatically active flagella
So far no enzymatic activity has been attributed to flagellin, the major component of bacterial flagella. Here the authors use bioinformatic analysis and identify a metallopeptidase insertion in flagellins from 74 bacterial species and show that recombinant flagellin and flagellar filaments have proteolytic activity.
- Ulrich Eckhard
- , Hina Bandukwala
- & Andrew C. Doxey
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Article
| Open AccessThe Candida albicans transcription factor Cas5 couples stress responses, drug resistance and cell cycle regulation
Cas5 is a transcriptional regulator of responses to cell wall stress in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Here, Xie et al. show that Cas5 also modulates cell cycle dynamics and responses to antifungal drugs.
- Jinglin L. Xie
- , Longguang Qin
- & Leah E. Cowen
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| Open AccessA single early-in-life macrolide course has lasting effects on murine microbial network topology and immunity
High or multiple doses of macrolide antibiotics, when given early in life, can perturb the metabolic and immunological development of lab mice. Here, Ruiz et al. show that even a single macrolide course, given early in life, leads to long-lasting changes in the gut microbiota and immune system of mice.
- Victoria E. Ruiz
- , Thomas Battaglia
- & Martin J. Blaser
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Article
| Open AccessAtomic structures of Coxsackievirus A6 and its complex with a neutralizing antibody
Coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) causes hand, foot and mouth disease in children. Here the authors present the CVA6 procapsid and A-particle cryo-EM structures and identify an immune-dominant neutralizing epitope, which can be exploited for vaccine development.
- Longfa Xu
- , Qingbing Zheng
- & Ningshao Xia
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Article
| Open AccessHIV-1-mediated insertional activation of STAT5B and BACH2 trigger viral reservoir in T regulatory cells
HIV insertions in hematopoietic cells are enriched in BACH2 or MLK2 genes, but the selective advantages conferred are unknown. Here, the authors show that BACH2 and additionally STAT5B are activated by viral insertions, generating chimeric mRNAs specifically enriched in T regulatory cells favoring their persistence.
- Daniela Cesana
- , Francesca R. Santoni de Sio
- & Eugenio Montini
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Article
| Open AccessProphage-triggered membrane vesicle formation through peptidoglycan damage in Bacillus subtilis
It is unclear how Gram-positive bacteria, with a thick cell wall, can release membrane vesicles. Here, Toyofuku et al. show that a prophage-encoded endolysin can generate holes in the cell wall through which cytoplasmic membrane material protrudes and is released as vesicles.
- Masanori Toyofuku
- , Gerardo Cárcamo-Oyarce
- & Leo Eberl
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Article
| Open AccessCommunity-like genome in single cells of the sulfur bacterium Achromatium oxaliferum
The cells of Achromatium bacteria are remarkably large and contain multiple chromosome copies. Here, Ionescu et al. show that chromosome copies within individual cells display high diversity, similar to that of bacterial communities, and contain tens of transposable elements.
- Danny Ionescu
- , Mina Bizic-Ionescu
- & Hans-Peter Grossart
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Article
| Open AccessLineage overwhelms environmental conditions in determining rhizosphere bacterial community structure in a cosmopolitan invasive plant
Environmental factors often outweigh host heritable factors in structuring host-associated microbiomes. Here, Bowen et al. show that host lineage is crucial for determination of rhizosphere bacterial communities in Phragmites australis, a globally distributed invasive plant.
- Jennifer L. Bowen
- , Patrick J. Kearns
- & Laura A. Meyerson
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Article
| Open AccessBiosynthesis of the nosiheptide indole side ring centers on a cryptic carrier protein NosJ
Thiopeptides such as nosiheptide are clinically-interesting antimicrobial natural products. Here the authors show the functional dissection of a series of enzymes involved in nosiheptide biosynthesis, revealing a unique biosynthetic pathway that centers on a previously-unknown carrier protein.
- Wei Ding
- , Wenjuan Ji
- & Qi Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessA prophage tail-like protein is deployed by Burkholderia bacteria to feed on fungi
Some bacteria can feed on live fungi through unclear mechanisms. Here, the authors show that a T3SS-secreted protein, which is homologous to phage tail proteins, allows a Burkholderia gladioli strain to kill and feed on various fungal species.
- Durga Madhab Swain
- , Sunil Kumar Yadav
- & Gopaljee Jha
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Article
| Open AccessVariable repeats in the eukaryotic polyubiquitin gene ubi4 modulate proteostasis and stress survival
Eukaryotic cells rely on the ubiquitin-proteasome system for selective degradation of proteins, a process vital to organismal fitness. Here the authors show that the number of repeats in the polyubiquitin gene is evolutionarily unstable within and between yeast species, and that this variability may tune the cell’s capacity to respond to sudden environmental perturbations.
- Rita Gemayel
- , Yudi Yang
- & Kevin J. Verstrepen
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Article
| Open AccessBiosynthesis of ilamycins featuring unusual building blocks and engineered production of enhanced anti-tuberculosis agents
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases, novel anti-TB agents are urgently needed due to severe drug resistance and the co-epidemic of TB/HIV. Here, the authors show that anti-mycobacterial ilamycin congeners bearing unusual structural units possess extremely potent anti-tuberculosis activities.
- Junying Ma
- , Hongbo Huang
- & Jianhua Ju
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Article
| Open AccessPoliovirus intrahost evolution is required to overcome tissue-specific innate immune responses
RNA viruses, such as polioviruses, have a great evolutionary capacity and can adapt quickly during infection. Here, the authors show that poliovirus infection in mice requires adaptation to innate immune microenvironments encountered in different tissues.
- Yinghong Xiao
- , Patrick Timothy Dolan
- & Raul Andino
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Article
| Open AccessA reporter system coupled with high-throughput sequencing unveils key bacterial transcription and translation determinants
Quantitative analysis of how DNA sequence determines transcription and translation regulation is of interest to systems and synthetic biologists. Here the authors present ELM-seq, which uses Dam activity as reporter for high-throughput analysis of promoter and 5’-UTR regions.
- Eva Yus
- , Jae-Seong Yang
- & Luis Serrano
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Article
| Open AccessExtracellular-matrix-mediated osmotic pressure drives Vibrio cholerae biofilm expansion and cheater exclusion
Most bacteria live in biofilms, surface-attached communities encased in an extracellular matrix. Here, Yan et al. show that matrix production in Vibrio cholerae increases the osmotic pressure within the biofilm, promoting biofilm expansion and physical exclusion of non-matrix producing cheaters.
- Jing Yan
- , Carey D. Nadell
- & Bonnie L. Bassler
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Article
| Open AccessInterspecies nutrient extraction and toxin delivery between bacteria
Bacteria can exchange nutrients and macromolecules through tubular membranous structures called nanotubes. Here, the authors show that Bacillus subtilis can kill and prey on Bacillus megaterium by delivering a toxin and extracting nutrients in a nanotube-dependent manner.
- Ofer Stempler
- , Amit K. Baidya
- & Sigal Ben-Yehuda
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Article
| Open AccessProtection and consolidation of stone heritage by self-inoculation with indigenous carbonatogenic bacterial communities
Salt weathering enhanced by global warming and environmental pollution is increasingly threatening stone monuments and artworks. Here, the authors present a bacterial self-inoculation approach with indigenous carbonatogenic bacteria and find that this technique consolidates and protects salt damaged stone.
- Fadwa Jroundi
- , Mara Schiro
- & Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro
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Article
| Open AccessPlant-made polio type 3 stabilized VLPs—a candidate synthetic polio vaccine
Despite the success of current vaccination against poliomyelitis, safe, cheap and effective vaccines remain sought for continuing eradication effort. Here the authors use plants to express stabilized virus-like particles of type 3 poliovirus that can induce a protective immune response in mice transgenic for the human poliovirus receptor.
- Johanna Marsian
- , Helen Fox
- & George P. Lomonossoff
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Article
| Open AccessThe mycobacterial phosphatase PtpA regulates the expression of host genes and promotes cell proliferation
Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretes a protein, PtpA, that dephosphorylates proteins in the host cell cytoplasm, weakening immune responses. Here, the authors show that PtpA also enters the nucleus, affects the expression of several host genes, and promotes proliferation and migration of a cancer cell line.
- Jing Wang
- , Pupu Ge
- & Cui Hua Liu
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Article
| Open AccessA new class of hybrid secretion system is employed in Pseudomonas amyloid biogenesis
Gram-negative bacteria assemble biofilms from amyloid fibres, which translocate across the outer membrane as unfolded amyloid precursors through a secretion system. Here, the authors characterise the structural details of the amyloid transporter FapF in Pseudomonas.
- Sarah L. Rouse
- , William J. Hawthorne
- & Stephen Matthews
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Article
| Open AccessNutrient limitation determines the fitness of cheaters in bacterial siderophore cooperation
Cooperative behaviour among individuals provides a collective benefit, but is considered costly. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model system, the authors show that secretion of the siderophore pyoverdine only incurs a fitness cost and favours cheating when its building blocks carbon or nitrogen are growth-limiting.
- D. Joseph Sexton
- & Martin Schuster
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Article
| Open AccessAn early mechanical coupling of planktonic bacteria in dilute suspensions
Planktonic bacteria are untethered to surfaces or to each other, and thus are expected to move independently when at low cell densities. Here Sretenovic et al. show, using optical tweezers, that bacteria in dilute suspensions are mechanically coupled and show long-range correlated motion.
- Simon Sretenovic
- , Biljana Stojković
- & David Stopar
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Article
| Open AccessEvolutionary conservation of a core root microbiome across plant phyla along a tropical soil chronosequence
Yeoh et al. study root microbiomes of different plant phyla across a tropical soil chronosequence. They confirm that soil type is the primary determinant of root-associated bacterial communities, but also observe a clear correlation with plant phylogeny and define a core root microbiome at this site.
- Yun Kit Yeoh
- , Paul G. Dennis
- & Philip Hugenholtz
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Article
| Open AccessStructural and functional insights into the lipopolysaccharide ABC transporter LptB2FG
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are synthesized at the periplasmic side of the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and are then extracted by the LptB2FG complex during the first step of LPS transport to the outer membrane. Here the authors present the LptB2FG structure, which supports an alternating lateral access mechanism for LPS extraction.
- Haohao Dong
- , Zhengyu Zhang
- & Changjiang Dong
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Article
| Open AccessA Plasmodium yoelii HECT-like E3 ubiquitin ligase regulates parasite growth and virulence
Many strains of Plasmodium differ in virulence, but factors that control these distinctions are not known. Here the authors comparatively map virulence loci using the offspring from a P. yoelii YM and N67 genetic cross, and identify a putative HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase that may explain the variance.
- Sethu C. Nair
- , Ruixue Xu
- & Xin-zhuan Su
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Article
| Open AccessLong-range transport of airborne microbes over the global tropical and subtropical ocean
The extent to which the ocean acts as a sink and source of airborne particles to the atmosphere is unresolved. Here, the authors report high microbial loads over the tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and propose islands as stepping stones for the transoceanic transport of terrestrial microbes..
- Eva Mayol
- , Jesús M. Arrieta
- & Carlos M. Duarte
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Article
| Open AccessModulation of the tick gut milieu by a secreted tick protein favors Borrelia burgdorferi colonization
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted by the tick Ixodes scapularis. Here, the authors show that a tick secreted protein (PIXR) modulates the tick gut microbiota and facilitates B. burgdorferi colonization.
- Sukanya Narasimhan
- , Tim J. Schuijt
- & Erol Fikrig
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Article
| Open AccessIdentification and characterization of a novel botulinum neurotoxin
There are seven well-established types of Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs). Here the authors report the identification and characterization of a new type of BoNT—BoNT/X—which cleaves a different site on canonical BoNTs substrates and targets SNARE family members not cleaved by known BoNTs.
- Sicai Zhang
- , Geoffrey Masuyer
- & Pål Stenmark
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Article
| Open AccessA dsRNA virus with filamentous viral particles
Viruses with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genomes form typically isometric particles or are capsid-less. Here, the authors identify a mycovirus with an eight-segmented dsRNA genome that forms exceptionally long filamentous particles and could represent an evolutionary link between ssRNA and dsRNA viruses.
- Hengxia Jia
- , Kaili Dong
- & Wenxing Xu
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Article
| Open AccessTherapeutic efficacy of a respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitor
Respiratory syncytial virus causes lung infections in children, immunocompromised adults, and in the elderly. Here the authors show that a chemical inhibitor to a viral fusion protein is effective in reducing viral titre and ameliorating infection in rodents and neonatal lambs.
- Dirk Roymans
- , Sarhad S Alnajjar
- & Anil Koul
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Article
| Open AccessOropharyngeal mucosal transmission of Zika virus in rhesus macaques
Zika virus (ZIKV) is present in body fluids, including saliva, but transmission risk through mucosal contact is not well known. Here, the authors show that oropharyngeal mucosal infection of macaques with a high ZIKV dose results in viremia, but that transmission risk from saliva of infected animals is low.
- Christina M. Newman
- , Dawn M. Dudley
- & Thomas C. Friedrich
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Article
| Open AccessCrystal structure of a Pseudomonas malonate decarboxylase holoenzyme hetero-tetramer
Some aerobic bacteria contain a biotin-independent malonate decarboxylase (MDC), which allows them to use malonate as the sole carbon source. Here, the authors present the crystal structure of a Pseudomonas MDC and give insights into its catalytic mechanism and function.
- Riyaz Maderbocus
- , Blanche L. Fields
- & Liang Tong
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