Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionGeneration of DelNS1 Influenza Viruses: a Strategy for Optimizing Live Attenuated Influenza VaccinesCurrent seasonal influenza vaccines are suboptimal and low in immunogenicity and do not provide long-lasting immunity and cross protection against influenza virus strains that have antigenically drifted. More-effective influenza vaccines which can induce both humoral immunity and T cell immunity are needed. The NS1 protein of influenza virus is a virulence element and the critical factor for regulation of the host immune response during...
Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyDiscovery of the Lyme Disease AgentA detailed first-hand account of the events leading up to the discovery of the Lyme disease agent has been lacking. Nearly 40 years have elapsed since the discovery of the organism that was named Borrelia burgdorferi. There are thousands of articles in the scientific and medical literature on this organism and the disease that it causes. In the interval since the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyControl of Type III Secretion System Effector/Chaperone Ratio Fosters Pathogen Adaptation to Host-Adherent LifestyleHost colonization by extracellular pathogens often entails the transition from a planktonic lifestyle to a host-attached state. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), a Gram-negative pathogen, attaches to the intestinal epithelium of the host and employs a type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject effector proteins into the cytoplasm of infected cells. The most abundant...
EditorialExplaining Order among Those Who Share Positions in the Author BylineIn an effort to reduce gender biases in authorship positions, mBio will now require an explanation for how order was determined among those who share positions in the author byline. We hope that by requiring explanations, the explanation will help those in second and third positions get their full share of credit, even when not listed first.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStochastic Variation in Expression of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Produces Persister CellsPersister cells are rare phenotypic variants that are able to survive antibiotic treatment. Unlike resistant bacteria, which have specific mechanisms to prevent antibiotics from binding to their targets, persisters evade antibiotic killing by entering a tolerant nongrowing state. Persisters have been implicated in chronic infections in multiple species, and growing evidence suggests that persister cells are responsible for many cases of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTranscriptional Regulation and Mechanism of SigN (ZpdN), a pBS32-Encoded Sigma Factor in Bacillus subtilisSigma factors are utilized by bacteria to control and regulate gene expression. Some sigma factors are activated during times of stress to ensure the survival of the bacterium. Here, we report the presence of a sigma factor that is encoded on a plasmid that leads to cellular death after DNA damage.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructure-Function Studies of the Bacillus subtilis Ric Proteins Identify the Fe-S Cluster-Ligating Residues and Their Roles in Development and RNA ProcessingThe RicA, RicF, and RicT proteins are widely conserved among the firmicute bacteria and play multiple roles in Bacillus subtilis. Among the phenotypes associated with the inactivation of these proteins are the inability to be genetically transformed or to form biofilms, a decrease in sporulation frequency, and changes in the stability and maturation of multiple RNA...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionModified Antibiotic Adjuvant Ratios Can Slow and Steer the Evolution of Resistance: Co-amoxiclav as a Case StudyAs antibiotic resistance spreads, a promising approach is to restore the effectiveness of existing drugs via coadministration with adjuvants that inhibit resistance. However, as for monotherapy, antibiotic-adjuvant therapies can select for a variety of resistance mechanisms, so it is imperative that adjuvants be used in a sustainable manner. We test whether the rate of resistance evolution can be decoupled from treatment efficacy using...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDynamic Emergence of Mismatch Repair Deficiency Facilitates Rapid Evolution of Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Acute InfectionAntimicrobial resistance in bacteria represents one of the most consequential problems in modern medicine, and its emergence and spread threaten to compromise central advances in the treatment of infectious diseases. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) belongs to a new class of broad-spectrum beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations designed to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Understanding the emergence of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLrg1 Regulates β (1,3)-Glucan Masking in Candida albicans through the Cek1 MAP Kinase PathwayCandida albicans is an important source of systemic infections in humans. The ability to mask the immunogenic cell wall polymer β (1,3)-glucan from host immune surveillance contributes to fungal virulence. We previously reported that the hyperactivation of the Cek1 MAP kinase cascade promotes cell wall unmasking, thus increasing strain immunogenicity. In this study,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFirst Days in the Life of Naive Human B Lymphocytes Infected with Epstein-Barr VirusThe preferred target of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is human resting B lymphocytes. We found that their infection induces a well-coordinated, time-driven program that starts with a substantial increase in cell volume, followed by cellular DNA synthesis after 3 days and subsequent rapid rounds of cell divisions on the next day accompanied by some DNA replication stress (DRS). Two to 3 days later, the cells decelerate and turn into stably...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyRole of Zika Virus Envelope Protein Domain III as a Target of Human Neutralizing AntibodiesZika virus is a flavivirus that was recently introduced to Latin America, where it caused a massive epidemic. Individuals infected with ZIKV generate an immune response composed of antibodies which bind to the envelope (E) protein. These anti-E antibodies are critical in protecting individuals from subsequent infection. Multiple groups have found that many ZIKV antibodies bind to domain III of E (EDIII), suggesting that this region is...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Tool for the Generation of Conditional Knockouts To Study Gene Function across the Plasmodium falciparum Life CycleOne of the major limitations in studying P. falciparum is that so far only asexual stages are amenable to rapid conditional genetic modification. The most promising drug targets and vaccine candidates, however, have been refractory to genetic modification because they are essential during the blood stage or for transmission in the mosquito vector. This leaves a major...
Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAntibiotics: Combatting Tolerance To Stop ResistanceAntibiotic resistance poses an alarming and ever-increasing threat to modern health care. Although the current antibiotic crisis is widely acknowledged, actions taken so far have proved insufficient to slow down the rampant spread of resistant pathogens. Problematically, routine screening methods and strategies to restrict therapy failure almost exclusively focus on genetic resistance, while evidence for dangers posed by other bacterial...
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mBio® is ASM's first broad-scope, online-only, open access journal. mBio offers streamlined review and publication of the best research in microbiology and allied fields.
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Dr. Arturo Casadevall, Editor in Chief
