Latest Articles
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyInfluenza’s Newest TrickInfluenza A viruses are important pathogens for humans and for many birds and mammals. Hemagglutinin and neuraminidase are the major surface proteins of this enveloped RNA virus.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInhibition of Neutrophil Primary Granule Release during Yersinia pestis Pulmonary InfectionYersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague and is one of the deadliest human pathogens. The pneumonic form of Y. pestis infection has played a critical role in the severity of both historical and modern plague outbreaks, yet the host-pathogen interactions that govern the lethality of...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceBottom-Up Fabrication of Protein Nanowires via Controlled Self-Assembly of Recombinant Geobacter PilinsThe discovery in 2005 of conductive protein appendages (pili) in the metal-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens challenged our understanding of biological electron transfer and pioneered studies in electromicrobiology that revealed the electronic basis of many microbial metabolisms and interactions. The protein nature of the pili afforded opportunities for...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Emergence of Successful Streptococcus pyogenes Lineages through Convergent Pathways of Capsule Loss and Recombination Directing High Toxin ExpressionStreptococcus pyogenes is a genetically diverse pathogen, with over 200 different genotypes defined by emm typing, but only a minority of these genotypes are responsible for the majority of human infection in high-income countries. Two prevalent genotypes associated with disease rose to international dominance following recombination of a toxin locus that...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceIntegrative Activity of Mating Loci, Environmentally Responsive Genes, and Secondary Metabolism Pathways during Sexual Development of Chaetomium globosumFungal diversity has amazed evolutionary biologists for decades. One societally important aspect of this diversity manifests in traits that enable pathogenicity. The opportunistic pathogen Chaetomium globosum is well adapted to a high-humidity environment and produces numerous secondary metabolites that defend it from predation. Many of these chemicals can threaten...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Human Cytomegalovirus Nonstructural Glycoprotein UL148 Reorganizes the Endoplasmic ReticulumPerturbations to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology occur during infection with various intracellular pathogens and in certain genetic disorders. We identify that a human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gene product, UL148, profoundly reorganizes the ER during infection and is sufficient to do so when expressed on its own. Our results reveal that UL148-dependent reorganization of the ER is a prominent feature of HCMV-infected cells. Moreover...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Metabolite Repair Enzyme Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase Regulates Central Carbon Metabolism and Fosmidomycin Sensitivity in Plasmodium falciparumThe malaria parasite has a voracious appetite, requiring large amounts of glucose and nutrients for its rapid growth and proliferation inside human red blood cells. The host cell is resource rich, but this is a double-edged sword; nutrient excess can lead to undesirable metabolic reactions and harmful by-products. Here, we demonstrate that the parasite possesses a metabolite repair enzyme (PGP) that suppresses harmful metabolic by-...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA Mechanosensitive Channel Governs Lipid Flippase-Mediated Echinocandin Resistance in Cryptococcus neoformansCryptococcus neoformans is the leading cause of fungal meningitis, accounting for ∼15% of HIV/AIDS-related deaths, but treatment options for cryptococcosis are limited. Echinocandins are the newest fungicidal drug class introduced but are ineffective in treating cryptococcosis. Our previous study identified the lipid flippase subunit Cdc50 as a contributor to...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Conserved Regulatory Circuit Controls Large Adhesins in Vibrio choleraeVibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera, benefits from a sessile biofilm lifestyle that enhances survival outside the host but also contributes to host colonization and infectivity. The bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP has been identified as a central regulator of biofilm formation, including in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Porcine Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Model To Investigate Bacterial PathogenesisThe implementation of infection models that approximate human disease is essential to understand infections and for testing new therapies before they enter into clinical stages. Rodents are used in most preclinical studies, although the differences between mice and humans have fueled the conclusion that murine studies are unreliable predictors of human outcomes. In this study, we have developed a whole-lung porcine model of infection...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySimian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection of Rhesus Macaques Results in Delayed Zika Virus ClearanceImmunocompromised individuals often become symptomatic with infections which are normally fairly asymptomatic in healthy individuals. The particular mechanisms that underlie susceptibility to coinfections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals are multifaceted. ZIKV and other flaviviruses are sensitive to neutralizing antibodies, whose production can be limited in HIV-infected individuals but are also sensitive to...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDevelopmentally Regulated Oscillations in the Expression of UV Repair Genes in a Soilborne Plant Pathogen Dictate UV Repair Efficiency and SurvivalFusarium oxysporum infects plants through the roots and therefore is not exposed to the sun regularly. However, the ability to survive sun exposure expands the distribution of the population. UV from the sun is toxic and mutagenic, and to survive sun exposure, fungi encode several DNA repair mechanisms. We found that...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionFluconazole Monotherapy Is a Suboptimal Option for Initial Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis Because of Emergence of ResistanceCryptococcal meningitis is a lethal disease with few treatment options. The incidence remains high and intricately linked with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In many parts of the world, fluconazole is the only agent that is available for the initial treatment of cryptococcal meningitis despite considerable evidence that it is associated with suboptimal microbiological and clinical outcomes. Fluconazole has a fungistatic mode of action: it...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInterferon-Responsive Genes Are Targeted during the Establishment of Human Cytomegalovirus LatencyHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus which infects 50 to 100% of humans worldwide. HCMV causes a lifelong subclinical infection in immunocompetent individuals but is a serious cause of mortality and morbidity in the immunocompromised and neonates. In particular, reactivation of HCMV in the transplant setting is a major cause of transplant failure and related disease. Therefore, a molecular understanding of HCMV...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyExpression of 9-O- and 7,9-O-Acetyl Modified Sialic Acid in Cells and Their Effects on Influenza VirusesSialic acids are key glycans that are involved in many different normal cellular functions, as well as being receptors for many pathogens. However, Sia come in diverse chemically modified forms. Here, we examined and manipulated the expression of 7,9-O- and 9-O-acetyl modified Sia on cells commonly used in influenza virus and other research by engineering the enzymes that produce or remove the acetyl groups.
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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
