Latest Articles
Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionCommensal Bacteria: Not Just Innocent BystandersNeisseria gonorrhoeae is quickly becoming untreatable due to its acquisition of resistance to multiple antimicrobials. It is vital that we begin to understand the mechanisms by which this is occurring.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceEvaluation of Acquired Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Exposed to Long-Term Low-Shear Modeled Microgravity and Background Antibiotic ExposureStress factors experienced during space include microgravity, sleep deprivation, radiation, isolation, and microbial contamination, all of which can promote immune suppression (1, 2). Under these conditions, the risk of infection from opportunistic pathogens increases significantly, particularly during long-term missions (...
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyN-methyl-bacillithiol, a Novel Thiol from Anaerobic BacteriaJ. Hiras, S. V. Sharma, V. Raman, R. A. J. Tinson, et al. (mBio 9:e01603-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01603-18) report on the identification of a novel thiol, N-methyl-bacillithiol (N-Me-BSH), in the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum. In N-methyl-bacillithiol, the amine of the cysteine is methylated...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCapacity To Utilize Raffinose Dictates Pneumococcal Disease PhenotypeS. pneumoniae is a component of the commensal nasopharyngeal microflora of humans, but from this reservoir, it can progress to localized or invasive disease with a frequency that translates into massive global morbidity and mortality. However, the factors that govern the switch from commensal to pathogen, as well as those that determine disease tropism, are poorly...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceTrophic Specialization Results in Genomic Reduction in Free-Living Marine Idiomarina BacteriaThe streamlining hypothesis is usually used to explain the genomic reduction events in free-living bacteria like SAR11. However, we find that the genomic reduction phenomenon in the bacterial genus Idiomarina is different from that in SAR11. Therefore, we propose a new hypothesis to explain genomic reduction in this genus based on trophic specialization that could result in genomic reduction, which would be not uncommon in...
Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceTactic Response of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 toward Insoluble Electron AcceptorsPrevious hypotheses of tactic behavior of exoelectrogenic bacteria are based on techniques that do not accurately control the electrochemical potential, such as chemical-in-plug assays or microscopy tracking experiments in two-electrode cells. Here, we have revisited previous experiments and, for the first time, performed microscopy cell-tracking experiments in three-electrode electrochemical cells, with defined electrode potentials....
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCO2 Signaling through the Ptc2-Ssn3 Axis Governs Sustained Hyphal Development of Candida albicans by Reducing Ume6 Phosphorylation and DegradationThe capacity to sense and adapt to changing carbon dioxide levels is crucial for all organisms. In fungi, CO2 is a key determinant involved in fundamental biological processes, including growth, morphology, and virulence. In the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, high CO2 is directly sensed by adenylyl cyclase to promote hyphal growth. However,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMicroRNAs of Epstein-Barr Virus Attenuate T-Cell-Mediated Immune Control In VivoEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects the majority of the human population and usually persists asymptomatically within its host. Nevertheless, EBV is the causative agent for infectious mononucleosis (IM) and for lymphoproliferative disorders, including Burkitt and Hodgkin lymphomas. The immune system of the infected host is thought to prevent tumor formation in healthy virus carriers. EBV was one of the first viruses described to express...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDistinct Roles of Extracellular Domains in the Epstein-Barr Virus-Encoded BILF1 Receptor for Signaling and Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I DownregulationG protein-coupled receptors constitute the largest family of membrane proteins. As targets of >30% of the FDA-approved drugs, they are valuable for drug discovery. The receptor is composed of seven membrane-spanning helices and intracellular and extracellular domains. BILF1 is a receptor encoded by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which evades the host immune system by various strategies. BILF1 facilitates the virus immune evasion by...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRNA Structure Duplication in the Dengue Virus 3′ UTR: Redundancy or Host Specificity?Flaviviruses constitute the most relevant group of arthropod-transmitted viruses, including important human pathogens such as the dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses. The natural alternation of these viruses between vertebrate and invertebrate hosts shapes the viral genome population, which leads to selection of different viral variants with potential implications for epidemiological fitness and pathogenesis. However, the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCorynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum Exploits Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Components in a Novel Polymicrobial Defense StrategyWhile some individuals are nasally colonized with S. aureus, the underlying factors that determine colonization are not understood. There is increasing evidence that indicates that resident bacteria play a role; some commensal species can eradicate S. aureus from the nasal cavity. Among these,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThree Toxoplasma gondii Dense Granule Proteins Are Required for Induction of Lewis Rat Macrophage PyroptosisInflammasomes are major components of the innate immune system and are responsible for detecting various microbial and environmental danger signals. Upon invasion of Lewis rat macrophages, the parasite rapidly activates the NLRP1 inflammasome, resulting in pyroptosis and elimination of the parasite’s replication niche. The work reported here revealed that Toxoplasma GRA35, GRA42, and GRA43 are required for induction of Lewis...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTwo Point Mutations in Old World Hantavirus Glycoproteins Afford the Generation of Highly Infectious Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus VectorsHuman hantavirus infections cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the Americas and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia. No FDA-approved vaccines and therapeutics exist for these deadly viruses, and their development is limited by the requirement for high biocontainment. In this study, we identified and characterized key amino acid changes in the surface glycoproteins of HFRS-causing Hantaan virus that enhance their...
Minireview | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGlycyl Radical Enzyme-Associated Microcompartments: Redox-Replete Bacterial OrganellesAn increasing number of microbes are being identified that organize catabolic pathways within self-assembling proteinaceous structures known as bacterial microcompartments (BMCs). Most BMCs are characterized by their singular substrate specificity and commonly employ B12-dependent radical mechanisms.
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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
