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Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceRapid Phenotypic and Metabolomic Domestication of Wild Penicillium Molds on CheeseIndustrial cultures of filamentous fungi are used to add unique aesthetics and flavors to cheeses and other microbial foods. How these microbes adapted to live in food environments is generally unknown as most microbial domestication is unintentional. Our work demonstrates that wild molds closely related to the starter culture Penicillium camemberti can readily lose...
Editor's Pick Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceOn the Emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in the Pacific Northwest: Ballast Tanks, Tsunamis, and Black SwansThe appearance of Cryptococcus gattii in the North American Pacific Northwest (PNW) in 1999 was an unexpected and is still an unexplained event. Recent phylogenomic analyses strongly suggest that this pathogenic fungus arrived in the PNW approximately 7 to 9 decades ago. In this paper, we theorize that the ancestors of the PNW...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDynamics of Human Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Response to Dietary Interventions with Three Fermentable FibersThese results reveal that not all fermentable fibers are equally capable of stimulating SCFA production, and they highlight the importance of the composition of an individual’s microbiota in determining whether or not they respond to a specific dietary supplement. In particular, R. bromii or C. chartatabidum may be required for enhanced butyrate production in response to RS. Bifidobacteria, though proficient at...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMolecular Mechanism of SR Protein Kinase 1 Inhibition by the Herpes Virus Protein ICP27Serine arginine (SR) proteins are a family of mRNA regulatory proteins that can modulate spliceosome association with different splice sites and therefore regulate alternative splicing. Phosphorylation within SR proteins is necessary for splice-site recognition, and this is catalyzed by SR protein kinase 1 (SRPK1). The herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) protein ICP27 has been shown previously to interact with and downregulate SRPK1 activity...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyOn the Emergence of Candida auris: Climate Change, Azoles, Swamps, and BirdsThe most enigmatic aspect of the rise of Candida auris as a human pathogen is that it emerged simultaneously on three continents, with each clade being genetically distinct. Although new pathogenic fungal species are described regularly, these are mostly species associated with single cases in individuals who are immunosuppressed.
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 | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAntibodies to Enteroviruses in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Acute Flaccid MyelitisThe presence in cerebrospinal fluid of antibodies to EV peptides at higher levels than non-AFM controls supports the plausibility of a link between EV infection and AFM that warrants further investigation and has the potential to lead to strategies for diagnosis and prevention of disease.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Long Noncoding RNA HEAL Regulates HIV-1 Replication through Epigenetic Regulation of the HIV-1 PromoterDespite our increased understanding of the functions of lncRNAs, their potential to develop HIV/AIDS cure strategies remains unexplored. A genome-wide analysis of lncRNAs in HIV-1-infected primary monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) was performed, and 1,145 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified. An lncRNA named HIV-1-enhanced...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyProtein Kinase A Is Essential for Invasion of Plasmodium falciparum into Human ErythrocytesMalaria continues to present a major global health burden, particularly in low-resource countries. Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, causes disease through rapid and repeated rounds of invasion and replication within red blood cells. Invasion into red blood cells is essential for...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Genome-Wide Knockout Screen in Human Macrophages Identified Host Factors Modulating Salmonella InfectionSalmonella exploits macrophages to gain access to the lymphatic system and bloodstream to lead to local and potentially systemic infections. With an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant isolates identified in humans, Salmonella infections have become major threats to public health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify alternative approaches to anti-infective therapy, including host-directed therapies. In...