Molecular Biology and Physiology
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyWho's Your DadA? d-Alanine Levels Regulate Bacterial StiffnessA central question in mechanobiology is how cellular-scale structures are established and regulated. In bacteria, the cell envelope is essential for mechanical integrity, protecting against environmental stresses and bearing the load from high turgor pressures.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIdentification of a Structural Element in HIV-1 Gag Required for Virus Particle Assembly and MaturationCapsid (CA) plays multiple roles in the HIV-1 replication cycle. CA-CA domain interactions are responsible for multimerization of the Gag polyprotein at virus assembly sites, and in the mature virion, CA monomers assemble into a conical core that encapsidates the viral RNA genome. Multiple CA regions that contribute to the assembly and release of HIV-1 particles have been mapped and investigated. Here, we identified and characterized a...
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Effect of Cellular Redox Status on the Evolvability of New Catabolic PathwaysOxidation of aromatic compounds can be mutagenic due to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bacterial cells and thereby facilitate evolution of corresponding catabolic pathways. To examine the effect of the background biochemical network on the evolvability of environmental bacteria hosting a new catabolic pathway, Akkaya and colleagues (mBio 9:e01512-18, 2018, https://doi...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySmall-Molecule Acetylation Controls the Degradation of Benzoate and Photosynthesis in Rhodopseudomonas palustrisThis work shows that the BadL protein of Rhodopseudomonas palustris has N-acetyltransferase activity and that this activity is required for the catabolism of benzoate under photosynthetic conditions in this bacterium. R. palustris occupies lignin-rich habitats, making its benzoate-degrading...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStaufen1 Interacts with Multiple Components of the Ebola Virus Ribonucleoprotein and Enhances Viral RNA SynthesisEbola virus (EBOV) is a negative-strand RNA virus with significant public health importance. Currently, no therapeutics are available for Ebola, which imposes an urgent need for a better understanding of EBOV biology. Here we dissected the virus-host interplay between EBOV and host RNA-binding proteins. We identified novel EBOV host factors, including Staufen1, which interacts with multiple viral factors and is required for efficient...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCyclosporine Biosynthesis in Tolypocladium inflatum Benefits Fungal Adaptation to the Environment
The cyclopeptide cyclosporin A was first isolated from the filamentous fungus Tolypocladium inflatum showing antifungal activity and was later developed as an immunosuppressant drug. We report the biosynthetic mechanism of cyclosporines that are mediated by a cluster of genes encoding NRPS and PKS controlled by a bZIP-type transcriptional regulator. The two unusual amino acids Bmt and d-Ala are produced...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDual Role of a Viral Polymerase in Viral Genome Replication and Particle Self-Assembly
Double-stranded RNA viruses infect a wide spectrum of hosts, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Yet genome replication mechanisms of these viruses are conserved. During the infection cycle, a proteinaceous capsid, the polymerase complex, is formed. An essential component of this capsid is the viral RNA polymerase that replicates and transcribes the enclosed viral genome. The polymerase complex structure is well...
- Letter to the Editor | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyType II Toxin-Antitoxin Systems and Persister Cells
- Author Reply | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyReply to Holden and Errington, “Type II Toxin-Antitoxin Systems and Persister Cells”
- Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyBacterial Noncoding RNAs Excised from within Protein-Coding Transcripts
Bacteria and archaea utilize regulatory small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) to control the expression of specific genetic programs. These ncRNAs are almost exclusively encoded within intergenic regions and are independently transcribed. Here, we report on a large set ncRNAs that are “carved out” from within the protein-coding regions of Escherichia coli mRNAs by cellular...