Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyListeria monocytogenes Exploits Host Caveolin for Cell-to-Cell SpreadingListeria monocytogenes moves from one cell to another as it disseminates within tissues. This bacterial transfer process depends on the host actin cytoskeleton as the bacterium forms motile actin-rich membranous protrusions that propel the bacteria into neighboring cells, thus forming corresponding membrane invaginations. Here, we examine these membrane invaginations...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNeurotrophic Factors Protect the Intestinal Barrier from Rotavirus Insult in MiceHuman and mouse studies have shown that rotavirus infection is associated with low inflammation and unaffected intestinal barrier at the time of diarrhea, properties different from most bacterial and inflammatory diseases of the gut. We showed by in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments that neurotrophic factors and 5-HT have barrier protective properties during rotavirus insult. These observations advance...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGut Feelings Begin in Childhood: the Gut Metagenome Correlates with Early Environment, Caregiving, and BehaviorChildhood is a formative period of behavioral and biological development that can be modified, for better or worse, by the psychosocial environment that is in part determined by caregivers. Not only do our own genes and the external environment influence such developmental trajectories, but the community of microbes living in, on, and around our bodies—the microbiome—plays an important role as well. By surveying the gut microbiomes of a...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEffects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial CommunitiesNearly all microbial communities are dynamic in time. Understanding how temporal dynamics in microbial community structure affect soil biogeochemistry and fertility are key to being able to predict the responses of the soil microbiome to environmental perturbations. Here, we explain the effects of soil spatial structure and relic DNA on the determination of microbial community fluctuations over time. We found that intensive spatial...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMicrobiomes Reduce Their Host’s Sensitivity to Interspecific InteractionsDescription of the Earth’s microbiota has recently undergone a phenomenal expansion that has challenged basic assumptions in many areas of biology, including hominid evolution, human gastrointestinal and neurodevelopmental disorders, and plant adaptation to climate change. By using the classic model system of freshwater phytoplankton that has been drawn upon for numerous foundational theories in ecology, we show that microbiomes, by...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Integrity of the Cell Wall and Its Remodeling during Heterocyst Differentiation Are Regulated by Phylogenetically Conserved Small RNA Yfr1 in Nostoc sp. Strain PCC 7120Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are important players affecting the regulation of essentially every aspect of bacterial physiology. The cell wall is a highly dynamic structure that protects bacteria from their fluctuating environment. Cell envelope remodeling is particularly critical for bacteria that undergo differentiation processes, such as spore formation or differentiation of heterocysts. Heterocyst development involves the deposition...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceCarbon Use Efficiency and Its Temperature Sensitivity Covary in Soil BacteriaSoil microbes respond to environmental change by altering how they allocate carbon to growth versus respiration—or carbon use efficiency (CUE). Ecosystem and Earth System models, used to project how global soil C stocks will continue to respond to the climate crisis, often assume that microbes respond homogeneously to changes in the environment. In this study, we quantified how CUE varies with changes in temperature and substrate...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Zeaxanthin-Producing Bacterium Isolated from the Algal Phycosphere Protects Coral Endosymbionts from Environmental StressOccupying less than 1% of the seas, coral reefs are estimated to harbor ∼25% of all marine species. However, the destruction of coral reefs has intensified in the face of global climate changes, such as rising seawater temperatures, which induce the overproduction of reactive oxygen species harmful to corals. Although reef-building corals form complex consortia with bacteria and photosynthetic endosymbiotic algae of the family ...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe U-Rich Untranslated Region of the Hepatitis E Virus Induces Differential Type I and Type III Interferon Responses in a Host Cell-Dependent MannerHepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important human pathogen causing both acute and chronic viral hepatitis E infection. Currently, the mechanisms of HEV replication and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. The innate immune response acts as the first line of defense during viral infection. The retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-mediated interferon (IFN) response has been implicated in establishing antiviral response during HEV...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStochastic Expression of Sae-Dependent Virulence Genes during Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Development Is Dependent on SaeSStaphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen capable of colonizing diverse tissue types and inducing severe disease in both immunocompromised and otherwise healthy individuals. Biofilm infections caused by this bacterial species are of particular concern because of their persistence, even in the face of intensive therapeutic intervention. The results of the...