Latest Articles
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyBactericidal Disruption of Magnesium Metallostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Counteracted by Mutations in the Metal Ion Transporter CorAAntimycobacterial agents might shorten the course of treatment by reducing the number of phenotypically tolerant bacteria if they could kill M. tuberculosis in diverse metabolic states. Here we report two chemically disparate classes of agents that kill M. tuberculosis both when it is replicating...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGlycointeractome of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Identification of Host Glycans Targeted by the Gonococcus To Facilitate Adherence to Cervical and Urethral Epithelial CellsMultidrug-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae are emerging worldwide, and novel treatment and prevention strategies are needed. Glycans are ubiquitously expressed by all human cells and can be specifically targeted by pathogens to facilitate association with host cells. Here we identify and characterize the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyUbiquinone Biosynthesis over the Entire O2 Range: Characterization of a Conserved O2-Independent PathwayIn order to colonize environments with large O2 gradients or fluctuating O2 levels, bacteria have developed metabolic responses that remain incompletely understood. Such adaptations have been recently linked to antibiotic resistance, virulence, and the capacity to develop in complex ecosystems like the microbiota. Here, we identify a novel pathway for the biosynthesis of ubiquinone, a molecule with a key role in...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPersistent DNA Damage Foci and DNA Replication with a Broken Chromosome in the African TrypanosomeChromosome damage must be repaired to prevent the proliferation of defective cells. Alternatively, cells with damage must be eliminated. This is true of human and several other cell types but may not be the case for single-celled parasites, such as trypanosomes. African trypanosomes, which cause lethal diseases in both humans and livestock, can actually exploit chromosomal damage to activate new surface coat proteins and to evade host...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyExpression and Immunostaining Analyses Suggest that Pneumocystis Primary Homothallism Involves Trophic Cells Displaying Both Plus and Minus Pheromone ReceptorsThe fungi belonging to the genus Pneumocystis may cause severe pneumonia in immunocompromised humans, a disease that can be fatal if not treated. This disease is nowadays one of the most frequent invasive fungal infections worldwide. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the sexuality of these fungi involves a single partner that can self-fertilize. Here, we report that two receptors recognizing specifically excreted pheromones...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceA Robust Phylogenomic Time Tree for Biotechnologically and Medically Important Fungi in the Genera Aspergillus and PenicilliumUnderstanding the evolution of traits across technologically and medically significant fungi requires a robust phylogeny. Even though species in the Aspergillus and Penicillium genera (family Aspergillaceae, class Eurotiomycetes) are some of the most significant technologically and medically relevant fungi, we still lack a genome-scale phylogeny of...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Nutritional Environment Influences the Impact of Microbes on Drosophila melanogaster Life SpanD. melanogaster ingests microorganisms growing within its rotting vegetation diet. Some of these microbes form associations with flies, while others pass through the gut with meals. Fly-microbe-diet interactions are dynamic, and changes to the fly culture medium can influence microbial growth in the overall environment. In turn, these alterations in microbial growth...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPositional Dynamics and Glycosomal Recruitment of Developmental Regulators during Trypanosome DifferentiationAfrican trypanosomes are parasites of sub-Saharan Africa responsible for both human and animal disease. The parasites are transmitted by tsetse flies, and completion of their life cycle involves progression through several development steps. The initiation of differentiation between blood and tsetse fly forms is signaled by a phosphatase cascade, ultimately trafficked into peroxisome-related organelles called glycosomes that are unique...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyDynamic Metabolic Rewiring Enables Efficient Acetyl Coenzyme A Assimilation in Paracoccus denitrificansCentral carbon metabolism provides organisms with energy and cellular building blocks during growth and is considered the invariable “operating system” of the cell. Here, we describe a new phenomenon in bacterial central carbon metabolism. In contrast to many other bacteria that employ only one pathway for the conversion of the central metabolite acetyl-CoA, Paracoccus...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Vibrio cholerae BolA-Like Protein Is Required for Proper Cell Shape and Cell Envelope IntegrityBolA-like proteins are conserved across prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These proteins have been linked to a variety of phenotypes, but the pathways and mechanisms through which they act have not been extensively characterized. Here, we unraveled the role of the BolA-like protein IbaG in the cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae. The absence of IbaG was associated with...