Latest Articles
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologySalmonella enterica Serovar Typhi in Bangladesh: Exploration of Genomic Diversity and Antimicrobial ResistanceTyphoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, is responsible for an estimated burden of approximately 17 million new episodes per year worldwide. Adequate and timely antimicrobial treatment invariably cures typhoid fever. The increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of S. Typhi severely limits the treatment options. We studied whole-genome...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChanges in Endosymbiont Complexity Drive Host-Level Compensatory Adaptations in CicadasSap-feeding insects critically rely on one or more bacteria or fungi to provide essential nutrients that are not available at sufficient levels in their diets. These microbes are passed between insect generations when the mother places a small packet of microbes into each of her eggs before it is laid. We have previously described an unusual lineage fragmentation process in a nutritional endosymbiotic bacterium of cicadas called ...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Small Regulatory RNA Controls Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Antibiotic ResistanceThe alphaproteobacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens is able to infect various eudicots causing crown gall tumor formation. Based on its unique ability of interkingdom gene transfer, Agrobacterium serves as a crucial biotechnological tool for genetic manipulation of plant cells. The presence of...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceIdentifying and Predicting Novelty in Microbiome StudiesWe introduce two concepts to quantify the novelty of a microbiome. The first, the microbiome novelty score (MNS), allows identification of microbiomes that are especially different from what is already sequenced. The second, the microbiome attention score (MAS), allows identification of microbiomes that have many close neighbors, implying that considerable scientific attention is devoted to their study. By computing a microbiome focus...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHigh-Affinity Chemotaxis to Histamine Mediated by the TlpQ Chemoreceptor of the Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosaGenome analyses indicate that many bacteria possess an elevated number of chemoreceptors, suggesting that these species are able to perform chemotaxis to a wide variety of compounds. The scientific community is now only beginning to explore this diversity and to elucidate the corresponding physiological relevance. The discovery of histamine chemotaxis in the human pathogen ...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Structure of the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus M2-1 Protein Bound to the Interaction Domain of the Phosphoprotein P Defines the Orientation of the ComplexHuman respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a leading cause of respiratory illness, particularly in the young, elderly, and immunocompromised, and has also been linked to the development of asthma. HRSV replication depends on P and L, whereas transcription also requires M2-1. M2-1 interacts with P and RNA at overlapping binding sites; while these interactions are necessary for transcriptional activity, the mechanism of M2-1 action is...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySuppression of Drug Resistance Reveals a Genetic Mechanism of Metabolic Plasticity in Malaria ParasitesUnique and essential aspects of parasite metabolism are excellent targets for development of new antimalarials. An improved understanding of parasite metabolism and drug resistance mechanisms is urgently needed. The antibiotic fosmidomycin targets the synthesis of essential isoprenoid compounds from glucose and is a candidate for antimalarial development. Our report identifies a novel mechanism of drug resistance and further describes a...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceHypothesis: a Plastically Produced Phenotype Predicts Host Specialization and Can Precede Subsequent Mutations in BacteriophageThe role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolution of new traits is controversial due to a lack of direct evidence. Phage host range becomes plastic in the presence of restriction-modification (R-M) systems in their hosts.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Cellular NMD Pathway Restricts Zika Virus Infection and Is Targeted by the Viral Capsid ProteinZika virus (ZIKV) is a significant global health threat, as infection has been linked to serious neurological complications, including microcephaly. Using a human stem cell-derived neural progenitor model system, we find that a critical cellular quality control process called the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway is disrupted during ZIKV infection. Importantly, disruption of the NMD pathway is a known cause of microcephaly and...
