Latest Articles
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceParacoccidioides Genomes Reflect High Levels of Species Divergence and Little Interspecific Gene FlowParacoccidioides is the causal agent of a systemic mycosis in Latin America. Most of the inference of the evolutionary history of Paracoccidioides has used only a few molecular markers.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEmergence of the Novel Aminoglycoside Acetyltransferase Variant aac(6′)-Ib-D179Y and Acquisition of Colistin Heteroresistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Due to a Disrupting Mutation in the DNA Repair Enzyme MutSThe emergence of multidrug resistance in pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae is of great clinical concern. Antimicrobial resistance sometimes arises during the course of an infection.
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyWhy Are Some Listeria monocytogenes Genotypes More Likely To Cause Invasive (Brain, Placental) Infection?Although all isolates of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes are considered to be pathogenic, epidemiological evidence indicates that certain serovar 4b lineages are more likely to cause severe invasive (neuromeningeal, maternal-fetal) listeriosis. Recently described as L. monocytogenes “...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDiverse Bacterial Genes Modulate Plant Root Association by Beneficial BacteriaThere is growing interest in the use of associative, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as biofertilizers to serve as a sustainable alternative for agriculture application. While a variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain bacterial plant growth promotion, the molecular details of this process remain unclear.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMerkel Cell Polyomavirus Encodes Circular RNAs (circRNAs) Enabling a Dynamic circRNA/microRNA/mRNA Regulatory NetworkCovalently closed circular RNAs were recently described in the human DNA tumor viruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and human papillomavirus (HPV). Here, we show that MCV, another DNA tumor virus, generates circRNAs from its early regulatory region in concert with T antigen linear transcripts.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Noncanonical DNA Damage Checkpoint Response in a Major Fungal PathogenIn order to preserve genome integrity, all cells must mount appropriate responses to DNA damage, including slowing down or arresting the cell cycle to give the cells time to repair the damage and changing gene expression, for example to induce genes involved in DNA repair. The Rad53 protein kinase is a conserved central mediator of these responses in eukaryotic cells, and its extensive phosphorylation upon DNA damage is necessary for...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionThe Bactericidal Fatty Acid Mimetic 2CCA-1 Selectively Targets Pneumococcal Extracellular Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid MetabolismFatty acid biosynthesis is an attractive antibiotic target, as it affects the supply of membrane phospholipid building blocks. In Streptococcus pneumoniae, it is not sufficient to target only the endogenous fatty acid synthesis machinery, as uptake of host fatty acids may bypass this inhibition.
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPoles Apart: Where and How Cells Construct NisinNisin is a 34-amino-acid lantibiotic that has been used commercially for almost a century as a food preservative. In order to produce active nisin, Lactococcus lactis requires an 11-gene operon that encodes proteins involved in modification, processing, transport, immunity, and regulation.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Protein Kinase A-Dependent Phosphoproteome of the Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Reveals Diverse Virulence-Associated Kinase TargetsPKA is essential for the virulence of eukaryotic human pathogens. Understanding PKA signaling mechanisms is therefore fundamental to deciphering pathogenesis and developing novel therapies.
Minireview | Applied and Environmental ScienceIron Flocs and the Three Domains: Microbial Interactions in Freshwater Iron MatsFreshwater iron mats are dynamic geochemical environments with broad ecological diversity, primarily formed by the iron-oxidizing bacteria. The community features functional groups involved in biogeochemical cycles for iron, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen.