Hot off the presses! Jun 01 Nat Rev Microbiol

The Jun 01 issue of the Nat Rev Microbiol is now up on Pubget (About Nat Rev Microbiol): if you're at a subscribing institution, just click the link in the latest link at the home page. (Note you'll only be able to get all the PDFs in the issue if your institution subscribes to Pubget.)

Latest Articles Include:

• In this issue
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):401 (2009)
  
• Editorial: The price of a pandemic
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):402 (2009)
  
• Biofilms: Building biofilms with DNA
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):403 (2009)
  
• Viral pathogenesis: Bovine factors aid foot and mouth
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):404 (2009)
  
• In brief: Parasitology, Symbiosis, Vaccines
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):404 (2009)
  
• Cellular microbiology: Examining the Fic domain
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):405 (2009)
  
• Fungal pathogenesis: Hsp90 turns up the heat on Candida
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):405 (2009)
  
• Gene expression: Structure versus codon bias
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):406 (2009)
  
• Type IV secretion: A sprouting interest in Bartonella
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):406 (2009)
  
• Bacterial physiology: Sugar-coating friendly bacteria
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):407 (2009)
  
• Genome watch: What a scorcher!
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):408 (2009)
  
• In the News
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):410 (2009)
  
• Making the cut: central roles of intramembrane proteolysis in pathogenic microorganisms
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):411-423 (2009)
  Proteolysis in cellular membranes to liberate effector domains from their transmembrane anchors is a well-studied regulatory mechanism in animal biology and disease. By contrast, the function of intramembrane proteases in unicellular organisms has received little attention. Recent progress has now established that intramembrane proteases execute pivotal roles in a range of pathogens, from regulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis envelope composition, cholera toxin production, bacterial adherence and conjugation, to malaria parasite invasion, fungal virulence, immune evasion by parasitic amoebae and hepatitis C virus assembly. These advances raise the exciting possibility that intramembrane proteases may serve as targets for combating a wide range of infectious diseases. This Review focuses on summarizing the advances, evaluating the limitations and highlighting the promise of this newly emerging field.
• Roles of galectins in infection
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):424-438 (2009)
  Galectins, which were first characterized in the mid-1970s, were assigned a role in the recognition of endogenous ('self') carbohydrate ligands in embryogenesis, development and immune regulation. Recently, however, galectins have been shown to bind glycans on the surface of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, and function as recognition and effector factors in innate immunity. Some parasites subvert the recognition roles of the vector or host galectins to ensure successful attachment or invasion. This Review discusses the role of galectins in microbial infection, with particular emphasis on adaptations of pathogens to evasion or subversion of host galectin-mediated immune responses.
• Coronaviruses post-SARS: update on replication and pathogenesis
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):439-450 (2009)
  Although coronaviruses were first identified nearly 60 years ago, they only received notoriety in 2003 when one of their members was identified as the aetiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Previously these viruses were known to be important agents of respiratory and enteric infections of domestic and companion animals and to cause approximately 15% of all cases of the common cold. This Review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of coronavirus replication, interactions with the host immune response and disease pathogenesis. It also highlights the recent identification of numerous novel coronaviruses and the propensity of this virus family to cross species barriers.
• Microbial growth in the polar oceans — role of temperature and potential impact of climate change
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):451-459 (2009)
  Heterotrophic bacteria are the most abundant organisms on the planet and dominate oceanic biogeochemical cycles, including that of carbon. Their role in polar waters has been enigmatic, however, because of conflicting reports about how temperature and the supply of organic carbon control bacterial growth. In this Analysis article, we attempt to resolve this controversy by reviewing previous reports in light of new data on microbial processes in the western Arctic Ocean and by comparing polar waters with low-latitude oceans. Understanding the regulation of in situ microbial activity may help us understand the response of the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic coastal waters over the coming decades as they warm and ice coverage declines.
• Drug interactions and the evolution of antibiotic resistance
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):460-466 (2009)
  Large-scale, systems biology approaches now allow us to systematically map synergistic and antagonistic interactions between drugs. Consequently, drug antagonism is emerging as a powerful tool to study biological function and relatedness between cellular components as well as to uncover mechanisms of drug action. Furthermore, theoretical models and new experiments suggest that antagonistic interactions between antibiotics can counteract the evolution of drug resistance.
• Is the high virulence of HIV-1 an unfortunate coincidence of primate lentiviral evolution?
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):467-476 (2009)
  In the subset of primate lentiviruses that contain a vpu gene — HIV-1 and its simian precursors — the Nef protein has lost the ability to down-modulate CD3, block T cell activation and suppress programmed death. Vpu counteracts a host restriction factor induced by the inflammatory cytokine interferon-alpha. I propose that the acquisition of vpu may have allowed the viral lineage that gave rise to HIV-1 to evolve towards greater pathogenicity by removing the selective pressure for a protective Nef function that prevents damagingly high levels of immune activation.
• Correspondence: Antioxidants used by Deinococcus radiodurans and implications for antioxidant drug discovery
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):476 (2009)
  
• Correspondence: Deinococcus prospects
  - Nat Rev Microbiol 7(6):476 (2009)