Showing posts sorted by relevance for query latest:Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query latest:Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Hot off the presses! May 01 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology

The May 01 issue of the Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology is now up on Pubget (About Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology): 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:

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Hot off the presses! Feb 01

The Feb 01 issue of the is now up on Pubget (About ): 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:

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Friday, May 14, 2010

Hot off the presses! Jun 01 Nature Reviews Microbiology

The Jun 01 issue of the Nature Reviews Microbiology is now up on Pubget (About Nature Reviews Microbiology): 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
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):383 (2010)
    All organisms must acquire carbon from their environment for the generation of energy and the production of macromolecules such as proteins and lipids. Archaea use several different carbon fixation mechanisms, depending on the environment in which they are found.
  • Editorial: Biodiversity 2010: the tip of the iceberg
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):384 (2010)
    This year is the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity, which provides us with an opportunity to take stock of efforts to assess the impact of human activities on global species diversity. In some of the more remote parts of the world, efforts to limit our impact seem to be having a positive effect.
  • Virology: Cleaving the tether
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):385 (2010)
    Tetherin (also known as BST2) restricts enveloped viruses by preventing their release from the surface of infected cells. However, several viruses have developed strategies to circumvent this restriction.
  • Bacterial pathogenesis: Targeting SUMO
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):386 (2010)
    One of the mechanisms by which intracellular bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, subvert host cell functions is to interfere with host protein post-translational modifications such as ubiquitylation, which alter protein function and stability. Cossart and colleagues now show that L. monocytogenes
  • In brief: Marine microbiology, Bacterial physiology, Innate immunity
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):386 (2010)
    Proteorhodopsin phototrophy promotes survival of marine bactera during starvation Gómez-Consarnau, L.et al. PLoS Biol. 8, e100358 (2010)
  • Environmental microbiology: You are what you eat
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):387 (2010)
    The bacteria in the human gut provide their host with energy by degrading dietary polysaccharides. Writing in Nature, Hehemann et al.
  • Innate immunity: The stress connection
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):387 (2010)
    Smoking and prolonged stress have been linked to increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. New research in Cell Host and Microbe now shows that this may be caused by a decrease in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) activity as a result of increased stimulation of a neuroendocrine signalling pathway.
  • Fungal ecology: Chaos reigns at low temperatures
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):388 (2010)
    Environmental factors such as temperature and pressure alter the structure and function of macromolecules in the cell and so define the physiochemical window for microbial growth. For example, growth is limited at low temperatures owing to an increase in non-covalent interactions among macromolecules that results in the molecules and cellular membranes becoming more rigid.
  • Quorum sensing: Setting the threshold
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):388 (2010)
    A negative regulator that controls the activation threshold for quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been identified, according to a new report from Richard Siehnel, Pradeep Singh and colleagues.Quorum sensing allows bacteria to communicate with each other through the production and perception of small extracellular signal molecules such as acyl homoserine lactones (HSLs).
  • Bacterial pathogenesis: Opening the gates of type III secretion
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):389 (2010)
    Bacterial pathogens subvert host cell pathways by using type III secretion systems (T3SSs) to deliver bacterial effectors through a translocon pore into the host cytosol. Three studies, each investigating a different organism, now show that type III secretion is controlled by changes in the oxygen level and by the pH in the host cell.
  • Attack of the clones
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):390 (2010)
    This month's Genome Watch discusses two recent examples of the use of next-generation sequencing techniques in public health settings.
  • In the news
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):391 (2010)
    Many experts think that the 2012 target for the eradiction of polio is likely to be missed, but hope has been renewed following the remarkable success of anti-polio programmes in Nigeria and India, two global hotspots for polio infection. In Nigeria, improved funding and management of public health programmes coupled with better ties between such programmes and local Muslim leaders, who had previously obstructed efforts to combat polio, have resulted in only 2 children becoming paralyzed with polio so far this year compared with 123 during the same period last year.
  • Molecular mechanisms of complement evasion: learning from staphylococci and meningococci
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):393 (2010)
    The complement system is a crucial component of the innate immune response in humans. Recent studies in Staphylococcus aureus and Neisseria meningitidis have revealed how these bacteria escape complement-mediated killing. In addition, new structural data have provided detailed insights into the molecular mechanisms of host defence mediated by the complement system and how bacterial proteins interfere with this process. This information is fundamental to our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and may facilitate the design of better vaccines.
  • Carbon metabolism of intracellular bacterial pathogens and possible links to virulence
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):401 (2010)
    New technologies such as high-throughput methods and 13C-isotopologue-profiling analysis are beginning to provide us with insight into the in vivo metabolism of microorganisms, especially in the host cell compartments that are colonized by intracellular bacterial pathogens. In this Review, we discuss the recent progress made in determining the major carbon sources and metabolic pathways used by model intracellular bacterial pathogens that replicate either in the cytosol or in vacuoles of infected host cells. Furthermore, we highlight the possible links between intracellular carbon metabolism and the expression of virulence genes.
  • Behind the smile: cell biology and disease mechanisms of Giardia species
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):413 (2010)
    The eukaryotic intestinal parasite Giardia intestinalis was first described in 1681, when Antonie van Leeuwenhoek undertook a microscopic examination of his own diarrhoeal stool. Nowadays, although G. intestinalis is recognized as a major worldwide contributor to diarrhoeal disease in humans and other mammals, the disease mechanisms are still poorly understood. Owing to its reduced complexity and proposed early evolutionary divergence, G. intestinalis is used as a model eukaryotic system for studying many basic cellular processes. In this Review we discuss recent discoveries in the molecular cell biology and pathogenesis of G. intestinalis.
  • How antibiotics kill bacteria: from targets to networks
    Kohanski MA Dwyer DJ Collins JJ - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):423 (2010)
    Antibiotic drug–target interactions, and their respective direct effects, are generally well characterized. By contrast, the bacterial responses to antibiotic drug treatments that contribute to cell death are not as well understood and have proven to be complex as they involve many genetic and biochemical pathways. In this Review, we discuss the multilayered effects of drug–target interactions, including the essential cellular processes that are inhibited by bactericidal antibiotics and the associated cellular response mechanisms that contribute to killing. We also discuss new insights into these mechanisms that have been revealed through the study of biological networks, and describe how these insights, together with related developments in synthetic biology, could be exploited to create new antibacterial therapies.
  • Building Fe–S proteins: bacterial strategies
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):436 (2010)
    The broad range of cellular activities carried out by Fe–S proteins means that they have a central role in the life of most organisms. At the interface between biology and chemistry, studies of bacterial Fe–S protein biogenesis have taken advantage of the specific approaches of each field and have begun to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved. The multiprotein systems that are required to build Fe–S proteins have been identified, but the in vivo roles of some of the components remain to be clarified. The way in which cellular Fe–S cluster trafficking pathways are organized remains a key issue for future studies.
  • Autotrophic carbon fixation in archaea
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(6):447 (2010)
    The acquisition of cellular carbon from inorganic carbon is a prerequisite for life and marked the transition from the inorganic to the organic world. Recent theories of the origins of life assume that chemoevolution took place in a hot volcanic flow setting through a transition metal-catalysed, autocatalytic carbon fixation cycle. Many archaea live in volcanic habitats under such constraints, in high temperatures with only inorganic substances and often under anoxic conditions. In this Review, we describe the diverse carbon fixation mechanisms that are found in archaea. These reactions differ fundamentally from those of the well-known Calvin cycle, and their distribution mirrors the phylogenetic positions of the archaeal lineages and the needs of the ecological niches that they occupy.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hot off the presses! Apr 01 Nature Reviews Microbiology

The Apr 01 issue of the Nature Reviews Microbiology is now up on Pubget (About Nature Reviews Microbiology): 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
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):243 (2010)
    Resistance to antimicrobials has become a worldwide problem. In the United States alone, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has claimed over 18,000 lives to date.
  • Editorial: A step in the right direction
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):244 (2010)
    The recent announcement by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that it will make the structures of over 13,500 compounds from its antimalarial screening programme publicly available is another welcome example of a pharmaceutical company's support for research on diseases that affect developing nations. Under its 'Open Lab' structure, GSK will allow any interested party to develop these compounds further as antimalarials.
  • Innate immunity: Detailed detection
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):245 (2010)
    Two recent papers have revealed further details of how RNA viruses such as West Nile virus (WNV) and influenza virus engage the host innate immune system.Recognition of RNA virus infection by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) triggers an antiviral signalling cascade that culminates in the induction of type I interferons (IFNs) and a proinflammatory response.
  • Archaea: A road to eukaryotes?
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):246 (2010)
    Even though Archaea and Eukarya share a common ancestor, they are dissimilar in their cellular architecture. In a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Küper and colleagues report on the unusual outer membrane of the archaeon Ignicoccus hospitalis and show that this organism has a cellular architecture that is similar to that of eukaryotes.
  • Bacterial physiology: Circadian 'gating' of cell division
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):246 (2010)
    The physiology of most organisms is regulated by the circadian clock, which shows a periodicity of ~ 24 hours and can be changed by environmental cues. In the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus the clock regulates the cell cycle, but how the two are linked was unclear.
  • Parasitology: Multiple signals for apical secretion
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):246 (2010)
    Invasion of host erythrocytes by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites requires attachment to the erythrocyte surface and the coordinated release of the contents of the apical organelles (micronemes and rhoptries) into the host cell. Publishing in PLoS Pathogens, Singh et al.
  • In brief: Viral immune evasion, Biofilms, Bacterial physiology
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):247 (2010)
    Retroviral infection in vivo requires an immune escape virulence factor encrypted in the envelope protein of oncoretroviruses Schlecht-Louf , G.et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 3782–3787 (2010)
  • Environmental microbiology: Electricity blankets the seabed
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):248 (2010)
    Our understanding of how certain types of bacteria generate electrical currents in microbial fuel cells has progressed rapidly in recent years. These so-called exoelectrogenic bacteria are thought to use outer-membrane cytochromes, soluble electron shuttles and conductive nanowires to mediate the extracellular transport of electrons to facilitate cell-to-cell communication and energy transfer.
  • Antimicrobials: Reactive resistance
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):248 (2010)
    Treatment of bacteria with low concentrations of bactericidal antibiotics can generate multidrug resistance through an increase in the mutation rate that is driven by the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), according to a report from Mike Kohanski, Mark DePristo and Jim Collins in a recent issue of Molecular Cell.Previous work from Kohanski, Collins and co-workers had shown that all major classes of bactericidal antibiotics kill cells by inducing the formation of highly toxic hydroxyl radicals, which can damage DNA, proteins and lipids.
  • Cooking with GAS
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):249 (2010)
    This month's Genome Watch discusses another fascinating example of the latest application of second-generation sequencing techniques to the study of bacterial populations.
  • In the News
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):250 (2010)
    There are two broad-spectrum antivirals available (ribavirin and interferon-α), but both can have severe side effects.
  • Call of the wild: antibiotic resistance genes in natural environments
    Allen HK Donato J Wang HH Cloud-Hansen KA Davies J Handelsman J - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):251 (2010)
    Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are profoundly important to human health, but the environmental reservoirs of resistance determinants are poorly understood. The origins of antibiotic resistance in the environment is relevant to human health because of the increasing importance of zoonotic diseases as well as the need for predicting emerging resistant pathogens. This Review explores the presence and spread of antibiotic resistance in non-agricultural, non-clinical environments and demonstrates the need for more intensive investigation on this subject.
  • Antibiotic resistance and its cost: is it possible to reverse resistance?
    Andersson DI Hughes D - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):260 (2010)
    Most antibiotic resistance mechanisms are associated with a fitness cost that is typically observed as a reduced bacterial growth rate. The magnitude of this cost is the main biological parameter that influences the rate of development of resistance, the stability of the resistance and the rate at which the resistance might decrease if antibiotic use were reduced. These findings suggest that the fitness costs of resistance will allow susceptible bacteria to outcompete resistant bacteria if the selective pressure from antibiotics is reduced. Unfortunately, the available data suggest that the rate of reversibility will be slow at the community level. Here, we review the factors that influence the fitness costs of antibiotic resistance, the ways by which bacteria can reduce these costs and the possibility of exploiting them.
  • Artemisinin resistance: current status and scenarios for containment
    Dondorp AM Yeung S White L Nguon C Day NP Socheat D von Seidlein L - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):272 (2010)
    Artemisinin combination therapies are the first-line treatments for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in most malaria-endemic countries. Recently, partial artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum malaria has emerged on the Cambodia–Thailand border. Exposure of the parasite population to artemisinin monotherapies in subtherapeutic doses for over 30 years, and the availability of substandard artemisinins, have probably been the main driving force in the selection of the resistant phenotype in the region. A multifaceted containment programme has recently been launched, including early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, decreasing drug pressure, optimising vector control, targeting the mobile population, strengthening management and surveillance systems, and operational research. Mathematical modelling can be a useful tool to evaluate possible strategies for containment.
  • Resistance to and synthesis of the antibiotic mupirocin
    Thomas CM Hothersall J Willis CL Simpson TJ - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):281 (2010)
    Mupirocin, a polyketide antibiotic produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens, is used to control the carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on skin and in nasal passages as well as for various skin infections. Low-level resistance to the antibiotic arises by mutation of the mupirocin target, isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, whereas high-level resistance is due to the presence of an isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase with many similarities to eukaryotic enzymes. Mupirocin biosynthesis is carried out by a combination of type I multifunctional polyketide synthases and tailoring enzymes encoded in a 75 kb gene cluster. Chemical synthesis has also been achieved. This knowledge should allow the synthesis of new and modified antibiotics for the future.
  • Ethanolamine utilization in bacterial pathogens: roles and regulation
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):290 (2010)
    Ethanolamine is a compound that can be readily derived from cell membranes and that some bacteria can use as a source of carbon and/or nitrogen. The complex biology and chemistry of this process has been under investigation since the 1970s, primarily in one or two species. However, recent investigations into ethanolamine utilization have revealed important and intriguing differences in gene content and regulatory mechanisms among the bacteria that harbour this catabolic ability. In addition, many reports have connected this process to bacterial pathogenesis. In this Progress article, I discuss the latest research on the phylogeny and regulation of ethanolamine utilization and its possible roles in bacterial pathogenesis.
  • Regulation of antigen presentation by Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a role for Toll-like receptors
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(4):296 (2010)
    Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives in antigen-presenting cells (APCs) such as macrophages and dendritic cells. APCs present antigens in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules to stimulate CD4+ T cells, and this process is essential to contain M. tuberculosis infection. Immune evasion allows M. tuberculosis to establish persistent or latent infection in macrophages and results in Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-dependent inhibition of MHC class II transactivator expression, MHC class II molecule expression and antigen presentation. This reduction of antigen presentation might reflect a general mechanism of negative-feedback regulation that prevents excessive T cell-mediated inflammation and that M. tuberculosis has subverted to create a niche for survival in infected macrophages and evasion of recognition by CD4+ T cells.
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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Hot off the presses! Oct 01 Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol

The Oct 01 issue of the Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol is now up on Pubget (About Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol): 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:


  • - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):621 (2011)
  • Cell cycle: The division belt | PDF (199 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):622 (2011)
    The ability to visualize chromosome movements during cell division with unprecedented accuracy reveals a new feature of chromosome alignment during prometaphase. In Cell, two studies report that, in both mitosis and meiosis I, chromosomes align into an equatorial ring prior to bi-orientation — the configuration required for chromosome separation, in which kinetochores are stably attached to microtubules from the opposite poles of the spindle — and that the ring arrangement facilitates spindle assembly.
  • Chromatin: Stress inhibits replication through JNK1 signalling | PDF (173 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):623 (2011)
    To protect the integrity of the genome in conditions of environmental stress, cells temporarily inhibit DNA replication. Miotto and Struhl now identify a signalling pathway linking environmental stress to the initiation of DNA replication.
  • Deconstructing dynamin | Tuning CaMKII | PDF (95 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):623 (2011)
    Dynamin-related proteins (DRPs) are multidomain GTPases that can regulate membrane remodelling events. Although DRPs are known to undergo oligomerization and GTP-dependent conformational changes, it is less clear how these properties drive membrane remodelling.
  • Telomeres: Fusing with RNF8 | PDF (180 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):624 (2011)
    The E3 ubiquitin ligase RING finger 8 (RNF8) promotes DNA repair by mediating the assembly of repair complexes at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Peuscher and Jacobs now show that RNF8 has a detrimental role at uncapped telomeres, mediating telomere fusion and promoting genome instability.
  • Cell division: Repo-Man's extra exit strategy | PDF (234 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):624 (2011)
    Protein phosphatase 1γ (PP1γ) is recruited to mitotic chromatin at anaphase by its regulatory subunit Repo-Man (also known as CDCA2), where it promotes dephosphorylation of histone H3 and chromosome decondensation. Vagnarelli et al.
  • Cell death: Linking metabolism to apoptotic sensitivity | PDF (498 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):625 (2011)
    Studies have suggested that specific metabolites contribute to apoptotic resistance, but the mechanism behind this has been unclear. Yi et al.Nα-acetylation), to promote apoptotic resistance.
  • Cell division: CENPA's tail rules the centromere | PDF (140 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):626 (2011)
    The histone H3 variant centromere protein A (CENPA) is essential for centromere and kinetochore formation in eukaryotes, but how it directs their formation was unclear. Now, by generating reconstituted CENPA chromatin in vitro, Guse et al.
  • Cell signalling | Plant cell biology | Cell signalling | PDF (97 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):626 (2011)
    Mindbomb 1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, forms a complex with RYK to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling Berndt, J. D.et al. J. Cell Biol., 737–750 (2011)
  • Cell death: Phagocytes whet their appetite | PDF (178 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):627 (2011)
    The engulfment ability of a phagocyte is controlled by its mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), according to a study by Ravichandran and colleagues.
  • Membrane dynamics: ER marks the spot | PDF (153 KB)
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):627 (2011)
    The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria are known to be intimate, showing stable contacts that can affect lipid synthesis and calcium signalling between the two organelles. The Voeltz laboratory, in collaboration with the Nunnari laboratory, has followed the relative dynamics of these organelles more closely and found that ER contact with mitochondria may actively trigger mitochondrial constriction and subsequent division.
  • Deciphering arginine methylation: Tudor tells the tale
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):629 (2011)
    Proteins can be modified by post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation and ubiquitylation, creating binding sites for specific protein domains. Methylation has pivotal roles in the formation of complexes that are involved in cellular regulation, including in the generation of small RNAs. Arginine methylation was discovered half a century ago, but the ability of methylarginine sites to serve as binding motifs for members of the Tudor protein family, and the functional significance of the protein–protein interactions that are mediated by Tudor domains, has only recently been appreciated. Tudor proteins are now known to be present in PIWI complexes, where they are thought to interact with methylated PIWI proteins and regulate the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway in the germ line.
  • Dynamic niches in the origination and differentiation of haematopoietic stem cells
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):643 (2011)
    Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent, self-renewing progenitors that generate all mature blood cells. HSC function is tightly controlled to maintain haematopoietic homeostasis, and this regulation relies on specialized cells and factors that constitute the haematopoietic 'niche', or microenvironment. Recent discoveries, aided in part by technological advances in in vivo imaging, have engendered a new appreciation for the dynamic nature of the niche, identifying novel cellular and acellular niche components and uncovering fluctuations in the relative importance of these components over time. These new insights significantly improve our understanding of haematopoiesis and raise fundamental questions about what truly constitutes a stem cell niche.
  • Proteins on the move: insights gained from fluorescent protein technologies
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):656 (2011)
    Proteins are always on the move, and this may occur through diffusion or active transport. The realization that the regulation of signal transduction is highly dynamic in space and time has stimulated intense interest in the movement of proteins. Over the past decade, numerous new technologies using fluorescent proteins have been developed, allowing us to observe the spatiotemporal dynamics of proteins in living cells. These technologies have greatly advanced our understanding of protein dynamics, including protein movement and protein interactions.
  • A decade of molecular cell biology: achievements and challenges
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):669 (2011)
    Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology celebrated its 10-year anniversary during this past year with a series of specially commissioned articles. To complement this, here we have asked researchers from across the field for their insights into how molecular cell biology research has evolved during this past decade, the key concepts that have emerged and the most promising interfaces that have developed. Their comments highlight the broad impact that particular advances have had, some of the basic understanding that we still require, and the collaborative approaches that will be essential for driving the field forward.
  • Insights into autotaxin: how to produce and present a lipid mediator
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):674 (2011)
    Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted phosphodiesterase that produces the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA acts through specific guanine-nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors to stimulate migration, proliferation, survival and other functions in many cell types. ATX is important in vivo for processes as diverse as vasculogenesis, lymphocyte trafficking and tumour progression. However, the inner workings of ATX have long been elusive, in terms of both its substrate specificity and how localized LPA signalling is achieved. Structural studies have shown how ATX recognizes its substrates and may interact with the cell surface to promote specificity in LPA signalling.
  • Discovering pluripotency: 30 years of mouse embryonic stem cells
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):680 (2011)
    Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells isolated from an early embryo and grown as a cell line in tissue culture. Their discovery came from the conjunction of studies in human pathology, mouse genetics, early mouse embryo development, cell surface immunology and tissue culture. ES cells provided a crucial tool for manipulating mouse embryos to study mouse genetics, development and physiology. They have not only revolutionized experimental mammalian genetics but, with the advent of equivalent human ES cells, have now opened new vistas for regenerative medicine.
  • The predator becomes the prey: regulating the ubiquitin system by ubiquitylation and degradation
    - Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(10):686 (2011)
    Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology12, 605–620 (2011) On page 619 of the above article, there was a mistake in the highlighted reference comment under reference 54: "53" in the second sentence should have been "54" ("Reference 54 is the first clear example of the targeting of one E3 family by another."). We apologize for any confusion caused to readers.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Hot off the presses! Mar 01

The Mar 01 issue of the is now up on Pubget (About ): 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
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):155 (2010)
    The study of the molecular biology of bacteria goes back nearly a century, but some fundamental processes, such as DNA replication and compaction, remain poorly understood. On page 163, Katayama and colleagues describe recent progress in our understanding of the initiation of DNA replication, focusing on the control of the regulatory protein DnaA and the replication origin.
  • Editorial: A birthday gift for GAVI
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):156 (2010)
    The GAVI Alliance was established in 2000 in response to the need to dramatically increase vaccine coverage for children in developing countries. Initially called the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization, it is a coalition of partners, including national governments, international organizations, bilateral donors (donors that deal directly with one government), the vaccine production industry and non-governmental organizations.
  • Symbiosis: Breaking the rhizobial barrier
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):157 (2010)
    Rhizobial bacteria form mutualistic endosymbioses with legumes, in which they induce the formation of root nodules and fix nitrogen. The rhizobia constitute a phylogenetically diverse range of soil bacteria, and it is thought that repeated and independent horizontal gene transfer events led to the spread of symbiotic capabilities to previously non-symbiotic bacteria.
  • Viral infection: miRNAs help KSHV lay low
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):158 (2010)
    Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) establishes a long-term, latent infection in its target cells, during which a limited repertoire of viral genes is expressed. Among these are 17 microRNAs (miRNAs), which have an unclear role in the viral life cycle.
  • In brief: Virology, Systems biology, Bacterial physiology
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):158 (2010)
    Repulsion of superinfecting virions: a mechanism for rapid virus spread Doceul, V.et al. Science21 Jan 2010 (doi:10.1126/science.1183173)
  • Industrial microbiology: Fuelling the renewable revolution
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):158 (2010)
    The production of fuels and other high-value chemicals through microbial fermentation has the potential to provide a sustainable alternative to petrochemicals. Publishing in Nature, Jay Keasling and colleagues now describe the engineering of Escherichia coli to produce structurally tailored fatty acids and their derivatives from simple sugars and plant-derived biomass.
  • In brief: Bacterial pathogenicity, Environmental microbiology, Innate immunity
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):159 (2010)
    A type VI secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa targets a toxin to bacteria Hood, R. D.et al. Cell Host Microbe 7, 25–37 (2010)
  • Archaea: Singled out from the crowd
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):160 (2010)
    Ubiquitin is a small eukaryotic protein with a characteristic β-grasp fold that can be conjugated to other proteins. In many cases, the conjugated protein is then targeted for degradation by the proteasome, and ubiquitin is recycled for further rounds of conjugation.
  • Parasitology: Epigenetic regulation of VSG expression
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):160 (2010)
    The controversial issue of the chromatin structure at VSG expression site loci in African trypanosomes seems to have been resolved with the publication of two papers in Eukaryotic Cell showing that nucleosomes are depleted at active VSG expression sites.In the bloodstream of the mammalian host, Trypanosoma brucei avoids immune detection by periodically switching its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) 'coat' by a process known as antigenic variation.
  • Taming the next-gen beast
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):161 (2010)
    This month's Genome Watch discusses how alternative approaches to using second-generation sequencing technologies are powerful tools for the analysis of common pathogenic bacteria.
  • In the news
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):162 (2010)
    Experts warn that a patient's weight should be taken into account when prescribing antibiotics, as body weight can affect the distribution and metabolism of a drug. With obesity levels rising in many parts of the world, Matthew Falagas and Drosos Karageorgopoulos, in an article published in The Lancet, advise doctors to tailor antibiotic doses to a patient's weight and body composition to achieve maximal benefit from treatment.
  • Regulation of the replication cycle: conserved and diverse regulatory systems for DnaA and oriC
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):163 (2010)
    Chromosomal replication must be limited to once and only once per cell cycle. This is accomplished by multiple regulatory pathways that govern initiator proteins and replication origins. A principal feature of DNA replication is the coupling of the replication reaction to negative-feedback regulation. Some of the factors that are important in this process have been discovered, including the clamp (DNA polymerase III subunit-β (DnaN)), the datA locus, SeqA, DnaA homologue protein (Hda) and YabA, as well as factors that are involved at other stages of the regulatory mechanism, such as DnaA initiator-associating protein (DiaA), the DnaA-reactivating sequence (DARS) loci and Soj. Here, we describe the regulation of DnaA, one of the central proteins involved in bacterial DNA replication, by these factors in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Caulobacter crescentus.
  • Host interactions of probiotic bacterial surface molecules: comparison with commensals and pathogens
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):171 (2010)
    How can probiotic bacteria transduce their health benefits to the host? Bacterial cell surface macromolecules are key factors in this beneficial microorganism–host crosstalk, as they can interact with host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of the gastrointestinal mucosa. In this Review, we highlight the documented signalling interactions of the surface molecules of probiotic bacteria (such as long surface appendages, polysaccharides and lipoteichoic acids) with PRRs. Research on host–probiotic interactions can benefit from well-documented host–microorganism studies that span the spectrum from pathogenicity to mutualism. Distinctions and parallels are therefore drawn with the interactions of similar molecules that are presented by gastrointestinal commensals and pathogens.
  • Bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins, nucleoid structure and gene expression
    Dillon SC Dorman CJ - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):185 (2010)
    Emerging models of the bacterial nucleoid show that nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) and transcription contribute in combination to the dynamic nature of nucleoid structure. NAPs and other DNA-binding proteins that display gene-silencing and anti-silencing activities are emerging as key antagonistic regulators of nucleoid structure. Furthermore, it is becoming clear that the boundary between NAPs and conventional transcriptional regulators is quite blurred and that NAPs facilitate the evolution of novel gene regulatory circuits. Here, NAP biology is considered from the standpoints of both gene regulation and nucleoid structure.
  • The phasevarion: phase variation of type III DNA methyltransferases controls coordinated switching in multiple genes
    Srikhanta YN Fox KL Jennings MP - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):196 (2010)
    In several host-adapted pathogens, phase variation has been found to occur in genes that encode methyltransferases associated with type III restriction–modification systems. It was recently shown that in the human pathogens Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis phase variation of a type III DNA methyltransferase, encoded by members of the mod gene family, regulates the expression of multiple genes. This novel genetic system has been termed the 'phasevarion' (phase-variable regulon). The wide distribution of phase-variable mod family genes indicates that this may be a common strategy used by host-adapted bacterial pathogens to randomly switch between distinct cell types.
  • The population genetics of commensal Escherichia coli
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):207 (2010)
    The primary habitat of Escherichia coli is the vertebrate gut, where it is the predominant aerobic organism, living in symbiosis with its host. Despite the occurrence of recombination events, the population structure is predominantly clonal, allowing the delineation of major phylogenetic groups. The genetic structure of commensal E. coli is shaped by multiple host and environmental factors, and the determinants involved in the virulence of the bacteria may in fact reflect adaptation to commensal habitats. A better characterization of the commensal niche is necessary to understand how a useful commensal can become a harmful pathogen. In this Review we describe the population structure of commensal E. coli, the factors involved in the spread of different strains, how the bacteria can adapt to different niches and how a commensal lifestyle can evolve into a pathogenic one.
  • A complex journey: transmission of microbial symbionts
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):218 (2010)
    The perpetuation of symbioses through host generations relies on symbiont transmission. Horizontally transmitted symbionts are taken up from the environment anew by each host generation, and vertically transmitted symbionts are most often transferred through the female germ line. Mixed modes also exist. In this Review we describe the journey of symbionts from the initial contact to their final residence. We provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms that mediate symbiont attraction and accumulation, interpartner recognition and selection, as well as symbiont confrontation with the host immune system. We also discuss how the two main transmission modes shape the evolution of the symbiotic partners.
  • Viral shape-shifting: norovirus evasion of the human immune system
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):231 (2010)
    Noroviruses are the most common cause of food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide, and explosive outbreaks frequently occur in community settings, where the virus can immobilize large numbers of infected individuals for 24–48 hours, making the development of effective vaccines and antiviral therapies a priority. However, several challenges have hampered therapeutic design, including: the limitations of cell culture and small-animal model systems; the complex effects of host pre-exposure histories; differential host susceptibility, which is correlated with blood group and secretor status; and the evolution of novel immune escape variants. In this Review, we discuss the molecular and structural mechanisms that facilitate the persistence of noroviruses in human populations.
  • Correspondence: Spectrum of latent tuberculosis — existing tests cannot resolve the underlying phenotypes
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):242 (2010)
    In their recent Review (The spectrum of latent tuberculosis: rethinking the biology and intervention strategies. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 7, 845–855 (2009)
  • Author Reply: Spectrum of latent tuberculosis — existing tests cannot resolve the underlying phenotypes: author's reply
    - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(3):242 (2010)
    We agree with the comments in response to our Review (The spectrum of latent tuberculosis: rethinking the biology and intervention strategies. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 7, 845–855 (2009)
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