Latest Articles Include:
- In this issue
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):309 (2010)
The phrase 'good fences make good neighbours' suggests that keeping a little distance between ourselves and our immediate neighbours can be important to maintain good community relations. This phrase could equally be applied to the microbial world, in which the communities can comprise a range of different microorganisms that are often competing for limited resources. - Editorial: China: a life sciences giant
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):310 (2010)
A recent press release from Nature China showed that the number of articles published by Chinese researchers in five top research journals (Cell, Science, Nature, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine) nearly doubled between 2008 and 2009, providing a clear indication of the growth of life science research in China. Since 2007, China has ranked second only to the United States in terms of the number of scientific publications produced, and the indication is that the trends of increasing quantity and, importantly, quality will continue for the foreseeable future. - Fungal genetics: Expanding horizons through chromosome exchange
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):311 (2010)
Members of the ascomycete fungi genus Fusarium range from plant pathogens to soil dwellers. The publication of a genomic comparison of several Fusarium species sheds light on the differences between these species and shows that horizontal transfer of entire chromosomes between species has important consequences for the lifestyle and host range of these pathogens. - Bacterial virulence: Modifying virulent behaviour
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):312 (2010)
Post-translational modification of cell surface factors is known to be important for the virulence of many bacterial pathogens, including Campylobacter jejuni, a major worldwide cause of bacterial diarrhoea. Now, Cullen and Trent describe the identification of a phosphoethanolamine transferase that modifies components of the flagella and lipo-oligosaccharide in the C. jejuni - Techniques and applications: Real-time view of AMP-mediated killing
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):312 (2010)
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has provided microbiologists with powerful images of bacterial cells and cell surface structures at the nanometre scale. However, image acquisition times of several minutes per frame have limited the use of AFM for studying highly dynamic cellular processes. - Plant immunity: Helping plants to fight back
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):312 (2010)
A new report in Nature Biotechnology shows that a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) can be transferred between two plant families, conferring broad-spectrum bacterial resistance.Plants, like humans, can detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) using cell surface PRRs. - In brief: Fungal physiology, Viral immune evasion, Metagenomics
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):313 (2010)
N-acetylglucosamine induces white to opaque switching, a mating prerequisite in Candida albicans Huang , G.et al. PLoS Pathog. 6, e1000806 (2010) (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000806) - HIV: Second hideout for HIV-1
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):314 (2010)
Immature multipotent haematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) are a second reservoir of latent HIV-1 infection, according to a new report in Nature Medicine.Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has greatly reduced mortality from HIV-1 infection, it cannot completely eradicate the virus owing to viral persistence as a provirus in latently infected cells. - Bacterial secretion: The two faces of MycP1
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):314 (2010)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis uses ESX1, a type VII secretion system, to deliver virulence factors into host cells. Because some of the proteins secreted by ESX1, such as ESAT6 (also known as EsxA), are important for virulence and also highly immunogenic, the system is transcriptionally regulated to maintain a balance between virulence and immunogenicity. - A glut from the gut: metagenomics takes a giant step foward
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):315 (2010)
Interest in the bacteria that inhabit the human gut has increased greatly in recent years, as technological advancements have allowed new discoveries. This month's Genome Watch reviews a recent study of the microorganisms in the human gut that sets a new marker for the field of metagenomics. - In the News
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):316 (2010)
A new class of drug that could be used to treat tuberculosis has been identified. - Bacteriophage resistance mechanisms
Labrie SJ Samson JE Moineau S - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):317 (2010)
Phages are now acknowledged as the most abundant microorganisms on the planet and are also possibly the most diversified. This diversity is mostly driven by their dynamic adaptation when facing selective pressure such as phage resistance mechanisms, which are widespread in bacterial hosts. When infecting bacterial cells, phages face a range of antiviral mechanisms, and they have evolved multiple tactics to avoid, circumvent or subvert these mechanisms in order to thrive in most environments. In this Review, we highlight the most important antiviral mechanisms of bacteria as well as the counter-attacks used by phages to evade these systems. - Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis: subversive manipulators of host cells
Rikihisa Y - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):328 (2010)
Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. cause several emerging human infectious diseases. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis are transmitted between mammals by blood-sucking ticks and replicate inside mammalian white blood cells and tick salivary-gland and midgut cells. Adaptation to a life in eukaryotic cells and transmission between hosts has been assisted by the deletion of many genes that are present in the genomes of free-living bacteria (including genes required for the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan), by the acquisition of a cholesterol uptake pathway and by the expansion of the repertoire of genes encoding the outer-membrane porins and type IV secretion system. Here, I review the specialized properties and other adaptations of these intracellular bacteria. - Medically important bacterial–fungal interactions
Peleg AY Hogan DA Mylonakis E - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):340 (2010)
Whether it is in the setting of disease or in a healthy state, the human body contains a diverse range of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. The interactions between these taxonomically diverse microorganisms are highly dynamic and dependent on a multitude of microorganism and host factors. Human disease can develop from an imbalance between commensal bacteria and fungi or from invasion of particular host niches by opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens. This Review describes the clinical and molecular characteristics of bacterial–fungal interactions that are relevant to human disease. - A look behind closed doors: interaction of persistent viruses with dendritic cells
Lambotin M Raghuraman S Stoll-Keller F Baumert TF Barth H - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):350 (2010)
Persistent infections with HIV, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As sentinels of the immune system, dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for the generation of protective antiviral immunity. Recent advances in our understanding of the role of DCs during infection with these viruses provide insights into the mechanisms used by these viruses to exploit DC function and evade innate and adaptive immunity. In this Review we highlight the current knowledge about the interaction between DCs and these viruses and the underlying mechanisms that might influence the outcome of viral infections. - The arrival, establishment and spread of exotic diseases: patterns and predictions
Randolph SE Rogers DJ - Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):361 (2010)
The impact of human activities on the principles and processes governing the arrival, establishment and spread of exotic pathogens is illustrated by vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, bluetongue and Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fevers. Competent vectors, which are commonly already present in the areas, provide opportunities for infection by exotic pathogens that are introduced by travel and trade. At the same time, the correct combination of environmental conditions (both abiotic and biotic) makes many far-flung parts of the world latently and predictably, but differentially, permissive to persistent transmission cycles. Socioeconomic factors and nutritional status determine human exposure to disease and resistance to infection, respectively, so that disease incidence can vary independently of biological cycles. - Detecting genomic islands using bioinformatics approaches
- Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(5):373 (2010)
Bacterial genomes contain clusters of genes that are acquired by horizontal transfer, called genomic islands (GIs). GIs are frequently associated with microbial adaptations that are of medical and environmental interest, and they have had a substantial impact on bacterial evolution. Therefore, there is growing interest in efficiently identifying GIs in newly sequenced bacterial genomes. Several computational methods for detecting GIs have been developed recently, presenting researchers with a myriad of choices. Here, we discuss the limitations and benefits of the main approaches that are available and present guidelines to aid researchers in effectively identifying these important genomic regions.
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