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In recent years, nine new human polyomaviruses have been discovered, including Merkel cell polyomavirus, which has been linked to Merkel cell carcinoma, a lethal skin cell cancer. DeCaprio and Garcea compare and contrast these new human viruses and discuss how they might interact with their human host.
The gut microbiota, traditionally studied in the context of disease, has emerged as a key regulator during normal homeostasis. Here, Sommer and Bäckhed discuss how the gut microbiota promotes the development and homeostasis of the immune system and orchestrates several aspects of human physiology, including tissue morphogenesis, metabolism and even behaviour.
Small RNAs (sRNAs) are used by plants, nematodes and arthropods in cellular defence against viruses, but in chordates, sRNAs were replaced with a protein-based system to inhibit viral replication. Here, Benjamin tenOever describes how the lack of interplay between cellular sRNAs and RNA viruses permits the engineering of vectors that can deliver their own sRNAs or are controlled by the sRNAs present in the host.
In addition to developing vaccines and drugs that target vector-borne diseases, historically the use of insecticides has been the main approach for targeting the vector itself. However, as McGraw and O'Neill describe in this Review, there has been substantial recent progress in developing alternative genetic and biological vector-control strategies.
Despite 60 years of investigation, our understanding of the mechanisms by which phages eject their genomes into target bacterial cells remains incomplete. Here, Molineux and Panja describe the structure of DNA inside the phage head and discuss the current models for DNA ejection bothin vitro and in vivo.
Bacillus subtilishas emerged as an important model organism for the study of biofilms. In this Review, Kolter, Losick and colleagues discuss the regulation ofB. subtilisbiofilm assembly and highlight two emerging areas in the field: biofilm formation on natural substrates and biofilm disassembly.
The discovery of abundant microbial life in the deep subsurface, where energy fluxes can be orders of magnitude lower than in laboratory cultures, challenges many of our assumptions about the requirements to sustain life. Here, Tori Hoehler and Bo Barker Jørgensen review our understanding of life in these extremely low-energy environments.
The reversible oxidation of H2 into protons and electrons is mediated by metalloenzymes known as hydrogenases. Here, Fritsch, Lenz and Friedrich discuss recent progress in our understanding of the structure, function and biosynthesis of a subtype of [NiFe]-hydrogenases mainly found in H2-oxidizing bacteria that can sustain H2 conversion in the presence of ambient O2 levels, a process that has been defined as O2-tolerant H2cycling.
Here, Suthar, Diamond and Gale review recent insights into West Nile virus pathogenesis and the host immune responses that this virus activates. Given the continuing spread of the virus in the Western hemisphere, a better understanding of these host–virus interactions is crucial and should facilitate the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics.
