News & Comment

Two recent studies use electron cryomicroscopy to determine the architecture of bacterial flagellum stator complexes.

This study reported the discovery of two new relatives of rubella virus, ruhugu virus in bats and rustrela virus in mice.

This study provides evidence that bacterial nanotubes produced by Bacillus subtilis and other bacteria are a feature of cell death rather than physiological structures.

This study found that Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms impede the motility of the nematode bacterivore Caenorhabditis elegans.

In this study, the authors have used a modular approach to create synthetic acetylation-resistant streptogramins.

A global assessment of the structure and function of the crop microbiome is urgently needed for the development of effective and rationally designed microbiome technologies for sustainable agriculture. Such an effort will provide new knowledge on the key ecological and evolutionary interactions between plant species and their microbiomes that can be harnessed for increasing agriculture productivity.

This study provides insights into how a mycovirus decreases the pathogenicity of its fungal host and promotes plant defences, and how this can be translated into the development of a plant vaccine.

This month’s Under the Lens discusses recent advances in high-resolution imaging of bacterial membrane proteins within intact liposomes by electron cryomicroscopy.

Scientists around the world have risen to the challenges posed by COVID-19 by rapidly transforming their laboratories and refocusing their research efforts.

This study discovered that the maternal gut microbiota of mice modulates fetal neurodevelopment during homeostasis and the behaviour of offspring in adult life.

This study found that the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis promotes the progression of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

A recent study suggests that anthropogenic disturbance of grasslands changes the sensitivity of plant pathogens to climate change.

This month’s Genome Watch highlights how the search for the origins of SARS-CoV-2 emphasizes the need for integrated phylogenetic methods.

This paper found that cytoplasmic control of intranuclear polarity by human cytomegalovirus leads to segregation of viral DNA from heterochromatin, thus promoting virus replication.

A recent study investigated bacterial–fungal symbioses and found that fungal responses to bacteria differed depending on whether the relationship was mutualistic or antagonistic.

This study found that Zika virus infection enhances future risk of severe dengue disease.

A large genome dataset investigates the evolutionary history of Helicobacter pylori and its links to human migration.

This study suggests that two syntrophic Clostridium species can fuse and exchange cellular material, creating hybrid cells.

This study shows that alveolar macrophages patrol the lung to take up inhaled bacteria and that influenza virus infection can interfere with this function.

This study shows that Aspergillus fumigatus develops spatial hypoxic microenvironments during biofilm maturation that contribute to antifungal drug resistance.