Cellular microbiology articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria possess transcription factors whose DNA-binding activity is altered upon binding to specific metals, but the binding of metals is not specific in vitro. Here, Osman et al. show that tight regulation of buffered intracellular metal concentrations is a prerequisite for metal specificity.

    • Deenah Osman
    • , Andrew W. Foster
    •  & Nigel J. Robinson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In Streptococcus pneumoniae, competence for genetic transformation is accompanied by a pause in growth. Here, Bergé et al. show that this pause is linked to the cell cycle via at least two pathways that impair peptidoglycan synthesis and preserve genomic integrity during transformation.

    • Matthieu J. Bergé
    • , Chryslène Mercy
    •  & Nathalie Campo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The electron-transferring flavoprotein / butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (EtfAB/Bcd) complex catalyzes the reduction of crotonyl-CoA and ferredoxins by NADH in anaerobic microbes. Here, the authors present the crystal structure of Clostridium difficile EtfAB/Bcd and discuss the bifurcation mechanism for electron flow.

    • Julius K. Demmer
    • , Nilanjan Pal Chowdhury
    •  & Wolfgang Buckel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Legionella pneumophila replicates in a Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV). Here the authors present the structure of the Legionella effector RidL N-terminal domain and reveal how RidL contributes to the subversion of retrograde trafficking by binding to the retromer coat complex subunit Vps29, which leads to a displacement of the regulator TBC1D5.

    • Kevin Bärlocher
    • , Cedric A. J. Hutter
    •  & Hubert Hilbi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    GyrI-like proteins are small-molecule binding proteins that are widely distributed in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, with functions that are poorly characterized. Here, the authors identify GyrI-like proteins as cyclopropanoid cyclopropyl hydrolases that can confer resistance to cytotoxic cyclopropanoid compounds.

    • Hua Yuan
    • , Jinru Zhang
    •  & Gong-Li Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protein FtsZ plays key roles in cell division and is essential in most bacterial species; exceptions include streptomycetes, which grow from the cell tip and form branched hyphae. Here, Santos-Beneit et al. show that branching allows FtsZ-independent proliferation in Streptomyces venezuelae.

    • Fernando Santos-Beneit
    • , David M. Roberts
    •  & Jeff Errington

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cells of Achromatium bacteria are remarkably large and contain multiple chromosome copies. Here, Ionescu et al. show that chromosome copies within individual cells display high diversity, similar to that of bacterial communities, and contain tens of transposable elements.

    • Danny Ionescu
    • , Mina Bizic-Ionescu
    •  & Hans-Peter Grossart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria can exchange nutrients and macromolecules through tubular membranous structures called nanotubes. Here, the authors show that Bacillus subtilis can kill and prey on Bacillus megaterium by delivering a toxin and extracting nutrients in a nanotube-dependent manner.

    • Ofer Stempler
    • , Amit K. Baidya
    •  & Sigal Ben-Yehuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Planktonic bacteria are untethered to surfaces or to each other, and thus are expected to move independently when at low cell densities. Here Sretenovic et al. show, using optical tweezers, that bacteria in dilute suspensions are mechanically coupled and show long-range correlated motion.

    • Simon Sretenovic
    • , Biljana Stojković
    •  & David Stopar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There are seven well-established types of Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs). Here the authors report the identification and characterization of a new type of BoNT—BoNT/X—which cleaves a different site on canonical BoNTs substrates and targets SNARE family members not cleaved by known BoNTs.

    • Sicai Zhang
    • , Geoffrey Masuyer
    •  & Pål Stenmark

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The bacterial Type VI secretion system (T6SS) delivers proteins into target cells using fast contraction of a long sheath anchored to the cell envelope. Here, Vettigeret al. study sheath dynamics in Vibrio choleraespheroplasts, and show that the sheath assembles by addition of subunits at the distal end.

    • Andrea Vettiger
    • , Julius Winter
    •  & Marek Basler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The actin-like protein FtsA and the tubulin-like protein FtsZ play crucial roles during cell division in most bacteria. Here, the authors show that FtsA forms minirings on lipid monolayers, and present evidence supporting that its oligomeric state modulates the bundling of FtsZ protofilaments.

    • Marcin Krupka
    • , Veronica W. Rowlett
    •  & William Margolin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protein MreB participates in elongation of sidewalls during growth of most rod-shaped bacteria. Here, the authors use fluorescence microscopy and single-particle tracking to visualize MreB, showing thatBacillus subtilis and Escherichia coliappear to use different strategies to adapt to growth rate variations.

    • Cyrille Billaudeau
    • , Arnaud Chastanet
    •  & Rut Carballido-López

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neisseria meningitidis bacteria bind to host proteins CD147 and β2-adrenergic receptor on the surface of endothelial cells. Here, Maïssa et al. show that the two proteins interact with each other forming clusters that increase the binding strength of the bacteria to endothelial cells.

    • Nawal Maïssa
    • , Valentina Covarelli
    •  & Sandrine Bourdoulous

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Several unusual features have been reported for bacteria of the phylum Planctomycetes, such as cytosolic compartmentalization and an endocytosis-like process. Here, Boedekeret al. provide evidence supporting a Gram-negative cell plan and the absence of endocytosis-like processes in these organisms.

    • Christian Boedeker
    • , Margarete Schüler
    •  & Christian Jogler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear how bacterial chemoreceptors are reliably targeted to the cell poles. Here, Draper and Liphardt show that chemoreceptor localization is highly sensitive to membrane curvature in live bacteria, and engineer curvature sensitivity into several multi-component synthetic protein complexes.

    • Will Draper
    •  & Jan Liphardt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chlamydiae replicate in host cells within specialised vacuoles (inclusions), which are eventually ruptured to liberate the bacteria, leading to cell lysis. Here, Kerret al. use a laser ablation technique and videomicroscopy to show that inclusion rupture triggers a necrotic pathway in the host cell.

    • Markus C. Kerr
    • , Guillermo A. Gomez
    •  & Rohan D Teasdale

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The bacterial cell wall is important for cell shape and stability, but how the activities of the biosynthetic machinery are coordinated are not clear. Here the authors use single-molecule imaging and chemical perturbations to determine factors that affect the localization dynamics of penicillin-binding proteins (PBP)1A and PBP1B.

    • Timothy K. Lee
    • , Kevin Meng
    •  & Kerwyn Casey Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria of the genus Streptomyces form cellular filaments (hyphae) in which sporadic peptidoglycan cell walls separate multinucleate compartments. Here, Yagüe et al. show that young hyphae are further compartmentalized by cross-membranes lacking detectable peptidoglycan.

    • Paula Yagüe
    • , Joost Willemse
    •  & Ángel Manteca

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In most bacteria and archaea, a broadly conserved mitotic-like apparatus assures the inheritance of duplicated genetic material before cell division. Here, the authors use super-resolution microscopies to dissect the activities required for proper DNA segregation through the nucleoid interior.

    • Antoine Le Gall
    • , Diego I. Cattoni
    •  & Marcelo Nollmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many bacteria release DNA and membrane vesicles through unclear mechanisms. Here, the authors show that a prophage endolysin is involved in the explosive lysis of a sub-population of cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, releasing cytoplasmic content and membrane fragments that rapidly form membrane vesicles.

    • Lynne Turnbull
    • , Masanori Toyofuku
    •  & Cynthia B. Whitchurch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Culturing new microorganisms requires a great deal of experience, and trial and error. Here, the authors build a database of >3,300 culturing media recipes and >18,000 microbial species that allows the prediction of appropriate media recipes for the growth of new microbes based on their 16S rDNA sequences.

    • Matthew A. Oberhardt
    • , Raphy Zarecki
    •  & Eytan Ruppin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Planctomycetes appear to differ from all other bacteria in their cellular organization and their apparent lack of a peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Here Jeske et al. show that Planctomycetes do possess a typical PG cell wall and that their cellular architecture resembles that of Gram-negative bacteria.

    • Olga Jeske
    • , Margarete Schüler
    •  & Christian Jogler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hypochlorous acid generated by neutrophils acts as a potent antibacterial agent. Müller et al. now show that this oxidant directly activates a protective counter-response in E. coli by N-chlorinating the protein RidA and converting it into an effective protein chaperone.

    • Alexandra Müller
    • , Sina Langklotz
    •  & Lars Ingo Ole Leichert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa migrate by deploying their type-IV pili. Here, Zhang et al. show that P. aeruginosacan adapt to the physical microenvironment by using their type-IV pili to ‘slingshot’ more across soft surfaces to exploit inherent shear thinning properties of the surface.

    • Rongrong Zhang
    • , Lei Ni
    •  & Fan Jin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    EzrA regulates the polymerization of FtsZ, a tubulin-like protein and main component of the Z-ring, which drives cell division in bacteria. Here the authors describe the crystal structure of EzrA and demonstrate that it shares structural and functional properties with eukaryotic spectrins.

    • Robert M. Cleverley
    • , Jeffrey R. Barrett
    •  & Richard J. Lewis

  • Article |

    Magnetotactic bacteria sense and migrate along the geomagnetic field, but the molecular mechanism for directed motion is not known. Here, Popp et al. show that M. gryphiswaldensedisplays swimming polarity in an oxygen gradient sensed by the chemotactic sensory pathway CheOp1, revealing a link between aerotactic sensing and magnetotactic polarity.

    • Felix Popp
    • , Judith P. Armitage
    •  & Dirk Schüler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell migration is regulated by spatial and temporal information, but how the two are integrated is not well understood. Here, Nakajima et al. use dynamic microfluidics gradients to show that Ras activation at the leading edge of Dictyosteliumis suppressed when chemoattractant concentration decreases over time.

    • Akihiko Nakajima
    • , Shuji Ishihara
    •  & Satoshi Sawai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Known mechanisms that determine symmetric division-plane positioning during cell division are unlikely to operate effectively over very long distances. Pende et al. show that extraordinarily long Gammaproteobacteria divide symmetrically despite reaching 120 microns in length

    • Nika Pende
    • , Nikolaus Leisch
    •  & Silvia Bulgheresi

  • Article |

    The peptidoglycan hydrolase PcsB is required for cell wall splitting during cell division in Streptococci. Bartual et al.show that PcsB adopts an autoinhibited dimeric structure, and demonstrate the muralytic activity of the uninhibited catalytic domain.

    • Sergio G. Bartual
    • , Daniel Straume
    •  & Juan A. Hermoso

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell division in Chlamydiales remains mysterious as it occurs in the absence of a cytokinetic tubulin and a classical peptidoglycan cell wall. Jacquier et al. show that the actin homologue MreB is recruited to the division site in Waddliaand that this depends on synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor lipid II.

    • Nicolas Jacquier
    • , Antonio Frandi
    •  & Gilbert Greub

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The formation of lipid domains in eukaryotic cells is controlled by the cortical actin cytoskeleton. Here, the authors show that the bacterial actin homologue MreB has a comparable activity, influencing the formation of regions of increased fluidity that determine the distribution of membrane proteins.

    • Henrik Strahl
    • , Frank Bürmann
    •  & Leendert W. Hamoen

  • Article |

    Bacterial cell division requires the coordination of chromosome replication with cell growth and division but how these processes are coordinated in mycobacteria is largely unexplored. Santi et al. use single-cell technologies to describe the cell cycle dynamics of Mycobacterium smegmatisand outline important differences in comparison with other bacterial species.

    • Isabella Santi
    • , Neeraj Dhar
    •  & John D. McKinney

Browse broader subjects

Browse Cellular microbiology across other nature.com journals