Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Roberts and colleagues review the roles of extracytoplasmic stress responses (ESRs) in the pathogenesis of Gram-negative bacteria. ESRs respond to perturbations in the cell envelope and are mediated by the alternative sigma factor σE(RpoE), the two-component regulator CpxAR, the BaeSR system and phage shock proteins (PSPs).
EPEC and EHEC encode both the ligand and receptor required to trigger actin-pedestal assembly in intestinal epithelial cells. Here, the authors discuss the latest data on this interaction and how this system can be used to model eukaryotic transmembrane receptor signalling processes, including immunological synapse and focal-adhesion formation.
Despite major differences in the life cycles of the seven different classes of known viruses, the genome-replication processes of certain positive-strand RNA viruses, double-stranded RNA viruses and reverse-transcribing viruses show striking parallels. Paul Ahlquist highlights these similarities and discusses their intriguing evolutionary implications.
Since the publication of the complete genome sequence ofPlasmodium falciparumin 2002, many comparative genome analyses and transcriptome and proteome studies have followed. Here, the authors review the data published to date, and discuss its application to the development of new malaria therapeutics.
Burkholderia pseudomalleiinfection can present with such a diverse array of clinical symptoms thatB. pseudomallei is known as the 'great mimicker'. Here, current knowledge of B. pseudomallei–host interactions is reviewed, and key topics for future research are highlighted.
The first effective cancer vaccine targeted Marek's disease, a virus-induced neoplastic disease in domestic chickens. Here, Osterrieder and colleagues discuss recent progress in research on the causative agent, Marek's disease virus (MDV), and how MDV could be a useful model system of virus-induced lymphoma.
Small colony variants (SCVs) constitute a slow-growing subpopulation of bacteria. This population has been most intensively studied inStaphylococcus aureus. Here, the authors discuss the clinical relevance of S. aureusSCVs and the available information on the metabolic deficiencies responsible for the SCV phenotype, and they highlight key areas for future research.
This article focuses on phenotypic variation based on the feedback architecture of genetic networks, a type of variability that is epigenetic in nature, relies on direct or indirect autostimulation of pivotal transcription factors, and is observed in various bacterial systems.
The authors review the fundamental roles of N6-methyl-adenine in bacteria. In γ-proteobacteria, Dam methylation facilitates DNA–protein interactions involved in chromosome segregation, mismatch repair, transposition, and the epigenetic control of gene expression. In α-proteobacteria, the CcrM methylase is an important cell-cycle regulator.
Crude-oil spills pose particular environmental challenges, and we have only recently begun to garner information on microbial involvement in hydrocarbon degradation in marine environments. Here, the bacteria involved, their environmental distribution and dynamics, and the positive and negative effects of environmental conditions and interactions with other organisms are explored.
Schmitt and Breinig review the biology of virus-carrying killer yeasts, which produce secreted toxins with antimycotic activity. Viral toxin protein generation, intracellular processing and modes of action are described. The authors present a model explaining how killer yeast strains remain immune to their lethal cargo.
Quorum sensing is a bacterial cell-to-cell communication process that involves secreted chemical-signalling molecules. Laurent Keller and Michael Surette discuss quorum sensing and cell?cell communication from an evolutionary and ecological perspective, and reveal that the nature of the interactions goes beyond simple cooperative communication.
Given the increasing problems posed by antibiotic resistance, there is keen interest in alternative strategies. Here, James Paton and colleagues review recent progress made in one such alternative strategy — creating recombinant receptor-mimic probiotics for the treatment and prevention of enteric infections.
For some prion diseases, accumulation of the disease agent in lymphoid tissues is required for efficient delivery of the agent to the central nervous system. Here, Mabbott and MacPherson discuss the cellular components and mechanisms involved before, during and after this accumulation.
In recent years, the question of whether microbial life exhibits biogeographical patterns has come under increased scrutiny. In this article, leading scientists in the field review the biogeography of microorganisms and provide a framework for assessing the impact of environmental and historical processes that contribute to microbial biodiversity.
The need for a balance between pathogen elimination and protection from cellular damage means that the central nervous system (CNS) is a partially protected niche that some pathogens can exploit. Here, the authors discuss the immune regulation of acute and persistent CNS infection by coronaviruses, using mouse hepatitis virus as a model.
Many bacteria hijack the cellular actin machinery to move both within and between host cells. Recent studies have revealed differing mechanisms of bacterial actin-based motility, with some genera mimicking a cellular nucleation-promoting factor and others activating WASP proteins to induce actin polymerization. Stevenset al.review the latest developments in these different strategies.
Although traditional descriptions of the bacterial life cycle include just three phases, two additional phases, death phase and long-term stationary phase (LTSP), appear when batch cultures are incubated for longer periods of time. Here, Steve Finkel discusses the GASP phenotype, which confers a competitive ability to LTSP cells.
Recently solved tertiary structures of partition proteins provide important insights into segrosome organization and assembly. Hayes and Barillà review recent advances in our understanding of the bacterial segrosome and plasmid partitioning, including the organization of partition modules, segrosome assembly and plasmid trafficking.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are extensively used in the food and chemical industries. Here, Bas Teusink and Eddy Smid discuss how global metabolic modelling approaches, encompassing metabolic engineering, functional genomics and mathematical analysis, can be applied to optimize the industrial applications of LAB.
