Review Articles in 2012

Autotransporters are a superfamily of proteins that were thought to contain all of the functional elements required for their delivery, via the type V secretion pathway, to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. In this Review, Leyton, Rossiter and Henderson describe how recent studies have challenged the perceived simplicity of this secretion pathway.

The bacterial signalling nucleotide ppGpp is known to regulate promoter selection by RNA polymerase to direct the response to stress. Here, Dalebroux and Swanson look at other ways in which ppGpp helps bacteria to alter their physiology in order to accommodate fluctuating nutrient supplies and environmental stresses.

Interactions between the pathogenic neisseriae (Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis) and neutrophils are central to the progression of both gonorrhoea and meningococcal meningitis. Here, Criss and Seifert review these interactions and propose a model in which this relationship promotes, rather than blocks, the infection cycle.

Production of viral progeny requires the coordination of a series of events. In this Review, Patton and colleagues examine structural insights into how regulation of the life cycle of rotaviruses and otherReoviridaefamily members is coupled with the assembly and disassembly of the viral particle.

Synthetic biology approaches for thede novodesign of biosynthetic pathways have developed rapidly in recent years. Takano and colleagues describe the latest computational tools available and discuss how they can be applied now and further developed for future synthetic biology efforts.

Justin Radolf and colleagues summarize our accumulated knowledge of the molecular biology and virulence ofBorrelia burgdorferi, and its interactions with the arthropod vector and mammalian hosts.