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In this Review, Roy and Cherfils discuss the structures and functions of Fic proteins, focusing on how Fic proteins from bacterial pathogens mediate post-translational modifications of host cell proteins.
During recurrent staphylococcal infections,Staphylococcus aureususes several strategies to evade detection by the host immune system. In this Review, Schneewind and colleagues describe the staphylococcal factors that manipulate innate and adaptive immune responses through inhibition, modification and phagocyte destruction.
For transmission from mammalian host to mosquito vector, blood-stage malaria parasites must convert from an asexual form to the sexual gametocyte through a process known as gametocytogenesis. In this Review, Josling and Llinás discuss recent studies that have begun to elucidate the molecular basis of this process, in particular the factors involved in commitment to gametocytogenesis.
In this Review, Lemon and colleagues describe the interactions of the RNA genome of hepatitis C virus with various host proteins and microRNAs. They discuss how these interactions affect viral RNA synthesis and decay, and how they influence the long-term persistence of the virus.
In this Review, Sourjik and Typas describe the principles of protein–protein interaction networks and the current experimental approaches used to probe these networks in bacteria. They consider how these techniques have led to an increased understanding of the chemotaxis and cell cycle networks inEscherichia coli, highlighting the applicability of such methods to understanding diverse bacterial processes.
Following host cell invasion, many bacterial and parasitic pathogens hide from the immune system in an intracellular vacuolar niche. In this Opinion article, Mota and colleagues discuss how these 'professional' vacuolar pathogens can remain susceptible to recognition and clearance by the host.
In this Review, Campbell and Hope describe the interactions between the HIV-1 capsid core and several cellular factors that enable efficient HIV-1 genome replication, timely core disassembly, nuclear import and viral integration into the genome of the target cell.
Phenotypic heterogeneity is a ubiquitous feature of microbial communities, even within groups of genetically identical cells. In this Review, Martin Ackermann describes the molecular mechanisms that lead to phenotypic heterogeneity and discusses how heterogeneity can increase survival and productivity of microbial populations.
Microorganisms produce a wealth of structurally diverse specialized metabolites with great potential for use in medicine and agriculture. In this Review, Rutledge and Challis provide an overview of the approaches that are available to identify and activate cryptic microbial biosynthetic gene clusters, which represent an untapped reservoir of useful metabolites.
In this article, Eric Freed reviews recent progress in elucidating the steps involved in HIV-1 assembly, release and maturation, highlighting how these events are orchestrated by the viral Gag precursor protein and how this information is being used to develop novel anti-HIV-1 therapeutics.
In this Review, Lee and colleagues describe the mechanism of fusion between virus and host cell membranes that occurs during enveloped virus entry and discuss how broad-spectrum antivirals can target this process to prevent viral infection.
In this Opinion article, López-Garcíaet al. describe recent archaeal phylogenomic data relating to the massive acquisition of bacterial genes by horizontal gene transfer. They argue that the findings presented suggest that the import of these bacterial genes was crucial for the adaptation of archaea to mesophilic lifestyles.
HIV-1 infection typically results from the transmission of a single viral variant, the transmitted/founder (T/F) virus. In this Review, Joseph and colleagues discuss how studying these T/F viruses contributes to a better understanding of HIV-1 transmission and affects prevention strategies.
Viral apoptotic mimicry, defined by the exposure of phosphatidylserine on the pathogen surface, is emerging as a common theme used by enveloped viruses to promote infection. In this Progress article, Amara and Mercer discuss how viruses acquire phosphatidylserine and how this mimicry might facilitate cell entry and evasion of the immune response.
In this Opinion article, James Prosser considers the conceptual limitations of metagenomics and metatranscriptomics in contributing to our understanding of soil microbial ecology, and also explores potential opportunities for using these techniques to address specific ecological questions.
Crabb and colleagues discuss the molecular genetics systems that are currently available forPlasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei, including conditional systems and gene editing tools, and examine the insights that have been gained into the function of genes that are important during the blood stages of the parasites.
In this Review, Waksman and colleagues describe the structural and mechanistic details of the six secretion systems (types I–VI) of Gram-negative bacteria, the unique mycobacterial type VII secretion system, the chaperone–usher pathway and the curli biogenesis machinery. They discuss both conserved and divergent properties of these systems and their potential as targets of novel antibacterial compounds.
The archaeal genome is organized by either eukaryotic-like histone proteins or bacterial-like architectural proteins. Dame and colleagues discuss the interplay between chromatin proteins and components of the basal and regulatory transcription machinery, and describe how these factors cooperate in nucleoid structuring and gene regulation.
Chemical dispersants are routinely applied during oil spills in marine ecosystems, yet little is known about how they affect microbial communities. Here, Joye and colleagues explore how dispersants affect the composition and activity of microbial communities and discuss crucial knowledge gaps that should guide future research efforts.
In this Review, Huttenhower and colleagues discuss how integrating multi-omic data types — including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics — enables a better characterization of the composition and function of human-associated and environmental microbial communities.
