Trends in Microbiology
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
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Posts by Shankar Iyer, editor of Trends in Microbiology.
pinned post!
The September issue is live now! With the cover image depicting diet-pathobiont interplay in health and inflammatory bowel disease. We also kickstart our series on 'Scientific mobility in microbiology'. Read the full issue here:
www.cell.com/issue/S0966-...
4 months ago
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Emerging roles of lipids in the flavivirus life cycle
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Emerging roles of lipids in the flavivirus life cycle
Flaviviruses, such as Dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus, cause a significant global health burden and have earned attention as high-pandemic risk pathogens. Flaviviruses interact closely with cell membranes at every stage of their life cycle, and mounting evidence demonstrates that flaviviruses rely on specific lipids and lipid-remodeling proteins, presenting potential therapeutic opportunities for targeting the hostâs lipid metabolism. Our understanding of lipid function in infection has expanded considerably in recent years, partly thanks to advances in lipidomics, cryo-electron tomography, lipid-based chemical tools, and biophysical characterization techniques. In this review, we highlight recent breakthroughs that have clarified flavivirus lipid requirements and functions, as well as ongoing technological advances in the virusâlipid interaction field, which are poised to enable the next wave of discoveries.
http://dlvr.it/TQGmxq
3 days ago
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Deep-learning dive into the antimicrobial potential of Archaea
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Deep-learning dive into the antimicrobial potential of Archaea
The global burden of antimicrobial resistance demands the urgent development of new antibiotics. To face this threat, Torres et al. leveraged deep-learning models to identify archaeal encrypted peptides (termed âarchaeasinsâ) with potential antimicrobial activity. This work highlights Archaea as an underexplored but potentially rich source of antibiotics.
http://dlvr.it/TQCwFW
6 days ago
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Multiscale imaging of RNA virus: bridging structural mapping and functional insights
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Multiscale imaging of RNA virus: bridging structural mapping and functional insights
RNA viruses, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, pose a significant threat to global health. Their rapid mutation and host adaptability highlight the need for advanced tools for efficient viral studies and timely countermeasure development. Imaging technologies, such as cryo-electron microscopy and super-resolution microscopy, have been pivotal in advancing our understanding of viral structures, infection mechanisms, and virusâhost interactions. However, each technique has limitations in the field of view or resolution. Recent advancements have focused on developing integrated multiscale imaging to better understand RNA virus pathogenesis. In this review, we examine recent progress in RNA virus imaging across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales, including cryo-electron tomography and correlative multiscale imaging, which link structural mapping with functional insights.
http://dlvr.it/TQClgv
6 days ago
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Uncovering the hidden risks of microplastics in the food chain
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Uncovering the hidden risks of microplastics in the food chain
Microplastics pose hidden risks to the food chain by acting as vehicles for microbial colonization. The plastisphere may facilitate pathogen transfer through seafood, agricultural products, and food processing, raising major concerns for food safety. Standardized methodologies, stronger regulations, and further research are urgently needed to address these emerging risks.
http://dlvr.it/TQBdBg
7 days ago
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More than just membranes: membrane contact sites as crossroads for infections
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More than just membranes: membrane contact sites as crossroads for infections
Membrane contact sites (MCSs), tethering zones between organelles, have emerged as critical hubs for regulating cellular metabolism, homeostasis, and immune responses. Recent discoveries reveal that a wide range of intracellular pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, exploit MCSs to establish and maintain their replicative niches within host cells. By co-opting the host MCS machinery, these pathogens create specialized interfaces between their vacuoles, replication complexes, or cytosolic domains and host organelles, enabling nutrient acquisition, immune evasion, and spatial signaling. This review highlights how intracellular pathogens, such as Salmonella and others, subvert MCS architecture and function. Furthermore, emerging concepts and tools in the study of pathogenâMCS interactions are discussed, along with how these insights influence the development of host-directed therapies against infectious diseases.
http://dlvr.it/TPzbsZ
21 days ago
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Studying low-dose antibiotic effects on the gut microbiome
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Studying low-dose antibiotic effects on the gut microbiome
Antibiotics at sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs), which are commonly present in food and the environment, can reach the human gut microbiome and silently disrupt the balance of microbes, contributing to the emergence and persistence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The gastrointestinal (GI) tract presents spatially heterogeneous antibiotic exposures, making it challenging to assess their full impact with conventional experimental approaches. Although in vitro and in vivo models provide some insight, they often lack physiological relevance or scalability. This highlights the need to reconsider the criteria used to determine âsafeâ upper concentration limits in food, as current standards may underestimate the risks of sub-MIC exposures. Therefore, better integrative modeling approaches are essential to uncover hidden drivers of resistance and guide effective interventions.
http://dlvr.it/TPv8k3
26 days ago
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Paradigms for microbiome analysis in infectious and non-communicable diseases
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Paradigms for microbiome analysis in infectious and non-communicable diseases
Next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics paved the way in deciphering the human gut microbiome and challenged fundamental postulates on the causal role of the microbiota for health and pathogenesis of infectious and noncommunicable diseases. To exploit the clinical relevance and potential of microbiome diagnostics and therapy, deep metagenomic sequencing with standardized, validated laboratory procedures, aiming at deciphering the microbiome at strain level and applying index-scores to allow classification of individual microbiomes as dysbiotic (associated with disease) or eubiotic (associated with health) should be implemented. By this means, metagenomically informed therapies with live biotherapeutic products, fecal microbiota transfer, pro-, pre-, or postbiotics might become a standard in personalized prevention and treatment of infectious and non-communicable diseases.
http://dlvr.it/TPt49S
27 days ago
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Powassan virus
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Powassan virus
Powassan virus (POWV) was first isolated in 1958 from a child with a fatal case of encephalitis in Powassan, Ontario, Canada. POWV is an enveloped Orthoflavivirus with a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA of 11kb. Its genome encodes a single polyprotein that is cleaved into three structural (Capsid, pre-Membrane, and Envelope) and seven nonstructural proteins (NS1, NS2a, NS2b, NS3, NS4a, NS4b, and NS5). Although not as well studied, extrapolations from closely related Orthoflaviviruses, including West Nile and dengue, have contributed to our understanding of POWV replication.
http://dlvr.it/TPpKwK
about 1 month ago
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Producing Trojans: hijacking of monocyte differentiation by pathogens
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Producing Trojans: hijacking of monocyte differentiation by pathogens
Pathogens can exploit the plasticity of host immune cells, such as the pathway of monocyte differentiation into macrophages and dendritic cells. This review discusses how microbial pathogens hijack the monocyte fate and reprogram macrophages to establish infection, evade immune surveillance, and persist within the host. Viruses such as HIV and cytomegalovirus (CMV) rewire host sentinel cells through modulation of transcriptional networks, cytokine signaling cascades, and autophagic pathways. Bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella enterica, or Bordetella pertussis create safe replication niches by disrupting monocyte differentiation. Fungal pathogens expand this repertoire by leveraging cytokine modulation and phenotypic reprogramming to subvert host innate and pathogen-specific immune responses. We highlight here the newly emerging molecular mechanisms of monocyte reprogramming towards pathogen survival and transmission.
http://dlvr.it/TPnZMb
about 1 month ago
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Alteromonas macleodii
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Alteromonas macleodii
The heterotrophic bacterium Alteromonas macleodii is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium with a single flagellum. This aerobic species was originally described in 1972 after being isolated from the coastal waters of Hawaii, USA. Since then, it has been found throughout temperate and tropical oceans and can be free-living or attached to substrates, including other organisms. All A. macleodii strains are copiotrophs with diverse metabolic and sensory capabilities. Furthermore, A. macleodii is a common and persistent âweedâ in laboratory phytoplankton cultures and has been suggested as a model system for studying phytoplanktonâheterotroph interactions.
http://dlvr.it/TPlSDp
about 1 month ago
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From global to local: rethinking the design of probiotic intervention strategies
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From global to local: rethinking the design of probiotic intervention strategies
The human microbiome plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and influencing disease development, yet its composition varies across geography, age, and lifestyle. These differences challenge the efficacy of universal probiotic treatments and call for more personalized or regionally adapted approaches. In this review we examine the limitations of universal probiotics, emphasizing the importance of considering hostâmicrobe co-adaptation, local dietary practices, and ecological context. We argue that probiotic design must account for microbial diversity, strain-level adaptation, and functional redundancy, and we explore how these factors affect colonization success and therapeutic potential. Finally, we discuss ways to re-center microbiome knowledge within diverse ecological, cultural, and epistemic traditions for a global, inclusive approach allowing for microbiome-targeted therapies that are both effective and accessible.
http://dlvr.it/TPdqB4
about 1 month ago
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Cellular and viral RNA polymerases: evolutionary insights into eukaryotic origins
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Cellular and viral RNA polymerases: evolutionary insights into eukaryotic origins
Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) encode multi-subunit RNA polymerases (msRNAPs) that challenge conventional views of viral evolution. Phylogenetic and structural studies reveal that NCLDV RNAP catalytic cores share deep evolutionary roots with eukaryotic counterparts, implicating ancient gene transfers that shaped the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA), underscoring NCLDVsâ pivotal role in eukaryotic origins. NCLDV RNAP retains the fundamental architecture of cellular RNAPs while evolving and adapting for viral gene regulation. This review summarizes structural and functional divergences between viral and cellular RNAPs, synthesizes evidence for virus-driven RNAP evolution, and evaluates emerging hypotheses of viral eukaryogenesis. Viewing viruses as evolutionary collaborators offers new insights into RNAP adaptability and bridges virology, evolutionary biology, and synthetic biology across diverse biological contexts.
http://dlvr.it/TPdfhL
about 1 month ago
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Opportunities and challenges in applying microbiota to clinical cancer immunotherapy
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Opportunities and challenges in applying microbiota to clinical cancer immunotherapy
Fundamental research has elucidated the indispensable role of gut microbiota in modulating cancer immunotherapy efficacy. Despite promising preclinical findings, few related approaches have reached clinical trials. In this opinion, we provide insights based on current clinical trials using fecal microbiota transplant or specific bacterial strains as adjuvants to enhance immune checkpoint blockade therapy. We also systematically analyze the challenges in trial design, with a focus on donor selection, patient enrollment, implantation procedures, antibiotic use, safety assessment, and endpoint evaluation. Moving forward, we offer a comprehensive â4Dâ framework (diversity, diffusion, depth, and delicacy) for accelerating the bench-to-bedside translation. It is hoped that this opinion will help researchers and clinicians aiming to harness microbiome-based strategies to improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes.
http://dlvr.it/TPcgFh
about 1 month ago
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Collateral sensitivity and genetic vulnerability of antibiotic resistance
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Collateral sensitivity and genetic vulnerability of antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic combination therapy has a critical role in limiting emergent antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens. Collateral sensitivity (CS), resistance to one antibiotic that is inextricable from sensitivity to another antibiotic, presents an opportunity for combinations explicitly selecting against resistance. Complementing efforts to select against resistance, differential genetic vulnerability mapping unravels dependencies unique for resistant strains. In this review, we discuss the potential implications of CS and genetic vulnerability data for the design of bespoke antibiotic combinations, drug discovery, and tracking evolution of resistant strains.
http://dlvr.it/TPbKqR
about 1 month ago
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From feedbacks to functional teams in the rhizosphere
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From feedbacks to functional teams in the rhizosphere
Johnson and MarĂnâs paper presents functional team selection (FTS) as a major conceptual advance in plantâmicrobiome ecology. FTS explains how limiting resources and/or stress selects cooperative microbial teams that promote plant adaptation, integrating ecological feedback and evolutionary selection to predict when and where resilient plantâmicrobiome partnerships will arise.
http://dlvr.it/TPXPVj
about 2 months ago
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Friend or foe? Contextualizing Bacteroides through the lens of niche remodeling
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Friend or foe? Contextualizing Bacteroides through the lens of niche remodeling
The genus Bacteroides comprises canonical commensals of the gastrointestinal microbiota that maintain intestinal homeostasis and contribute to host health. Yet, emergent evidence has revealed that these same bacteria can also increase host susceptibility to infectious and noninfectious diseases, as well as directly drive intestinal inflammatory pathology. In this review we reconcile this duality with the paradigm that Bacteroidesâ pathogenic potential scales with the degree to which it remodels its intestinal niches. Understanding the molecular and ecological mechanisms underlying this niche remodeling is essential to defining when Bacteroides acts as friend or foe. This review highlights recent advances that illuminate these context-dependent behaviors and their implications for gut health and disease.
http://dlvr.it/TPWpZn
about 2 months ago
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Type I interferons in tuberculosis pathogenesis and prevention
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Type I interferons in tuberculosis pathogenesis and prevention
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains an epidemiological concern due to heterogeneous outcomes in tuberculosis (TB) pathology and the lack of mechanistic understanding of early immune events. Type I interferons (IFNs) in TB are generally described as pathological. However, evidence also suggests a protective role in vaccination and adjunctive to chemotherapy. Understanding Type I IFN signaling in Mtbâhost interactions is therefore critical as it is among the earliest signatures of progressive infection. Crosstalk between Type I and II IFN signaling during TB may also be key to disease outcome. This review explores our current understanding of the role of Type I IFNs in Mtb infection and vaccination and offers the IFN type switching model, among others, to explain the duality of IFNs' function in TB.
http://dlvr.it/TPWhDK
about 2 months ago
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Engagement and justice considerations in mitigation of antimicrobial resistance
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Engagement and justice considerations in mitigation of antimicrobial resistance
We are delighted by the response by Dobreva et al. to our original article, and by the detail they provide about the methods used to try and ensure epistemic justice in the WHO antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research priority setting process [1]. That regardless of the efforts made, the process still led to over-representation from the global North, as the authors themselves concluded, is evidence of the complexity of ensuring epistemic justice in relation to AMR [2].
http://dlvr.it/TPVt7x
about 2 months ago
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Vibrio natriegens
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Vibrio natriegens
Vibrio natriegens is a Gram-negative, halophilic member of the Harveyi clade and Vibrio core group that inhabits marine and estuarine coastal waters and sediments. While generally considered nonpathogenic, this species shares this clade with serious human pathogens (e.g., Vibrio parahaemolyticus) and aquatic animal pathogens (e.g., Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio campbelllii, and Vibrio alginolyticus). Although it was discovered more than 65 years ago, most of our knowledge regarding this bacterium has been generated in the past decade.
http://dlvr.it/TPVlYS
about 2 months ago
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PilY proteins: bimodular drivers of type IV pilus versatility
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PilY proteins: bimodular drivers of type IV pilus versatility
Type IV pili (T4P) are dynamic surface fibers that mediate diverse bacterial activities, including adhesion, twitching motility, horizontal gene transfer, biofilm formation, and virulence. The PilY family of T4P-associated proteins are found across a wide range of bacterial species and are critical for key T4P functions. PilY proteins are characterized by a shared domain architecture which consists of a variable N-terminal region that mediates adhesion and a conserved C-terminal beta-propeller domain that facilitates pilus biogenesis. Given their surface exposure and roles in virulence, PilY family proteins represent an attractive target for novel therapeutic interventions, including small-molecule antivirulence therapies against pathogenic bacteria and potential as vaccine antigens. This review synthesizes our current understanding of PilY structure, localization, function, and evolutionary relationships across T4P systems.
http://dlvr.it/TPTw17
about 2 months ago
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Microbial rhythms â a new target to promote health?
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Microbial rhythms â a new target to promote health?
Daily dynamics in the composition and function of the human gut microbiota have been recognized since 2014, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these rhythms and their impact on human health remain unclear. Disrupted microbial oscillations are increasingly linked to metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to inflammatory conditions in the gut and beyond. We propose advancing from observational studies to experimentally targeting microbial rhythms and clocks to uncover causal relationships. In vivo and in vitro models offer opportunities to uncover how signaling cues and dietary patterns influence microbial oscillations and, in turn, host metabolic and immune functions. Manipulating microbial rhythmicity independent of host physiology represents a new frontier for microbiota-based strategies to promote health and prevent diseases.
http://dlvr.it/TPTmRM
about 2 months ago
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Advancing equity in antimicrobial resistance research and policy
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Advancing equity in antimicrobial resistance research and policy
The recent article 'Tracing epistemic injustice in global antimicrobial resistance research' reasons that injustices in setting global research priorities â that is, who produces and uses antimicrobial resistance (AMR) knowledge, and valuing certain types of knowledge â have created âblind spotsâ in research and policy on AMR [1]. Research and interventions relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been underprioritised, even though more than half of the 92 million people whose lives could be saved by 2050 through improved access to antibiotics and health care are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia [2].
http://dlvr.it/TPK8CS
about 2 months ago
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Localized glutamine leakage shapes root microbiome
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Localized glutamine leakage shapes root microbiome
Root exudates are vital for guiding microbial dynamics in the rhizosphere. Nevertheless, the key component in root exudates responsible for defining the root microbiome has remained obscure. Tsai et al. recently offered insights into how Casparian strips prevent glutamine leakage from the vasculature, thereby shaping the root microbiome.
http://dlvr.it/TPDdSK
2 months ago
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Mycorrhizal networks transfer jasmonic acid to recruit pathogen-suppressors
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Mycorrhizal networks transfer jasmonic acid to recruit pathogen-suppressors
Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) formed by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interconnect neighbouring plants. New evidence from Zhang et al. demonstrates that CMNs transfer jasmonic acid from necrotrophic pathogen-infected to uninfected tomato plants, priming defence responses and recruiting disease-suppressive bacteria. These findings establish a key mechanistic link underlying CMN-mediated plant defence communication.
http://dlvr.it/TPChZL
2 months ago
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The pig that could save us: swine models in respiratory infections
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The pig that could save us: swine models in respiratory infections
Respiratory infections kill millions and overwhelm the healthcare systems worldwide. Swine are powerful allies in this fight. They provide practical, human-like platforms to study pathogens, test vaccines/therapies, and strengthen pandemic readiness. Pig models, with the advent of genetic engineering tools, are closing translational gaps and revealing mechanisms that guide interventions effectively.
http://dlvr.it/TPCXZ6
2 months ago
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The hitchhikerâs guide to cross-species DNA delivery
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The hitchhikerâs guide to cross-species DNA delivery
Microbial hitchhikers are rewriting the rules of horizontal gene transfer. He, Patkowski, et al. reveal how phage satellites assemble chimeric infective particles that deliver DNA across species boundaries through âtail piracyâ. This discovery reframes microbial innovation and provides a blueprint for next-generation biotechnologies, achieving what phage engineering has long pursued.
http://dlvr.it/TP8l5z
2 months ago
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Toward a Yanomami framework for ethical microbiome research
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Toward a Yanomami framework for ethical microbiome research
This paper proposes an ethical framework for microbiome research with the Yanomami, an Indigenous Amazonian people, grounded in collaboration, reciprocity, and relational accountability. Key elements include dedicated funding for community-identified initiatives, sustained community-led ethical oversight, and meaningful benefit-sharing. This approach fosters trust and supports equitable, culturally aligned, and sustainable research collaboration.
http://dlvr.it/TP7vjt
2 months ago
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PurFect timing: revisiting purine metabolism for tuberculosis treatment
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PurFect timing: revisiting purine metabolism for tuberculosis treatment
Eradication of tuberculosis requires new drugs targeting novel pathways. Although purine metabolism represents an essential antitubercular target, concerns about host nucleobase rescue limited its exploration. New data demonstrate that nucleobase levels in human lung tissue are insufficient to confer rescue, renewing interest in this pathway for tuberculosis drug discovery.
http://dlvr.it/TP6wq5
2 months ago
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Tackling the active antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soils
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Tackling the active antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soils
Soils are critical reservoirs of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), serving as interfaces among human, animal, plant, and environmental microbiomes. While many studies have profiled soil ARGs, most rely on DNA-based methods that cannot distinguish total from metabolically active ARB, limiting risk assessment and mitigation. This review outlines soil ARG sources, their mobility, and potential transmission to plants and the food chain. We highlight advances in community- and single-cell-level approaches for characterizing active ARB and explore emerging mitigation strategies such as advanced waste treatment and bioremediation. This review aims to bridge the gap between ARG pollution and its risk mitigation, contributing to a comprehensive framework for tackling active ARB in soils.
http://dlvr.it/TP6lzG
2 months ago
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Methanobrevibacter smithii
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Methanobrevibacter smithii
Methanobrevibacter smithii is one of the most prevalent and worldwide distributed archaea in the human gut. M. smithii is a strict anaerobe that obtains its energy through methanogenesis. In culture, it reduces CO2 to methane (CH4) using H2 as electron donor (i.e., CO2-reducing hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis) and to a lower extent, formate. Other potential methanogenic substrates, methanol and ethanol, are not used in culture, but genes involved in their utilization are upregulated when colonizing the mouse intestine.
http://dlvr.it/TP0ZZk
2 months ago
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Argentine microbiology: between scientific legacy and systemic fragility
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Argentine microbiology: between scientific legacy and systemic fragility
Argentinaâs microbiology, born from 19th-century public health challenges, built enduring institutions and contributed globally to the fight against infectious diseases, to agriculture, and to biotechnology. Yet chronic underfunding, political instability, and policy discontinuity have undermined progress. Revitalization requires a sustained strategy that fosters investment and collaboration, transforming historical strengths into lasting scientific and societal development.
http://dlvr.it/TP0Qg6
2 months ago
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Revisiting the order Nitrospirales: phylogeny, habitat range, metabolism
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Revisiting the order Nitrospirales: phylogeny, habitat range, metabolism
Nitrification is a key process in the nitrogen cycle performed by several functional groups of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms. The order Nitrospirales plays a central role in this process. Comprehensive genomic analysis conducted by Kop et al. revealed unexplored phylogenetic diversity, habitat range, and metabolic versatility within the order Nitrospirales.
http://dlvr.it/TNzYGF
2 months ago
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Cellulose biosynthesis and function in Streptomyces
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Cellulose biosynthesis and function in Streptomyces
Cellulose, a ubiquitous polysaccharide with critical roles in life, provides structural integrity to cells in plants and aids biofilm formation in many bacteria. Although bacterial cellulose biosynthesis is well studied in certain groups, its diversity in other lineages remains underexplored. Recent insights from filamentous streptomycetes reveal that cellulose is directly incorporated into the cell wall at growing tips, likely protecting hyphae during growth. This review examines cellulose biosynthesis, regulation, and secretion mechanisms in Streptomyces, and highlights how its structural organization supports distinct cellular functions. We also discuss the evolutionary context of this system. Together, these insights broaden our understanding of bacterial cellulose diversity and suggest that cellulose biosynthesis has evolved convergently to support different lifestyles, growth modes, and morphogenetic strategies.
http://dlvr.it/TNzN3V
3 months ago
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Kiwa antiviral system: a membrane-embedded defense against phage
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Kiwa antiviral system: a membrane-embedded defense against phage
Bacteria and viruses have coevolved for billions of years. Recently, Zhang et al. identified the Kiwa defense system as a membrane-embedded sensor that detects early phage invasion and coordinates antiviral response; it collaborates with RecBCD to neutralize phage inhibitors, illustrating how prokaryotic immunity networks employ redundancy and versatility against evolving threats.
http://dlvr.it/TNyRrc
3 months ago
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From structure to immunity: how skin shapes age-related vulnerability to Chikungunya virus infections
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From structure to immunity: how skin shapes age-related vulnerability to Chikungunya virus infections
Arboviral diseases are resurging globally, with Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) demonstrating a troubling capacity for large-scale outbreaks. In 2024, CHIKV re-emerged in RĂ©union Island with 47 500 cases and 12 deaths reported by May 2025. Notably, infants and the elderly were disproportionately affected, two age groups with distinct and underexplored vulnerabilities in immune defense, particularly at the skin. As the skin is the primary site of CHIKV inoculation and a key immunological barrier, age-dependent changes in the skin likely influence infection outcomes. Yet, it remains an overlooked target for intervention. This review explores how developmental and aging-associated alterations in the skinâs structure, immune composition, and the microbiome shape arboviral pathogenesis, with a particular emphasis on CHIKV, and guides research toward age-tailored interventions for vulnerable populations.
http://dlvr.it/TNyH4x
3 months ago
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Mangrove microbiomes as hidden ecological gatekeepers
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Mangrove microbiomes as hidden ecological gatekeepers
Mangroves are known worldwide but their concealed network of microbiomes is poorly understood. Huang et al., on genomic indicators, Siblos and Tabugo's 16S rRNA sequencing of the mangrove microbiome, and Dechavez et al.âs culture-dependent survey collectively highlight the ecological significance of mangroves, their conservation potential, and their role as key ecological gatekeepers.
http://dlvr.it/TNxMSW
3 months ago
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On target: antibodies against the neuraminidase active site
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On target: antibodies against the neuraminidase active site
While often overlooked in studies of influenza antibody responses, the virally encoded neuraminidase (NA) is emerging as an attractive vaccine target due to its comparably high sequence conservation. Recent studies by Jo et al., Lederhofer et al., and Lv et al. reveal a common theme of receptor mimicry mediated by structurally convergent antibodies.
http://dlvr.it/TNxCBx
3 months ago
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Unraveling microbiome integration in soil transplant
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Unraveling microbiome integration in soil transplant
Little is known about the processes that drive microbial community merging and development in transplanted soils. A recent study by Causevic et al. disentangled the relative contribution of habitat filtering and microbiota taxa origin in shaping transplant outcomes, providing valuable insights for advancing microbial engineering.
http://dlvr.it/TNqbDY
3 months ago
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Saccharolobus islandicus
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Saccharolobus islandicus
Saccharolobus islandicus (f. Sulfolobus islandicus) is a hyperthermophilic archaeon frequently isolated from oxic hot spring waters and sediments at 59â91°C and pH 2â4. It grows aerobically with a doubling time of 6â10 h under laboratory conditions (optimal: 76â78°C and pH 3â3.5) and forms single colonies on gelrite- or phytagel-solidified media. As a heterotrophic organism, S. islandicus exhibits broad metabolic versatility, owing to numerous transport systems encoded in its genome, which facilitate the uptake of diverse carbon and organic nitrogen sources.
http://dlvr.it/TNfgQZ
3 months ago
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How should health researchers advance health equity?
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How should health researchers advance health equity?
This commentary outlines ways in which health researchers can advance health equity. We focus on often-overlooked areas, including identifying context-specific drivers of inequity, carefully selecting research questions and priorities, engaging stakeholders, including those whose voices are seldom heard, improving diversity and inclusiveness among study participants, and using equity-oriented study designs.
http://dlvr.it/TNZnqn
3 months ago
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Navigating trust and science: microbiome research in the Amazon
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Navigating trust and science: microbiome research in the Amazon
Including Indigenous Peoples in microbiome research is both a scientific imperative and an ethical responsibility. Our long-standing partnership with the Matsés Peoples from the Peruvian Amazon provided scientific insights in microbial profiles that have coevolved with humans, studies only possible via trust-based ethical partnerships. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is essential to navigate mistrust rooted in historical injustices. We present our experience implementing culturally informed protocols and equitable benefit-sharing as cornerstones of respectful, inclusive microbiome research with Peruvian Indigenous Peoples. This approach fosters sustainable research partnerships grounded in reciprocal trust and mutual benefit.
http://dlvr.it/TNYpvb
3 months ago
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Working together to tackle fungal disease across Latin America
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Working together to tackle fungal disease across Latin America
Fungal infections are a major contributor to human infectious diseases. To address this in Latin America, international groups formed the Fungal Disease Interest Group (FDIG). At the Brazil conference of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycoses (ISHAM), FDIG hosted a forum highlighting key challenges and priorities to advance fungal disease research, education, and public health across the region.
http://dlvr.it/TNYfGQ
3 months ago
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reposted by
Trends in Microbiology
Laura Meredith
4 months ago
Microbial traits for volatile production and consumption are diverse and consequential. Here's why they are ripe for interpretation through a trait-based lens... Led by UA PhD students Ledford and Geffre
@parkergeffre.bsky.social
in collab w/ LBNL team
@elbrodie.bsky.social
Marschmann Karaoz
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Trends in Microbiology
Ăkos T KovĂĄcs
4 months ago
Volatile traits expand the microbial playbook
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
Opinion from
@laurameredith.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Volatile traits expand the microbial playbook
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Volatile traits expand the microbial playbook
Microbial metabolic functions are increasingly conceptualized as fitness-regulating traits. However, volatile compounds (the volatilome), despite their key roles in metabolism and ecology, are often overlooked in trait-based frameworks. We propose that volatile traits not only reflect ecological strategies but also shape them by mediating responses to selection pressures. Their volatility affects diffusion, substrate access, and interactions across space, conferring selective advantages as resources or waste products. We outline approaches to incorporate volatile traits into predictive models to improve understanding of microbial selection and community dynamics. This integration enables a more holistic view of microbial life by accounting for the ecological and evolutionary consequences of volatile-mediated processes.
http://dlvr.it/TN0jlj
4 months ago
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reposted by
Trends in Microbiology
Eliza Loo
4 months ago
I was recently interviewed by
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
for their Scientific Mobility series. I hope my 2 cents helped with your mobility ;)
www.cell.com/trends/micro...
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Scientific mobility in microbiology â 9
Eliza Loo
https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(25)00253-7
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Scientific mobility in microbiology â 10
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Scientific mobility in microbiology â 10
Darshak K. Bhatt
http://dlvr.it/TMzMYP
4 months ago
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Editorial for our upcoming spl. issue on geographic diversity in microbiology:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lizt,L%7E...
Considering the health implications of fields such as microbiome science & infectious disease surveillance, understanding global disparities helps foster globally inclusive research.
4 months ago
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Phage therapy in finfish aquaculture: how to get there?
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Phage therapy in finfish aquaculture: how to get there?
As antimicrobial resistance threatens the future of the aquaculture industry, numerous studies have investigated the use of phages against aquaculture diseases over the past decades. Despite reports of efficient pathogen control, commercial phage solutions are sparse. We discuss limitations of phage therapy and provide suggestions for the progression towards commercially viable solutions. We argue that phage therapy in aquaculture should focus on disease prevention rather than on treatment to reduce the need for antimicrobials. Further, the phage-delivery methods should target the variable pathogen distribution throughout the production chain. Finally, the key challenges of host-specificity and resistance should be tackled by developing predictive tools that can be used to assess phageâpathogen compatibility within a realistic timeframe.
http://dlvr.it/TMyP60
4 months ago
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reposted by
Trends in Microbiology
LuĂs M. Silva
4 months ago
Just wrote a lil piece for
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
about my experience moving for science: problems and solutions đđ§Ș𧫠Curious? Check it below đ & check this series for other experiences - a great initiative đ
#AcademicSky
#MicroSky
#mobility
#PhDChat
#AcademicChatter
#EcoEvoECRcareer
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Scientific mobility in microbiology â 7
LuĂs Manuel Macedo da Silva (LuĂs M. Silva)
https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X%2825%2900254-9
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