News & Comment

This month’s Genome Watch highlights the use of genetic barcoding towards a better understanding of plant–microorganism interactions and colonization dynamics.

In this study, Hiis et al. demonstrate that the N₂O-respiring bacterial strain Cloacibacterium sp. CB-01 can reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soil.

This study shows that archaea produce catalytically active ultraminimal as well as hybrid [FeFe] hydrogenases.

In this study, Niggs et al. show that Drosophila A virus infection modulates epithelial turnover in the intestine of Drosophila melanogaster, promoting premature intestinal dysplasia and reducing fly lifespan.

This study reports that plectasin uses a supramolecular antimicrobial mode of action, whereby the oligomerized peptide sequesters lipid II.

This study reports the mechanism of plasmid clearance by the DNA defence module DdmDE of the Vibrio cholerae seventh pandemic strain.

This study by Chen et al. reveals that a high-fat diet leads to a predominance of Desulfovibrio species in the gut, correlating with a poor prognosis of breast cancer.

In this Journal Club, Carrie Shaffer discusses a study revealing that infection with CagA-positive Helicobacter pylori strains is associated with an increased risk of developing stomach adenocarcinoma.

In this Journal Club, Yi Shi discusses a paper reporting that influenza virus infection in humans induces broadly cross-reactive and protective antibodies against the viral neuraminidase.

This Genome Watch article discusses the application of sequencing methods for monitoring the rise of infectious diseases associated with climate change.

This study shows how two umbravirus-like viruses induce systemic infection in the plant host in the absence of virus-encoded movement proteins.

In this study, Zhang et al. report that a bacterial symbiont residing in the gut of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes protects them from flavivirus infection.

In this study, Carrasco Flores et al. report that the bacterium Mycetocola lacteus protects the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii from the antagonistic activity of Pseudomonas protegens.

A recent study reports the existence of a nitrogen-fixing organelle called the ‘nitroplast’.

In this Journal Club, Ricardo Soto-Rifo discusses a study on intron-containing HIV-1 RNA, revealing its role as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern in myeloid cells, which has implications for immune activation, inflammation and clinical outcomes.

This study shows that a single-stranded RNA phage binds to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus, leading to phage entry into the cell and the detachment of the pilus, which impairs bacterial motility.

In this study, Granton et al. show that biofilm-associated exopolysaccharides produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa control sickness during lung infection.

This Genome Watch article highlights the recent use of large-scale monitoring of natural microbiomes to examine feedback between environmental change and microbial adaptation.

This study reports a mechanism whereby Wolbachia bacteriophage proteins modulate macromolecules of developing Drosophila melanogaster.

This study shows that hyphae formation is critical for Candida albicans gut colonization in the presence of commensal bacteria owing to the production of a hyphal-associated factor.