: Microbiology Articles
Research Highlight: In BriefPrionsPSI+ Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp649-649 |
Perspective: Molecular eco-systems biology: towards an understanding of community functionSystems-biology approaches, which are driven by genome sequencing and high-throughput functional genomics data, are revolutionizing single-cell-organism biology. With the advent of various high-throughput techniques that aim to characterize complete microbial ecosystems (metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics and meta-metabolomics), we propose that the time is ripe to consider molecular Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp693-699 |
Perspective: Architects of assembly: roles of Flaviviridae non-structural proteins in virion morphogenesisViruses of the Flaviviridae family, including hepatitis C, dengue and bovine viral diarrhoea, are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent advances in our understanding of virion assembly have uncovered commonalities among distantly related members of this family. We discuss the emerging hypothesis Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp699-708 |
Review: Towards nanomicrobiology using atomic force microscopyAt the cross-roads of nanoscience and microbiology, the nanoscale analysis of microbial cells using atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an exciting, rapidly evolving research field. Over the past decade, there has been tremendous progress in our use of AFM to observe membrane proteins and live Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp674-680 |
Review: Revisiting the host as a growth mediumThe ability of the human body to play host to bacterial pathogens has been studied for more than 200 years. Successful pathogenesis relies on the ability to acquire the nutrients that are necessary for growth and survival, yet relatively little is understood about the in Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp657-666 |
Review: Molecular mechanisms of mechanosensing and their roles in fungal contact sensingNumerous fungal species respond to contact with a surface by undergoing differentiation. Contact between plant pathogenic fungi and a surface results in the elaboration of the complex structures that enable invasion of the host plant, and for the opportunistic human pathogen Candida albicans, contact Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp667-673 |
Review: Protein-based organelles in bacteria: carboxysomes and related microcompartmentsMany bacteria contain intracellular microcompartments with outer shells that are composed of thousands of protein subunits and interiors that are filled with functionally related enzymes. These microcompartments serve as organelles by sequestering specific metabolic pathways in bacterial cells. The carboxysome, a prototypical bacterial microcompartment that Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp681-691 |
Research Highlight: HIV: Editing HIV entryA genome-editing approach targeting the CC-chemokine receptor CCR5, which is the main co-receptor for entry of HIV-1 into CD4+ T cells, has the potential to reconstitute immune function in HIV+ individuals by creating an HIV-resistant CD4+ T-cell population, Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp651-651 |
Research Highlight: Bacterial genetics: A hidden GEMMThe second messenger cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) induces wide-ranging physiological changes in diverse bacterial species, but how it controls the transcription and translation of so many genes has been unclear. Now, reporting in Science, Sudarsan, Breaker and colleagues describe how, in many bacterial Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp649-649 |
Research Highlight: Archaea: Kings of the sea floor?The vast microbial sedimentary ecosystem that resides below the sea floor is predominantly made up of Archaea, report Julius Lipp and colleagues in a recent Nature paper. By examining lipid concentration as a tracer for microbial biomass in marine sediments, Lipp et al. Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp648-648 |
Research Highlight: Sociomicrobiology: Anti-social bacteriaTo optimize access to nutrients, bacteria have developed intricate mechanisms to prevent other microorganisms — usually of a different species — from invading their space. Gibbs and colleagues, reporting in a recent issue of Science, have now identified a genetic programme in the bacterium Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp647-647 |
Research Highlight: Parasitology: Antigen switching joins the DOTsA study published in PLoS Biology by Figueiredo, Janzen and Cross has identified a role for epigenetic regulation in antigen switching and immune evasion by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei.Modulation of the variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of T. brucei — the unicellular Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp650-651 |
Research Highlight: Viral pathogenesis: MicroRNA rides tandemA recent study by Sarnow and colleagues showed that a liver-specific miRNA (miR-122) was able to interact with a target sequence in the 5′ non-coding region (NCR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome and promote viral replication. Now, reporting in Cell Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp648-648 |
Research Highlight: Pathogenesis: BuzzkillIn recent years there has been a devastating loss of bee colonies, mainly in the United States but also in European countries. Mites, viruses, genetically engineered crops or a combination of these factors have all been blamed for so-called honeybee colony collapse disorder. Now Higes Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 6 #9, pp650-651 |