Bacteria

Cell-specific respiration rates differ by more than 1,000× among prokaryoplankton genera, and the majority of respiration was found to be performed by minority members of prokaryoplankton, whereas cells of the most prevalent lineages had extremely low respiration rates.

Members of the DUF368-containing and DedA transmembrane protein families have conditional roles in undecaprenyl phosphate translocation in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and may have a widely conserved function in the biogenesis of microbial cell surface glycopolymers.

A CalpL–CalpT–CalpS cascade mediated by cyclic oligoadenylates is identified as a mechanism to detect viral RNA and activate subsequent antivirus responses in microorganisms.

Enterococci enhance the fitness and pathogenesis ofClostridioides difficilein the gut by altering the amino acid composition and providing signals that increase its virulence towards the host.

Cryo-electron tomography is used to reveal the structural dynamics and functional diversity of translating ribosomes inMycoplasma pneumoniae翻译elongatio,提供见解n cycle inside cells and how it is reshaped by antibiotics.

N-acetylglucosamine kinase catalyses the phosphorylation of muramyl dipeptide and is thus essential for its recognition and immunostimulatory activity in human and mouse cells.

Monocytes recruited to skin infection are not involved in bacterial clearance but instead regulate local angiogenesis and healing.

A bacterial antiviral defence system generates a cyclic tri-adenylate that binds to a TIR–SAVED effector, inducing formation of a superhelical structure with adjacent TIR domains organizing into an active site, allowing NAD⁺degradation.

Overall, this study describes the molecular mechanism of a druggable pathway that recapitulates in cellular assays the immunomodulatory effects associated withAkkermansia muciniphila,a prominent member of the gut microbiota.

Through structural analysis of the activation of bacterial STING, the molecular basis of STING filament formation and TIR effector domain activation in antiphage signalling is defined.

The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the filamentous hydrogen-dependent CO₂reductase (HDCR) enzyme fromThermoanaerobacter kivui, together with enzymatic analysis and in situ cryo-electron tomography, provides insight into the high catalytic activity of HDCR.

The Csu pili of the multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogenAcinetobacter baumanniiassemble into an ultrathin zigzag architecture secured by a clinch mechanism that provides the pilus with high mechanical stability and superelasticity.

Retron-Sen2 ofSalmonellaTyphimurium encodes a toxin and a reverse transcriptase, which, together with the Sen2 multi-copy single-stranded DNA synthesized by the reverse transcriptase make up a tripartite toxin–antitoxin system that functions in anti-phage defence.

Within-host evolution is a critical regulator of commensal pathogenicity that provides a unique source of stochasticity in the development and progression of microbiota-driven disease.

Afezgene cluster drives formation of ferrosomes, a distinct lipid-bounded organelle for iron storage, in diverse bacterial species.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the bacterial O-antigen ligase WaaL, combined with genetics, biochemistry and molecular dynamics simulations, provide insight into the mechanism by which WaaL catalyses the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide.

A bacterial enzyme is characterized and demonstrated to have Ni²⁺-dependent activity and high specificity for free guanidine enabling the bacteria to use guanidine as the sole nitrogen source for growth.

The gut-derived molecule 4-ethylphenol influences complex behaviours in mice through effects on oligodendrocyte function and myelin patterning in the brain.

Methicillin-resistant strains ofStaphylococcus aureusappeared in European hedgehogs in the pre-antibiotic era as a co-evolutionary adaptation to antibiotic-producing dermatophytes and have spread within the local hedgehog populations and between hedgehogs and secondary hosts.

A cryo-electron microscopy structure of the inner membrane complex of the ESX-5 type VII secretion system ofMycobacterium tuberculosisreveals an important role of interactions with MycP₅protease for complex integrity.

RNA-sequencing experiments determine that sorbitol, a metabolite produced by the host enzyme aldose reductase, is exploited byClostridium difficilein its adaptation to inflammatory conditions in the gut.

In the deltaproteobacteriumHippea maritima, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle can be reversed by high partial pressures of CO₂for the autotrophic fixation of carbon.

InStaphylococcus epidermidisandStaphylococcus aureus, non-specific DNase activity of the type III-A CRISPR–Cas system increases the rate of mutations in the host and accelerates the evolution of resistance to antibiotics and to phage.

‘CandidatusAzoamicus ciliaticola’ transfers energy to its ciliate host in the form of ATP and enables this host to breathe nitrate, demonstrating that eukaryotes with remnant mitochondria can secondarily acquire energy-providing endosymbionts.

X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy structures of the transcriptional repressor of the methylomycin gene cluster, MmfR, reveal the molecular basis for regulation of antibiotic biosynthesis by AHFCA hormones in Actinobacteria.

Structural analyses of the type III CRISPR accessory protein Card1, which induces dormancy in infected hosts to provide immunity against phage infection, reveal the mechanisms by which it cleaves single-stranded RNA and DNA.

A class of compounds with a dual mechanism of action—direct targeting of IspH and stimulation of cytotoxic γδ T cells to enhance pathogen clearance—are active against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Thermal proteome profiling combined with a reverse genetics approach provides insights into the abundance and thermal stability of the global proteome ofEscherichia coli.

Eukaryotic viperins originated from a clade of bacterial and archaeal proteins that catalyse the production of antiviral molecules.

Obligate endosymbiosis between the bacteriaBlochmanniaand ants of the Camponotini tribe originated through co-option of pre-existing molecular capacities and rewiring of developmental gene regulatory networks.

InBacillus subtilis, unlike inEscherichia coli, transcription and translation of genes are not tightly coupled, and pioneering ribosomes lag substantially behind RNA polymerases.

Germ-free mice co-colonized with two bacterial strains from the small intestinal flora showed increased susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, implicating the synergistic effects of these microorganisms in this mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Argonaute protein from the bacteriumC. butyricumtargets multicopy genetic elements and functions in the suppression of plasmid and phage propagation, and there appears to be a DNA-mediated immunity pathway in prokaryotes.

A model of sequential flux bottlenecks explains a universal trade-off between steady-state growth and physiological adaptation time in bacteria exposed to fluctuating growth conditions.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of a folding intermediate on the BAM complex ofEscherichia colireveal how interactions between the BamA catalyst and substrate permit stable association during folding, followed by rapid turnover.

The authors report near-atomic resolution structures of the R-type bacteriocin fromPseudomonas aeruginosain the pre-contraction and post-contraction states, and these structures provide insight into the mechanism of action of molecular syringes.

Analysis of cryo-electron microscopy structures of theMycobacterium tuberculosisABC transporter Rv1819c suggests that it is a multi-solute transporter for hydrophilic molecules.

Understanding the dynamics between bacteria and bacteriophages could enable the development of phage-based therapies and biotechnological tools and provide insights into the ecology and evolution of these microorganisms.

Screening of a library of bile acid metabolites revealed two derivatives of lithocholic acid that act as regulators of T helper cells that express IL-17a and regulatory T cells, thus influencing host immune responses.

Marine Proteobacteria use the β-hydroxyaspartate cycle to assimilate glycolate, which is secreted by algae on a petagram scale, providing evidence of a previously undescribed trophic interaction between autotrophic phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacterioplankton.

In patients with alcoholic hepatitis, cytolysin-positiveEnterococcus faecalisstrains are correlated with liver disease severity and increased mortality, and in mouse models these strains can be specifically targeted by bacteriophages.

The bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosaattacks competing bacteria using the toxin Tas1, which pyrophosphorylates adenosine nucleotides to generate (p)ppApp, thereby depleting ATP and disrupting multiple cellular functions.

An interbacterial defence strategy, involving clusters of immunity genes against toxins released by the type VI secretion system of the same or different species, is widespread among Bacteroides species, and transfer of these gene clusters confers resistance to toxins in vitro and in the mammalian gut.

The biotic environment can fundamentally alter bacteria and phage interactions, and influence the evolution of resistance mechanisms.

Engineered two-component signalling proteins inEscherichia colihave residue specificities different to their parent proteins and are orthogonal to all extant paralogues, demonstrating that sequence space is not densely occupied.

A cryo-EM structure of a membrane-embedded core complex of the ESX-3/type VII secretion system fromMycobacterium smegmatisis reported, providing insights into the mechanisms by which virulence factors are secreted by these bacteria.

Delivery via caesarean section, maternal antibiotic prophylaxis and colonization by opportunistic pathogens associated with the hospital environment affect the composition of the gut microbiota of children from birth until infancy.

The re-seeding of antibiotic-resistant persister subpopulations ofSalmonella entericainto the gut lumen favours the transfer of resistance plasmids to gut-resident enterobacteria, showing that even small reservoirs of persister bacteria facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The human placenta does not have a microbiota, suggesting that bacterial infection of the placenta is not a common cause of adverse pregnancy outcome, but group B Streptococcus is found in approximately 5% of placental samples.