Microbiology

Two newly cultivated eukaryotrophic flagellates represent distinct anaerobic lineages within Rhizaria

1. Yana Eglit
2. Maggie Lawton
3. Alastair G.B. Simpson
4. Ryan M.R. Gawryluk

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Latent infection of an active giant endogenous virus in a unicellular green alga

1. Maria P. Erazo-Garcia
2. Uri Sheyn
3. Zachary K. Barth
4. Rory J. Craig
5. Petronella Wessman
6. Abdeali M. Jivaji
7. W. Keith Ray
8. Maria Svensson-Coelho
9. Charlie K. Cornwallis
10. Karin Rengefors
11. Corina P. D. Brussaard
12. Mohammad Moniruzzaman
13. Frank O. Aylward

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

A bacterial regulatory uORF senses multiple classes of ribosome-targeting antibiotics

1. Gabriele Baniulyte
2. Joseph T Wade

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  In this important study, Baniulyte and Wade provide solid evidence that translation of a short ORF denoted toiL positioned upstream of the topAI-yjhQP operon is responsive to different ribosome-targeting antibiotics, consequently controlling translation of the TopAI toxin as well as Rho-dependent transcription termination. Strengths of the study include combining a genetic screen to identify 23S rRNA mutations that affect topA1 expression and a creative approach to map the different locations of ribosome stalling within toiL induced by different antibiotics, with ribosome profiling and RNA structure probing by SHAPE to examine consequences of different antibiotics on toiL-mediated regulation. The work could be improved by examining the physiological consequences of topAI-yjhQP activation on antibiotic exposure and by resolving discrepancies between the SHAPE data and the translation rate of toiL.

Reviewed by eLife

Acute targeted induction of gut-microbial metabolism affects host clock genes and nocturnal feeding

1. Giorgia Greter
2. Claudia Moresi
3. Stefanie Oswald
4. Alice de Wouters d’Oplinter
5. Daria Künzli
6. Elisa Cappio Barazzone
7. Jiayi Lan
8. Emma Slack
9. Markus Arnoldini

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Feeding, the circadian rhythm, and the gut microbiota are all intimately linked, motivating new approaches to identify causal relationships while minimizing confounding factors. The authors employ an innovative combination of the stool softener lactulose and a defined 3-member gut microbiota to acutely induce gut bacterial metabolism in mice during the daytime, resulting in changes in the ileal expression of clock genes and altered feeding behavior. Together, this study utilizes solid methods to provide important new insights into the role of gut microbiota in the circadian rhythm, setting the stage for follow-on studies aimed at better understanding the mechanisms responsible.

Reviewed by eLife

Unraveling CRP/cAMP-Mediated Metabolic Regulation In Escherichia coli Persister Cells

1. Han G Ngo
2. Sayed Golam Mohiuddin
3. Aina Ananda
4. Mehmet A Orman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The study reports an important finding on the role of the global metabolic regulator Crp/cAMP in the formation of antibiotic persister Escherichia coli. The evidence supporting the claims is solid including metabolomic analysis and characterization of many mutant strains. However, batch culture-based methodologies are unreliable for studying the properties of persister cells that comprise only a fraction of the population and therefore leave the work incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Bam complex associated proteins in Escherichia coli are functionally linked to peptidoglycan biosynthesis, membrane fluidity and DNA replication

1. Jack A Bryant
2. Kara A Staunton
3. Hannah M Doherty
4. Micheal B Alao
5. Xuyu Ma
6. Joanna Morcinek-Orłowska
7. Emily CA Goodall
8. Jessica Gray
9. Mathew Milner
10. Jeffrey A Cole
11. Felicity de Cogan
12. Timothy J Knowles
13. Monika Glinkowska
14. Danesh Moradigaravand
15. Ian R Henderson
16. Manuel Banzhaf

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This is a useful study that generated a rich inventory of genetic interactions with the potential to produce new insight into the molecular function of Bam-associated proteins. The interactions with genes of unknown function are of special interest as they may suggest experiments to find the functions of these genes. The overall data provided to support their conclusions is solid, but there is a major concern with known polar effects on certain mutations, which should be addressed by complementation.

Reviewed by eLife

Heterogeneous efflux pump expression underpins phenotypic resistance to antimicrobial peptides

1. Ka Kiu Lee
2. Urszula Łapińska
3. Giulia Tolle
4. Wanida Phetsang
5. Anthony D Verderosa
6. Brandon M Invergo
7. Joseph Westley
8. Attila Bebes
9. Raif Yuecel
10. Paul A O’Neill
11. Audrey Farbos
12. Aaron R Jeffries
13. Stineke van Houte
14. Pierluigi Caboni
15. Mark AT Blaskovich
16. Benjamin E Housden
17. Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova
18. Stefano Pagliara

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study by Lee et al. investigates the heterogeneous response of non-growing bacteria to the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) tachyplesin. In this response, a subpopulation of bacteria limits the accumulation of a fluorescent analog of the AMP, avoiding lethal damage. The study provides compelling data showing the differential accumulation of AMP in subpopulations and its correlation with antimicrobial efficacy. However, the evidence for increased efflux as the main survival mechanism remains incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Artesunate, EDTA and colistin work synergistically against MCR-negative and -positive colistin-resistant Salmonella

1. Yajun Zhai
2. Peiyi Liu
3. Xueqin Hu
4. Changjian Fan
5. Xiaodie Cui
6. Qibiao He
7. Dandan He
8. Xiaoyuan Ma
9. Gongzheng Hu
10. Yajun Zhai

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study provides valuable insights, addressing the growing threat of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens by focusing on the enhanced efficacy of colistin when combined with artesunate and EDTA against colistin-resistant Salmonella strains. The evidence is solid, supported by comprehensive microbiological assays, molecular analyses, and in vivo experiments demonstrating the effectiveness of this synergic combination. However, the discussion on the clinical application challenges of this triple combination is incomplete, and it would benefit from addressing the high risk associated with using three potential nephrotoxic agents in vivo.

Reviewed by eLife

Apoptotic caspases cleave DRP1 to promote mitochondrial fusion and anti-viral immune responses

1. Yujie Fang
2. Zihan Guan
3. Xiangtao Zhu
4. Zhenqiong Guan
5. Shufen Li
6. Ke Peng

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript describes an unexpected role of cellular caspases in cleaving Drp1, a protein involved in mitochondrial fission, in virus-infected cells. Drp1 cleavage augments mitochondrial fission, reinforcing MAVS-dependent type-1 IFN response against multiple viruses. The findings presented in this manuscript are important and the strength of evidence is solid. Additional studies may allow for more robust mechanistic substantiation of the proposed model.

Reviewed by eLife

Zika virus remodels and hijacks IGF2BP2 ribonucleoprotein complex to promote viral replication organelle biogenesis

1. Clément Mazeaud
2. Stefan Pfister
3. Jonathan E Owen
4. Higor Sette Pereira
5. Flavie Charbonneau
6. Zachary E Robinson
7. Anaïs Anton
8. Cheyanne L Bemis
9. Aïssatou Aïcha Sow
10. Trushar R Patel
11. Christopher J Neufeldt
12. Pietro Scaturro
13. Laurent Chatel-Chaix

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study combines multidisciplinary approaches to examine the role of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) as a potential novel host dependency factor for Zika virus. The main claims are supported by the data but remain incomplete. The evidence would be strengthened by improving the western blot analyses and adjusting the toning of their claims in relation to the role of IGF2BP2 for viral replication. With the experimental evidence strengthened, this work will be of interest to virologists working on flaviviruses.

Reviewed by eLife