Microbiology

The role of MICOS in organizing mitochondrial cristae in malaria parasites

1. Silvia Tassan-Lugrezin
2. Irina Bregy
3. Judith López Orra
4. Nicholas I Proellochs
5. Geert-Jan van Gemert
6. Rianne Stoter
7. Felix Evers
8. Taco WA Kooij
9. Laura van Niftrik

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable insights into mitochondrial cristae organization in Plasmodium falciparum, particularly in the context of its divergent MICOS composition. The authors present convincing evidence, supported by phenotypic and morphological analyses, that cristae junction maintenance can be uncoupled from de novo cristae formation, reinforcing an emerging model of mitochondrial inner membrane organization. Notably, the absence of Mic10 alongside an enlarged and divergent MICOS complex highlights an intriguing evolutionary adaptation, although further characterization of the complex would strengthen the study's overall significance.

  [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

Identifying a novel mechanism of L-leucine uptake in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using a chemical genomic approach

1. Nisheeth Agarwal
2. Himanshu Gogoi
3. Eeba
4. Linus Augustin
5. Md. Younus Khan
6. Yashwant Kumar
7. Sayan Kumar Bhowmick
8. Bappaditya Dey

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  By screening an FDA-approved small-molecule library against a leucine-dependent M. tuberculosis strain, this study identifies semapimod as an inhibitor of Mtb growth that functions by impairing leucine import. The work is useful in linking leucine uptake to cell wall lipid biology in Mtb. However, the mechanistic understanding remains incomplete. Additional experimental evidence is required to clarify how PDIM contributes to or regulates leucine uptake.

Reviewed by eLife

TITAN-RNA: A hybrid-capture sequencing panel detects known and unknown Flaviviridae for diagnostics and vector surveillance

1. Chloe M. Murrell
2. Aiman Sabaawy
3. Xiyu Wang
4. Nagi Hashimoto
5. Kristina Ceres
6. Yining Sun
7. Jordan D. Zehr
8. Aine Lehane
9. Emily Mader
10. Natalie Bailey
11. Marie V. Lilly
12. Laura Plimpton
13. Guillaume Reboul
14. Joel J. Brown
15. Kelly Sams
16. Lauren Singh
17. Ethan Seiz
18. Ellie Bourgikos
19. Chantal B.F. Vogels
20. Alexander T. Ciota
21. Victoria Schnurr
22. Jennifer Grenier
23. Xavier Berthet
24. Ana I. Bento
25. Laura Harrington
26. Maria Diuk-Wasser
27. Ximena Olarte-Castillo
28. Laura B. Goodman

Reviewed by PREreview

Evolution of Omicron lineage towards increased fitness in the upper respiratory tract in the absence of severe lung pathology

1. Arthur Wickenhagen
2. Meaghan Flagg
3. Julia R. Port
4. Claude Kwe Yinda
5. Kerry Goldin
6. Shane Gallogly
7. Jonathan E. Schulz
8. Tessa Lutterman
9. Brandi N. Williamson
10. Franziska Kaiser
11. Reshma K. Mukesh
12. Sarah van Tol
13. Brian Smith
14. Neeltje van Doremalen
15. Colin A. Russell
16. Emmie de Wit
17. Vincent J. Munster

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

A Coma Pattern-Based Autofocusing Method Resolves Bacterial Cold Shock Response at Single-Cell Level

1. Sihong Li
2. Zhixin Ma
3. Yue Yu
4. Jinjuan Wang
5. Yaxin Shen
6. Xiaodong Cui
7. Xiongfei Fu
8. Shuqiang Huang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study introduces LUNA, a new autofocusing method that achieves nanoscale precision and robustly corrects focus drift during time-lapse microscopy, improving imaging under temperature shifts. The authors exploit this technical advance to investigate the bacterial cold shock response, providing convincing evidence that individual cells continue to grow and divide in a highly coordinated process that cannot be observed in population-level measurements. This work offers a technical and conceptual framework for reconciling discrepancies between bulk and single-cell growth measurements, with broad relevance for cell biology and microbiology.

Reviewed by eLife

A rapid transfer of virions coated with heparan sulfate from the ECM to CD151 defines an early step in the human papillomavirus infection cascade

1. Annika Massenberg
2. Yahya Homsi
3. Carl Niklas Schneider
4. Snježana Mikuličić
5. Tatjana Döring
6. Luise Florin
7. Thorsten Lang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable insight into the role of actin protrusions in mediating early pre-endoyctic steps of human papillomavirus entry at the cell surface. Using state-of-the-art microscopy in an immortalized keratinocyte model, the authors present convincing evidence that filopodia actively promote the transfer of heparin sulfate-coated virions from the extracullar matrix to the viral entry factor CD151. These findings provide a strong framework for future studies aimed at further resolving the dynamics of virion transfer and receptor engagement.

Reviewed by eLife

Starvation of the bacterium Vibrio atlanticus induces simultaneous attacks on the dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum

1. Jean Luc Rolland
2. Estelle Masseret
3. Mohamed Laabir
4. Guillaume Tetreau
5. Benjamin Gourbal
6. Anne Thebault
7. Eric Abadie
8. Alice Rodrigues-Stien
9. Carole Veckerlé
10. Elodie Servanne-Meunier
11. Delphine Destoumieux-Garzón
12. Arnaud Lagorce
13. Raphaël Lami

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study convincingly shows that Vibrio bacteria act as predators of ecologically significant algae that contribute to harmful blooms in the lab and in their natural habitat, and that predation is induced by starvation. The authors suggest a working model that can be the basis for future work on this system. The study will be very impactful to those interested in the diversity of microbial predator-prey interactions and controlling toxic algal bloom.

Reviewed by eLife

Flow cytometry-based isolation of Salmonella -containing phagosomes combined with ultra-sensitive proteomics reveals novel insights into host-pathogen interactions

1. Ritika Chatterjee
2. José Luis Marin Rubio
3. Francesca Romana Cianfanelli
4. Andrew Frey
5. Benjamin Bernard Armando Raymond
6. Abeer Dannoura
7. Camila Valenzuela
8. Meihan Meng
9. Tiaan Heunis
10. Mengchun Li
11. Frances Sidgwick
12. Jost Enninga
13. Andrew Filby
14. Matthias Trost

Reviewed by Review Commons

The cow udder is a potential coinfection site for influenza A viruses

1. Rute Maria Pinto
2. Colin P Sharp
3. Maia Beeson
4. Nunticha Pankaew
5. Jack A Hassard
6. Alexander Moxom
7. Callum Magill
8. Laura Tuck
9. Stephen Meek
10. Hui Min Lee
11. Kirsty Jensen
12. Inga Dry
13. Pedro Melo
14. Jiayun Yang
15. Wenfang Spring Tan
16. Ashwin Ashok Raut
17. Anamika Mishra
18. Sjaak de Wit
19. J Ross Fitzgerald
20. Jayne C Hope
21. Joanne Stevens
22. Tom Burdon
23. Kate Sutton
24. Cristina L Esteves
25. F Xavier Donadeu
26. Ian Brown
27. Wendy Barclay
28. Thomas P Peacock
29. Daniel H Goldhill
30. Munir Iqbal
31. Pablo R Murcia
32. Stuart M Haslam
33. Eleanor Gaunt
34. Paul Digard

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents important findings that bovine mammary epithelial cells can be infected with both avian and human influenza A viruses, providing a potential site for viral reassortment. The evidence to support these claims is generally solid; however, the evidence suggesting lower permissiveness of cells from other organs is incomplete. The work will be of interest to virologists and evolutionary biologists working on cross-species transmission of viruses and pandemic preparedness.

Reviewed by eLife

Screening the MMV Pathogen Box reveals the mitochondrial bc1-complex as a drug target in mature Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites

1. Deborah Maus
2. Elyzana Putrianti
3. Tobias Hoffmann
4. Michael Laue
5. Frank Seeber
6. Martin Blume

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study utilizes a newly developed approach to culture T gondii bradyzoites in myotubes, and then takes advantage of the antiparasitic compound collection known as the Pathogen Box, to find compounds that target both tachyzoite and bradyzoite forms of the parasite. A set of compounds yielding patterns consistent with targeting the mitochondrial bc1 complex was explored further, with convincing evidence for changes in ATP production in bradyzoites to support the conclusions about the importance of this complex. The paper will be interesting for parasitologists studying drug discovery of apicomplexan parasites.

Reviewed by eLife