Microbiology

PPARγ mediated enhanced lipid biogenesis fuels Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in a drug-tolerant hepatocyte environment

1. Binayak Sarkar
2. Jyotsna
3. Mohit Yadav
4. Priya Sharma
5. Raman Deep Sharma
6. Shweta Singh
7. Aakash Chandramouli
8. Kritee Mehdiratta
9. Ashwani Kumar
10. Siddhesh S. Kamat
11. Devram S. Ghorpade
12. Debasisa Mohanty
13. Dhiraj Kumar
14. Rajesh S. Gokhale

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental study examines infection of the liver and hepatocytes during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection using different systems including aerosol infection of mice and guinea pigs to demonstrate appreciable infection of the liver as well as the lung. The authors present convincing evidence that hepatocyte infection leads to metabolic dysfunction that promotes M. tuberculosis growth, in part potentially mediated by a nuclear receptor called PPARg. Overall, this is an interesting paper on an area of tuberculosis research which has been understudied, representing a significant advancement in the field.

Reviewed by eLife, preLights

Reactive Oxygen Detoxification Contributes to Mycobacterium abscessus Antibiotic Survival

1. Nicholas A Bates
2. Ronald Rodriguez
3. Rama Drwich
4. Abigail Ray
5. Sarah A Stanley
6. Bennett H Penn

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Using a TN-seq based approach, the authors identified the genetic determinants of drug tolerance in M. abscessus. Since M. abscessus is resistant to multiple antibiotics, the study is valuable in generating new knowledge linking antibiotic tolerance with ROS in this non-tuberculosis mycobacterial (NTM) species. However, the study is incomplete due to a need for more validation of the Tn-seq data, inconsistency with the clinical strains, and insufficient experiments confirming the role of ROS detoxification in drug tolerance.

Reviewed by eLife

Prophage regulation of Shewanella fidelis 3313 motility and biofilm formation: implications for gut colonization dynamics in Ciona robusta

1. Ojas Natarajan
2. Susanne L. Gibboney
3. Morgan N. Young
4. Shen Jean Lim
5. Felicia Nguyen
6. Natalia Pluta
7. Celine G.F. Atkinson
8. Assunta Liberti
9. Eric D. Kees
10. Brittany A. Leigh
11. Mya Breitbart
12. Jeffrey A. Gralnick
13. Larry J. Dishaw

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study presents findings linking prophage carriage to lifestyle regulation in the marine bacterium Shewanella fidelis, with potential implications for niche occupation within a host (Ciona robusta) and mediation of host immune responses. The study leverages a unique animal model system that offers distinct advantages in identifying select phenotypes to present generally solid evidence that supports findings relating to the impact of a prophage on host-microbe interaction. Understanding the role of integrated lysogenic phages in bacterial fitness, both within a host and in the environment, is a significant concept in bacterial eco-physiology, potentially contributing to the success of certain strains.

Reviewed by eLife

DDX3 Regulates the Cap‐Independent Translation of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus via Its Interactions with PABP1 and the Untranslated Regions of the Viral Genome

1. Chenxi Li
2. Linjie Zhang
3. Chenyang Tang
4. Xuan Chen
5. Jing Shi
6. Qingyu Li
7. Xue Jiao
8. Jinyao Guo
9. Bin Wang
10. Kefan Bu
11. Abdul Wahaab
12. Yuguo Yuan
13. Ming‐an Sun
14. Yanhua Li

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work is a valuable study that presents a detailed analysis of translation, driven by the untranslated regions of the Japanese encephalitis virus. It reports a role for the RNA helicase DDX3 in promoting a cap-independent translation mechanism. The conclusions are based on generally solid evidence, although there are some weaknesses in the overall model based on suboptimal experimental approaches and over-interpretation of some of the data. Addressing deficiencies noted in peer review could elevate the impact of the study.

Reviewed by eLife

Decoding the biogenesis of HIV-induced CPSF6 puncta and their fusion with the nuclear speckle

1. Chiara Tomasini
2. Celine Cuche
3. Selen Ay
4. Maxence Collard
5. Bin Cui
6. Mohammad Rashid
7. Shaoni Bhattacharjee
8. Julian Buchrieser
9. Charlotte Luchsinger
10. Cinzia Bertelli
11. Vladimir N Uversky
12. Felipe Diaz-Griffero
13. Francesca Di Nunzio

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript provides valuable information about the genesis of CPSF6 condensates due to HIV-1 infection. However, the evidence is incomplete as it is missing more functional assays. Furthermore, some data on the fusion between CPSF6 Aggregates and SC35 speckles are not novel.

Reviewed by eLife

Surface-mediated bacteriophage defense incurs fitness tradeoffs for interbacterial antagonism

1. Chia-En Tsai
2. Feng-Qi Wang
3. Chih-Wen Yang
4. Ling-Li Yang
5. Thao VP Nguyen
6. Yung-Chih Chen
7. Po-Yin Chen
8. Ing-Shouh Hwang
9. See-Yeun Ting

Reviewed by Review Commons

Organ structure and bacterial microbiogeography in a reproductive organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid reveal dimensions of a defensive symbiosis

1. Derrick L. Kamp
2. Allison H. Kerwin
3. Sarah J. McAnulty
4. Spencer V. Nyholm

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

An unusual trafficking domain in MSRP6 defines a complex needed for Maurer’s clefts anchoring and maintenance in P. falciparum infected red blood cells

1. Alexandra Blancke Soares
2. Jan Stäcker
3. Svenja Schwald
4. Wieteke Hoijmakers
5. Nahla Galal Metwally
6. Jakob Cronshagen
7. Hanno Schoeler
8. Sven Flemming
9. Katharina Höhn
10. Ulrike Fröhlke
11. Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
12. Bärbel Bergmann
13. Melissa Khosh-Naucke
14. Iris Bruchhaus
15. Richárd Bártfai
16. Tobias Spielmann

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable data on the identification and function of a protein complex present at the Maurer's cleft organelles of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells. The evidence supporting the findings is solid, but would benefit from greater rigor in presentation and analysis.

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 solid 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

A CRISPRi Library Screen in Group B Streptococcus Identifies Surface Immunogenic Protein (Sip) as a Mediator of Multiple Host Interactions

1. K Firestone
2. KP Gopalakrishna
3. LM Rogers
4. A Peters
5. JA Gaddy
6. C Nichols
7. MH Hall
8. HN Varela
9. SM Carlin
10. GH Hillebrand
11. EJ Giacobe
12. DM Aronoff
13. TA Hooven

Reviewed by Arcadia Science