Microbiology

The Mycobacterium ulcerans toxin mycolactone causes destructive Sec61-dependent loss of the endothelial glycocalyx and vessel basement membrane to drive skin necrosis

1. Louise Tzung-Harn Hsieh
2. Belinda S Hall
3. Jane Newcombe
4. Tom A Mendum
5. Sonia Santana Varela
6. Yagnesh Umrania
7. Michael J Deery
8. Wei Q Shi
9. Josué Diaz-Delgado
10. Francisco J Salguero
11. Rachel E Simmonds

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The toxin mycolactone is produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans which is responsible for the Buruli ulcer lesions. The authors performed a valuable study showing the effects of mycolactone on blood vessel integrity. This convincing data provides new therapeutic targets to accelerate the healing of Buruli ulcer lesions.

Reviewed by eLife

Membrane binding properties of the cytoskeletal protein bactofilin

1. Ying Liu
2. Rajani Karmakar
3. Maria Billini
4. Wieland Steinchen
5. Saumyak Mukherjee
6. Rogelio Hernandez-Tamayo
7. Thomas Heimerl
8. Gert Bange
9. Lars V Schafer
10. Martin Thanbichler

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The investigators studied the membrane-targeting sequence (MTS) of bactofilin A (BacA) in Caulobacter crescentus to explore its role in membrane binding and polymerization. They used various techniques, including microscopy, liposome binding assays, and simulations, to show that membrane targeting may be crucial for BacA polymerization. While their findings on membrane association are valuable, the absence of direct polymerization assays and lack of proper controls in some experiments make the study incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Antimicrobial activity of iron-depriving pyoverdines against human opportunistic pathogens

1. Vera Vollenweider
2. Karoline Rehm
3. Clara Chepkirui
4. Manuela Pérez-Berlanga
5. Magdalini Polymenidou
6. Jörn Piel
7. Laurent Bigler
8. Rolf Kümmerli

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study highlights the use of siderophores as antibacterials, and the authors also discuss the consequences and efficacy of 'siderophore therapy' in more complex communities/environments. The evidence supporting the overall hypotheses ranges is largely convincing. The work will be of broad interest to people working in the fields of evolutionary ecology, microbiology and medical sciences.

Reviewed by eLife

The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms

1. Qian Wang
2. Jinxin Liu
3. Yuhang Luo
4. Vicky Kliemke
5. Giuliana Leonarda Matta
6. Jingjing Wang
7. Qian Liu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study advances our understanding of how Nipah virus fusion protein F (NiV-F) organizes into nanoclusters on cell and viral membranes using biochemical and super-resolution microscopy methods. The conclusions are supported by solid evidence and the revision has addressed most of the reviewers' concerns. The relationship between clustering and fusion is of high interest and an interesting hypothesis to continue investigating in future studies.

Reviewed by eLife

Modular small RNA drives the emergence of virulence traits and environmental trade-offs in Vibrio cholerae

1. Deepak Balasubramanian
2. Cole Crist
3. Salvador Almagro-Moreno

Reviewed by PREreview

The Shigella flexneri effector IpaH1.4 facilitates RNF213 degradation and protects cytosolic bacteria against interferon-induced ubiquitylation

1. Luz Saavedra-Sanchez
2. Mary S Dickinson
3. Shruti Apte
4. Yifeng Zhang
5. Maarten de Jong
6. Samantha Skavicus
7. Nicholas S Heaton
8. Neal M Alto
9. Jörn Coers

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The authors report that a secreted ubiquitin ligase of Shigella, called IpaH1.4, mediates the degradation of a host defense factor, RNF213. The data are solid and represent an important contribution to our understanding of cell-autonomous immunity and bacterial pathogenesis, as they provide new mechanistic insight into how the cytosolic bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri evades IFN-induced host immunity.

Reviewed by eLife

β-1,6-Glucan plays a central role in the structure and remodeling of the bilaminate fungal cell wall

1. Clara Bekirian
2. Isabel Valsecchi
3. Sophie Bachellier-Bassi
4. Cyril Scandola
5. J Inaki Guijarro
6. Murielle Chauvel
7. Thierry Mourer
8. Neil AR Gow
9. Vishu Kumar Aimanianda
10. Christophe d'Enfert
11. Thierry Fontaine

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The paper will be of broad interest to fungal biologists and fungal immunologists seeking to understand the biosynthesis of the fungal cell wall, in particular of ß-1,6-glucan synthesis and the importance of this so far understudied constituent of the cell wall for cell wall integrity and immune response. The study is of fundamental significance and adds structural clarity to the genetic, and biochemical basis of this difficult-to-analyze carbohydrate. It opens the potential for understanding its role in immune recognition and potentially as a drug target. Overall, the data is compelling, properly controlled and analyzed.

Reviewed by eLife

Telomerase RNA component knockout exacerbates Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia by extensive inflammation and dysfunction of T cells

1. Yasmina Reisser
2. Franziska Hornung
3. Antje Häder
4. Thurid Lauf
5. Sandor Nietzsche
6. Bettina Löffler
7. Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In this manuscript, the authors sought to elucidate mechanistic intricacies of inflammatory responses, with emphasis on T cell dysfunction, to S. aureus-induced pneumonia in the context of aging process using Terc deficient mice. Conceptually, the study is very interesting with a set of useful findings. Although some experimental approaches are appropriate, the work as shown in the revised manuscript remains significantly underpowered and the absence of rigorous controls make this study incomplete in support of its claims.

Reviewed by eLife

Staphylococcus aureus counters organic acid anion-mediated inhibition of peptidoglycan cross-linking through robust alanine racemase activity

1. Sasmita Panda
2. Yahani P Jayasinghe
3. Dhananjay D Shinde
4. Emilio Bueno
5. Amanda Stastny
6. Blake P Bertrand
7. Sujata S Chaudhari
8. Tammy Kielian
9. Felipe Cava
10. Donald R Ronning
11. Vinai C Thomas

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In this useful study, the authors present convincing evidence linking the enzyme D-alanine-D-alanine ligase (Ddl), crucial for cell wall fortification, to organic acid exposure in Staphylococcus aureus. While it's established that organic acids impede bacterial growth, the researchers reveal a novel coping mechanism where S. aureus maintains elevated levels of D-alanine, the substrate for Ddl, to counteract this inhibition. This discovery illuminates a bacterial strategy for organic acid tolerance, offering new insights for microbiologists and potentially informing future antimicrobial approaches.

Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

Characterization of vaginal microbiomes in clinician-collected bacterial vaginosis diagnosed samples

1. Hayden N. Brochu
2. Qimin Zhang
3. Kuncheng Song
4. Ling Wang
5. Emily A. Deare
6. Jonathan D. Williams
7. Crystal R. Icenhour
8. Lakshmanan K. Iyer

Reviewed by PREreview