Microbiology

Membrane affinity difference between MinD monomer and dimer is not crucial for MinD gradient formation in Bacillus subtilis

1. Laura C Bohorquez
2. Henrik Strahl
3. Davide Marenduzzo
4. Martin J Thiele
5. Frank Bürmann
6. Leendert W Hamoen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In the gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis, the membrane associated ParA family member MinD, concentrates the division inhibitor MinC at cell poles where it prevents aberrant division events. This important study presents compelling data suggesting that polar localization of MinCD is largely due to differences in diffusion rates between monomeric and dimeric MinD. This finding is exciting as it negates the necessity for a third, localization determinant, in this system as has been proposed by previous investigations.

Reviewed by eLife

Structural basis for collagen recognition by the Streptococcus pyogenes M3 protein and its involvement in biofilm

1. Marta Wojnowska
2. Takeaki Wajima
3. Tamas Yelland
4. Hannes Ludewig
5. Robert M Hagan
6. Olivia F McCurry
7. Grant Watt
8. Samir W Hamaia
9. Dominique Bihan
10. Jean-Daniel Malcor
11. Arkadiusz Bonna
12. Helena Bergsten
13. Laura M Palma Medina
14. Mattias Svensson
15. Oddvar Oppegaard
16. Steinar Skrede
17. Per Arnell
18. Ole Hyldegaard
19. Richard W Farndale
20. Anna Norrby-Teglund
21. Ulrich Schwarz-Linek

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  M proteins are essential group A streptococci virulence factors that bind to numerous human proteins; a small subset of M proteins, such as M3, have been reported to bind collagen, which is thought to promote tissue adherence. In this important paper, the authors provide a solid characterization of M3 interactions with collagen. The work raises significant questions regarding the specificity of the structure and its interactions with different collagens, with implications for the variable actions of M protein collagen interactions on biofilm formation.

Reviewed by eLife

Three pathways feed the folate-dependent one carbon pool for growth and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes

1. Sandra Freier
2. Sarah Frentzel
3. Susan Scheffler
4. Sabrina Wamp
5. Moritz Müller
6. Tim Engelgeh
7. Janina Döhling
8. Dunja Bruder
9. Sascha Kahlfuss
10. Sven Halbedel

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The one-carbon tetrahydrofolate metabolism plays a crucial role in producing essential metabolic intermediates. In this study, the authors employ a genetics-based approach to demonstrate that three different metabolic pathways are essential for synthesizing 1C-tetrahydrofolates (1C-THF). Disrupting any of these pathways impairs both growth and virulence. Although the work presented is valuable, the experimental evidence remains incomplete without direct quantification of folate intermediates.

Reviewed by eLife

P-body formation is required for yeast proliferation in the phyllosphere

1. Fuka Sekioka
2. Kosuke Shiraishi
3. Miho Akagi
4. Akari Habata
5. Yumi Arima
6. Yasuyoshi Sakai
7. Hiroya Yurimoto

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study investigates the role of P-bodies in yeast proliferation and mRNA regulation within the phyllosphere, proposing that P-body assembly contributes to methanol metabolism and stress adaptation. The findings are of interest to researchers studying post-transcriptional gene regulation and microbial ecology in plants. However, the evidence is incomplete, as most experiments were performed under artificial conditions, relied on limited genetic validation, and were supported primarily by qualitative or low-resolution imaging.

Reviewed by eLife

A weaponized phage suppresses competitors in historical and modern metapopulations of pathogenic bacteria

1. Talia Backman
2. Sergio M. Latorre
3. Efthymia Symeonidi
4. Artur Muszyński
5. Ella Bleak
6. Lauren Eads
7. Paulina I. Martinez-Koury
8. Sarita Som
9. Aubrey Hawks
10. Andrew D. Gloss
11. David M. Belnap
12. Allison M. Manuel
13. Adam M. Deutschbauer
14. Joy Bergelson
15. Parastoo Azadi
16. Hernán A. Burbano
17. Talia L. Karasov

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

SARS-CoV-2 infection of human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular cells reveals smooth muscle cells as key mediators of vascular pathology during infection

1. Alexsia Richards
2. Andrew Khalil
3. Max Friesen
4. Troy W. Whitfield
5. Xinlei Gao
6. Tenzin Lungjangwa
7. Roger Kamm
8. Zhengpeng Wan
9. Lee Gehrke
10. David Mooney
11. Rudolf Jaenisch

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

Dynamics of the viral community on the surface of a French smear-ripened cheese during maturation and persistence across production years

1. Thomas Paillet
2. Quentin Lamy-Besnier
3. Clarisse Figueroa
4. Marie-Agnès Petit
5. Eric Dugat-Bony

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases, Arcadia Science

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 fast-acting inhibitor of blood-stage P. falciparum with mechanism distinct from artemisinin and chloroquine

1. Stephanie Kabeche
2. Thomas Meister
3. Ellen Yeh

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

SARS-CoV-2 infects neurons, astrocytes, choroid plexus epithelial cells and pericytes of the human central nervous system

1. Ruth Haverty
2. Janet McCormack
3. Christopher Evans
4. Kevin Purves
5. Sophie O’Reilly
6. Virginie Gautier
7. Keith Rochfort
8. Aurelie Fabre
9. Nicola F. Fletcher

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases