Microbiology

Mixed alkyl/aryl phosphonates identify metabolic serine hydrolases as antimalarial targets

1. John M. Bennett
2. Sunil K. Narwal
3. Stephanie Kabeche
4. Daniel Abegg
5. Vandana Thathy
6. Fiona Hackett
7. Tomas Yeo
8. Veronica L. Li
9. Ryan Muir
10. Franco Faucher
11. Scott Lovell
12. Michael J. Blackman
13. Alexander Adibekian
14. Ellen Yeh
15. David A. Fidock
16. Matthew Bogyo

Reviewed by preLights

Reduced gravity and muon radiation affect Caenorhabditis elegans life history traits and viral infection

1. Ana Villena-Giménez
2. Victoria G. Castiglioni
3. Juan C. Muñoz-Sánchez
4. Esmeralda G. Legarda
5. Rubén González
6. Santiago F. Elena

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Host-derived Lactobacillus plantarum alleviates hyperuricemia by improving gut microbial community and hydrolase-mediated degradation of purine nucleosides

1. Yang Fu
2. Xiao-Dan Luo
3. Jin-Ze Li
4. Qian-Yuan Mo
5. Xue Wang
6. Yue Zhao
7. You-Ming Zhang
8. Hao-Tong Luo
9. Dai-Yang Xia
10. Wei-Qing Ma
11. Jian-Ying Chen
12. Li-Hau Wang
13. Qiu-Yi Deng
14. Lukuyu Ben
15. Muhammad Kashif Saleemi
16. Xian-Zhi Jiang
17. Juan Chen
18. Kai Miao
19. Zhen-Ping Lin
20. Peng Zhang
21. Hui Ye
22. Qing-Yun Cao
23. Yong-Wen Zhu
24. Lin Yang
25. Qiang Tu
26. Wence Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The landmark significance of this manuscript is based on the mechanistic description of purine metabolism by Lactobacillus plantarum, which helps to alleviate hyperuricemia, which is a phenotype that underlies multiple disease symptoms. The evidence provided for L. plantarum's involvement in reducing hyperuricemia was exceptional, combining microbiomics, whole genomics, in vitro bacterial culture, gene knock-outs, and metabolomics. Collectively, the study shows a clear link between the gut microbiota and hyperuricemia, providing a pathway for modification to help alleviate this condition.

Reviewed by eLife

Intestinal microbiome dysbiosis increases Mycobacteria pulmonary colonization in mice by regulating the Nos2-associated pathways

1. MeiQing Han
2. Xia Wang
3. Lin Su
4. Shiqi Pan
5. Ningning Liu
6. Duan Li
7. Liang Liu
8. JunWei Cui
9. Huajie Zhao
10. Fan Yang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study shows the effect of gut dysbiosis on the colonization of mycobacteria in the lung. The data with comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles in the lung with dysbiotic mice is compelling and goes beyond the current state of the art. However, the mechanistic insight, where the lung epithelial cell line was used, and the experiments with Mtb infection are currently incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

A conserved cell-pole determinant organizes proper polar flagellum formation

1. Erick E Arroyo-Pérez
2. John C Hook
3. Alejandra Alvarado
4. Stephan Wimmi
5. Timo Glatter
6. Kai Thormann
7. Simon Ringgaard

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study describes the discovery of a mechanism by which multiple species of bacteria synthesize and localize polar flagella via a novel protein, FipA, which interacts with FlhF. The authors use appropriate methodological approaches (biochemistry, molecular microbiology, quantitative microscopy, and bacterial genetics) to obtain and present convincing results and interpretations. This work will particularly interest those studying bacterial motility and bacterial cell biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Gene deletion as a possible strategy adopted by New World Leishmania infantum to maximize geographic dispersion

1. Monique Florêncio
2. Marne Coimbra Chagas
3. Anderson Guimarães-Costa
4. Jullyanna Oliveira
5. Ingrid Waclawiak
6. Thamara K. F. Oliveira
7. Elvira Maria Saraiva
8. Anita Leocadio Freitas-Mesquita
9. José Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
10. Laura Aragão-Farias
11. Camilly Enes Trindade
12. Patricia Cuervo Escobar
13. Renata Azevedo do Nascimento
14. Otacilio C. Moreira
15. Flávia Lima Ribeiro-Gomes
16. Yara M. Traub-Csekö
17. Erich Loza Telleria
18. Slavica Vaselek
19. Tereza Leštinová
20. Petr Volf
21. Gerald F. Späth
22. Elisa Cupolillo
23. Mariana C. Boité

Reviewed by Review Commons

Distinct bacterial and protist plankton diversity dynamics uncovered through DNA-based monitoring in the Baltic Sea area

1. Krzysztof T Jurdzinski
2. Meike AC Latz
3. Anders Torstensson
4. Sonia Brugel
5. Mikael Hedblom
6. Yue O O Hu
7. Markus Lindh
8. Agneta Andersson
9. Bengt Karlson
10. Anders F Andersson

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Peptidoglycan-Chi3l1 interaction shapes gut microbiota in intestinal mucus layer

1. Yan Chen
2. Ruizhi Yang
3. Bin Qi
4. Zhao Shan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Supported by convincing data, this valuable study demonstrates that the Chitinase 3-like protein 1 (Chi3l1) interacts with gut microbiota and protects animals from intestinal injury in laboratory colitis model. The revised manuscript sufficiently addressed the reviewers' comments. The work will be of interest to scientists studying crosstalk between gut microbiota and inflammatory diseases.

Reviewed by eLife

A lytic transglycosylase connects bacterial focal adhesion complexes to the peptidoglycan cell wall

1. Carlos A Ramirez Carbo
2. Olalekan G Faromiki
3. Beiyan Nan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The manuscript by Carbo et al. reports a novel role for the MltG homolog AgmT in gliding motility in M. xanthus. The authors provide convincing data to demonstrate that AgmT is a cell wall lytic enzyme (likely a lytic transglycosylase), its lytic activity is required for gliding motility, and that its activity is required for proper binding of a component of the motility apparatus to the cell wall. The findings are valuable as they contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between gliding motility and the bacterial cell wall.

Reviewed by eLife

Peptidoglycan-tethered and free forms of the Braun lipoprotein are in dynamic equilibrium in Escherichia coli

1. Yucheng Liang
2. Jean-Emmanuel Hugonnet
3. Filippo Rusconi
4. Michel Arthur

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This useful study describes a single set of label-chase mass spectrometry experiments to confirm the molecular function of YafK as a peptidoglycan hydrolase, and to describe the timing of its attachment to the peptidoglycan. Confirmation of the molecular function of YafK is helpful for further studies to examine the function and regulation of the outer membrane-peptidoglycan link in bacteria. The evidence supporting the molecular function of YafK and that lpp molecules are shuffled on and off the peptidoglycan is solid, however, some of the other data still remain incomplete in the revised version. The work will be of interest to researchers studying lipoproteins in gram negative bacteria.

Reviewed by eLife