Microbiology

Amidase and lysozyme dual functions in TseP reveal a new family of chimeric effectors in the type VI secretion system

1. Zeng-Hang Wang
2. Ying An
3. Ting Zhao
4. Tong-Tong Pei
5. Dora Yuping Wang
6. Xiaoye Liang
7. Wenming Qin
8. Tao Dong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study describes how a single effector of the Type Six Secretion System (T6SS) has two distinct functions, which may contribute to bacterial survival and the development of novel antibacterials. The authors utilized various methods in biochemistry, microbiology, and microscopy to produce convincing data supporting their claims about the protein's function; however, they could clarify the implications for non-experts to enhance the accessibility of this work. This manuscript is of interest to those studying T6SS, particularly those interested in effectors and bacterial enzymes.

Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

The influence of the pre-membrane and envelope proteins on structure, pathogenicity and tropism of tick-borne encephalitis virus

1. Ebba Rosendal
2. Kyrylo Bisikalo
3. Stefanie M.A. Willekens
4. Marie Lindgren
5. Jiří Holoubek
6. Pavel Svoboda
7. Amanda Lappalainen
8. Ebba Könighofer
9. Ekaterina Mirgorodskaya
10. Rickard Nordén
11. Federico Morini
12. William Rosenbaum
13. Daniel Růžek
14. Ulf Ahlgren
15. Maria Anastasina
16. Andres Merits
17. Sarah J Butcher
18. Emma Nilsson
19. Anna K Överby

Reviewed by Review Commons

Impaired fatty acid import or catabolism in macrophages restricts intracellular growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

1. Nelson V Simwela
2. Eleni Jaecklein
3. Christopher M Sassetti
4. David G Russell

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study reveals that disrupting fatty acid metabolism in macrophages significantly restricts the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, showing that impaired lipid processing triggers various antimicrobial responses. Overall, the approach is robust, utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of multiple genes involved in lipid metabolism which yielded convincing data. This work highlights how host lipid metabolism affects the ability of tubercle bacilli to thrive intracellularly, pointing to potential new therapeutic targets.

Reviewed by eLife

SATAY-based chemogenomic screening uncovers antifungal resistance mechanisms and key determinants of ATI-2307 and chitosan sensitivity

1. Matthew T Karadzas
2. Agnès H Michel
3. Andreas Mosbach
4. George Giannakopoulos
5. Ruairi McGettigan
6. Gabriel Scalliet
7. Benoît Kornmann

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important manuscript proposes a new strategy for the identification of new mechanisms of drug resistance based on SAturated Transposon Analysis in Yeast (SATAY), a powerful transposon sequencing method in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This method allows us to uncover loss- and gain-of-function mutations conferring resistance to 20 different antifungal compounds. The method is convincing, allowing the authors to identify a novel interaction of chitosan with the cell wall mannosylphosphate, and show that the transporter Hol1 concentrates the novel antifungal ATI-2307 within yeast.

Reviewed by eLife

Avian-specific Salmonella transition to endemicity is accompanied by localized resistome and mobilome interaction

1. Chenghao Jia
2. Chenghu Huang
3. Haiyang Zhou
4. Xiao Zhou
5. Zining Wang
6. Abubakar Siddique
7. Xiamei Kang
8. Qianzhe Cao
9. Yingying Huang
10. Fang He
11. Yan Li
12. Min Yue

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study analyzes a large dataset of Salmonella gallinarum whole-genome sequences and provides findings regarding the population structure of this avian-specific pathogen. The convincing results indicate regional adaptation of the mobilome-driven resistome and a role in the evolutionary trajectory of this pathogen that will interest microbiologists and researchers working on genomics, evolution, and antimicrobial resistance.

Reviewed by eLife

Evolutionary rescue of spherical mreB deletion mutants of the rod-shape bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25

1. Paul Richard J Yulo
2. Nicolas Desprat
3. Monica L Gerth
4. Barbara Ritzl-Rinkenberger
5. Andrew D Farr
6. Yunhao Liu
7. Xue-Xian Zhang
8. Michael Miller
9. Felipe Cava
10. Paul B Rainey
11. Heather L Hendrickson

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study combines convincing evolution experiments with molecular and genetic techniques to study how a genetic lesion in MreB that causes rod-shaped cells to become spherical, with concomitant deleterious fitness effects, can be rescued by natural selection. The detailed mechanistic investigation increases our understanding of how mreB contributes to cell wall synthesis and shows how compensatory mutations may reestablish its homogeneity.

Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

2-oxoglutarate triggers assembly of active dodecameric Methanosarcina mazei glutamine synthetase

1. Eva Herdering
2. Tristan Reif-Trauttmansdorff
3. Anuj Kumar
4. Tim Habenicht
5. Georg Hochberg
6. Stefan Bohn
7. Jan Schuller
8. Ruth Anne Schmitz

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study reveals a novel mechanism of glutamine synthetase (GS) regulation in Methanosarcina mazei, demonstrating that 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) directly promotes GS activity by stabilizing its dodecameric assembly. Using mass photometry, activity assays, and cryo-electron microscopy, the authors show that GS transitions from a dimeric, inactive form at low 2-OG concentrations to a fully active dodecameric complex at saturating 2-OG levels, highlighting 2-OG as a key effector in C/N sensing. The findings are valuable, supported by solid data, and provide new insights into archaeal GS regulation, though further clarification of interactions with known partners like Glnk1 and sp26 is needed.

Reviewed by eLife

Genomic and structural insights into Jyvaskylavirus, the first giant virus isolated from Finland

1. Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida
2. Iker Arriaga
3. Bruna Luiza de Azevedo
4. Miika Leppänen
5. Jonatas S Abrahão
6. Julien Andreani
7. Davide Zabeo
8. Janne J Ravantti
9. Nicola GA Abrescia
10. Lotta-Riina Sundberg

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript describes an important study of the giant virus Jyvaskylavirus. The characterisation presented is compelling. The work will be of interest to virologists working on giant viruses as well as those working with other members of the PRD1/Adenoviridae lineage.

Reviewed by eLife

FtsK is critical for the assembly of the unique divisome complex of the FtsZ-less Chlamydia trachomatis

1. McKenna Harpring
2. Junghoon Lee
3. Guangming Zhong
4. Scot P Ouellette
5. John V Cox

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Understanding how the divisome is assembled in Chlamydia trachomatis, a bacterial pathogen, is crucial since this bacterium has a non-canonical cell wall and lacks the master regulator of cell division, FtsZ. This important study shows that a DNA translocase, FtsK, is an early and essential component of the Chlamydia trachomatis divisome. The evidence presented is convincing, leveraging the elegant use of genetics and fluorescence microscopy. As this role of FtsK is distinct relative to most other bacteria, these findings should be of significant interest to bacterial cell biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Serial ‘deep-sampling’ PCR of fragmented DNA reveals the wide range of Trypanosoma cruzi burden among chronically infected human, macaque, and canine hosts, and allows accurate monitoring of parasite load following treatment

1. Brooke E White
2. Carolyn L Hodo
3. Sarah Hamer
4. Ashley B Saunders
5. Susana A Laucella
6. Daniel B Hall
7. Rick L Tarleton

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important methodological advance to improve the sensitivity of PCR for detecting Trypanosoma cruzi in blood, combining DNA fragmentation, deep sampling, and blood cell pellet analysis. The findings offer solid evidence of enhanced detection sensitivity and shed light on parasite load dynamics during chronic infection in mammalian reservoirs. The evidence is sound for macaques and the method shows promise in expanding detection limits, but there is some variability in the limits of detection and small sample size of human samples. This work will be of interest to parasitologists, epidemiologists, and clinicians using molecular diagnostics to monitor responses to etiological treatments for Chagas disease.

Reviewed by eLife