Microbiology

Anti-tubercular potential and pH-driven mode of action of salicylic acid derivatives

1. Janïs Laudouze
2. Thomas Francis
3. Emma Forest
4. Frédérique Mies
5. Jean-Michel Bolla
6. Céline Crauste
7. Stéphane Canaan
8. Vadim Shlyonsky
9. Pierre Santucci
10. Jean-François Cavalier

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

Late killing of Plasmodium berghei sporozoites in the liver by an anti-circumsporozoite protein antibody

1. Manuela C Aguirre-Botero
2. Olga Pacios
3. Susanna Celli
4. Eduardo Aliprandini
5. Anisha Gladston
6. Jean-Michel Thiberge
7. Pauline Formaglio
8. Rogerio Amino

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study shows that a monoclonal antibody against the repetitive region of the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of the Malaria-causing parasite P. berghei has neutralizing activity on parasite invasion and development. The authors present convincing in vivo data confirming previous in vitro work, that suggested the intracellular post -invasion effect for this antibody. The findings offer insights into the inhibitory action of this anti-CSP antibody, which could inform the development of more effective malaria vaccines and therapeutic antibodies."

  [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

Induction of hepatitis B core protein aggregation targeting an unconventional binding site

1. Vladimir Khayenko
2. Cihan Makbul
3. Clemens Schulte
4. Naomi Hemmelmann
5. Sonja Kachler
6. Bettina Böttcher
7. Hans Michael Maric

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable work presents an interesting strategy to interfere with the HBV infectious cycle as it identifies two previously unexplored HBc-Ag binding pockets. The experimental data is compelling and opens the door to generating and testing novel anti-HBV therapies.

Reviewed by eLife

ATP burst is the dominant driver of antibiotic lethality in Mycobacterium smegmatis

1. Tejan Lodhiya
2. Aseem Palande
3. Anjali Veeram
4. Gerald J Larrouy-Maumus
5. Dany JV Beste
6. Raju Mukherjee

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In this important work, Lodhiya et al. provide evidence that excessive ATP underlies the killing of the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis by two mechanistically-distinct antibiotics. The data are generally solid as the authors deploy multiple, orthogonal readouts and methods for manipulating reactive oxygen species and ATP. The work will be of interest to those studying antibiotic mechanisms of action.

Reviewed by eLife

Artesunate, EDTA, and colistin work synergistically against MCR-negative and -positive colistin-resistant Salmonella

1. Yajun Zhai
2. Peiyi Liu
3. Xueqin Hu
4. Changjian Fan
5. Xiaodie Cui
6. Qibiao He
7. Dandan He
8. Xiaoyuan Ma
9. Gongzheng Hu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study addresses the growing threat of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens by focusing on the enhanced efficacy of colistin when combined with artesunate and EDTA against colistin-resistant Salmonella strains. The evidence is solid, supported by comprehensive microbiological assays, molecular analyses, and in vivo experiments demonstrating the effectiveness of this synergic combination.

Reviewed by eLife

Aeromonas hydrophila CobQ is a new type of NAD+- and Zn2+-independent protein lysine deacetylase

1. Yuqian Wang
2. Guibin Wang
3. Lishan Zhang
4. Qilan Cai
5. Meizhen Lin
6. Dongping Huang
7. Yuyue Xie
8. Wenxiong Lin
9. Xiangmin Lin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In this valuable study, the authors studied a novel Zn2+- and NAD+-independent KDAC protein, AhCobQ, in Aeromonas hydrophila, which lacks homology with eukaryotic counterparts, thus underscoring its unique evolutionary trajectory within the bacterial domain. They attempt to demonstrate deacetylase activity, however, whilst the revised manuscript has been improved, significant aspects of the data are still incomplete and require further refinement. The work will be of interest to microbiologists studying metabolism and post-translational modifications.

Reviewed by eLife

MftG is crucial for ethanol metabolism of mycobacteria by linking mycofactocin oxidation to respiration

1. Ana Patrícia Graça
2. Vadim Nikitushkin
3. Mark Ellerhorst
4. Cláudia Vilhena
5. Tilman E Klassert
6. Andreas Starick
7. Malte Siemers
8. Walid K Al-Jammal
9. Ivan Vilotijevic
10. Hortense Slevogt
11. Kai Papenfort
12. Gerald Lackner

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Graca et al. reports a fundamental missing link in the ethanol metabolism of mycobacteria and illuminates the role of a flavoprotein dehydrogenase that acts as an electron shuttle between an uncommon redox cofactor and the electron transport chain. Overall, the data presented are compelling, supported by a range of well designed and meticulous experiments. The findings will be of broad interest to researchers investigating bacterial metabolism.

Reviewed by eLife

Coordinated regulation of chemotaxis and resistance to copper by CsoR in Pseudomonas putida

1. Meina He
2. Yongxin Tao
3. Kexin Mu
4. Haoqi Feng
5. Ying Fan
6. Tong Liu
7. Qiaoyun Huang
8. Yujie Xiao
9. Wenli Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Data presented in this useful report suggest a potentially new model for chemotaxis regulation in the gram-negative bacterium P. putida. Data supporting interactions between CheA and the copper-binding protein CsoR, reveal potential mechanisms for coordinating chemotaxis and copper resistance. There was, however, concern about the large number of CheA interactors identified in the initial screen and it was felt that the study was incomplete without a substantial number of additional experiments to test the model and bolster the authors' conclusions.

Reviewed by eLife

Validation of DXS as an attractive drug target in mycobacteria

1. T Maila
2. M Nicolaai
3. R.D Mbau
4. G.T.M Mashabela

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

Persistent cross-species transmission systems dominate Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 epidemiology in a high incidence region: A genomic epidemiology study

1. Gillian AM Tarr
2. Linda Chui
3. Kim Stanford
4. Emmanuel W Bumunang
5. Rahat Zaheer
6. Vincent Li
7. Stephen B Freedman
8. Chad R Laing
9. Tim A McAllister

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study revealed numerous distinct lineages that evolved within a local human population in Alberta, Canada, leading to persistent cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections for over a decade and highlighting the ongoing involvement of local cattle in disease transmission, as well as the possibility of intermediate hosts and environmental reservoirs. This study also showed a shift towards more virulent stx2a-only strains becoming predominant in the local lineages. The evidence supporting the role played by cattle in the transmission system of human cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Alberta is solid.

Reviewed by eLife