Microbiology

Paracrine rescue of MYR1-deficient Toxoplasma gondii mutants reveals limitations of pooled in vivo CRISPR screens

1. Francesca Torelli
2. Diogo M da Fonseca
3. Simon W Butterworth
4. Joanna C Young
5. Moritz Treeck

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study shows that Toxoplasma gondii uses paracrine mechanisms, in addition to cell-intrinsic methods, to evade the host immune system, with MYR1 playing a key role in transporting effector molecules into host cells. The authors present convincing evidence that in vivo, MYR1-deficient parasites can be rescued by wild-type parasites, revealing a limitation in pooled CRISPR screens, where such paracrine effects may obscure the identification of key parasite pathways involved in immune evasion

Reviewed by eLife

Green synthesized silver nanoparticles from Moringa : Potential for preventative treatment of SARS-CoV-2 contaminated water

1. Adebayo J. Bello
2. Omorilewa B. Ebunoluwa
3. Rukayat O. Ayorinde
4. Nneka Onyepeju
5. Joseph O. Shaibu
6. Adeniyi R. Adewole
7. Abeebat O. Adewole
8. Olusegun Adedeji
9. Ololade O. Akinnusi
10. Olajumoke B. Oladapo
11. Temitope S. Popoola
12. Oluwamodupe M. Arotiba
13. Joseph B. Minari
14. Luqman A. Adams
15. Joy Okpuzor
16. Mujeeb O. Shittu

Reviewed by preLights

Akkermansia muciniphila identified as key strain to alleviate gut barrier injury through Wnt signaling pathway

1. Xin Ma
2. Meng Li
3. Yuanyuan Zhang
4. Tingting Xu
5. Xinchen Zhou
6. Mengqi Qian
7. Zhiren Yang
8. Xinyan Han

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The work by Han and collaborators describes valuable findings on the role of Akkermansia muciniphila during ETEC infection. If confirmed, these findings will add to a growing list of beneficial properties of this organism. The strength of the evidence used to justify the conclusions in the manuscript is solid, as the analyses broadly support the claims with only minor weaknesses.

Reviewed by eLife

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

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

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