Microbiology

Global Release of Translational Repression Across Plasmodium’s Host-to-Vector Transmission Event

1. Kelly T. Rios
2. James P. McGee
3. Aswathy Sebastian
4. Robert L. Moritz
5. Marina Feric
6. Sabrina Absalon
7. Kristian E. Swearingen
8. Scott E. Lindner

Reviewed by Review Commons

Targeting plasmid-encoded proteins that contain immunoglobulin-like domains to combat antimicrobial resistance

1. Alejandro Prieto
2. Luïsa Miró
3. Yago Margolles
4. Manuel Bernabeu
5. David Salguero
6. Susana Merino
7. Joan Tomas
8. Juan Alberto Corbera
9. Anna Perez-Bosque
10. Mario Huttener
11. Luis Ángel Fernández
12. Antonio Juarez

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important and novel study addresses the challenge of antimicrobial resistance by targeting plasmid proteins that interfere with plasmid transfer as a strategy to limit the spread of antibiotic-resistance genes. The evidence presented and the integration of two approaches to tackle antimicrobial resistance is convincing. This work will interest those working on plasmid transfer and antimicrobial resistance.

Reviewed by eLife

Potential pandemic risk of circulating swine H1N2 influenza viruses

1. Valerie Le Sage
2. Nicole C. Rockey
3. Andrea J. French
4. Ryan McBride
5. Kevin R. McCarthy
6. Lora H. Rigatti
7. Meredith J. Shephard
8. Jennifer E. Jones
9. Sydney G. Walter
10. Joshua D. Doyle
11. Lingqing Xu
12. Dominique J. Barbeau
13. Shengyang Wang
14. Sheila A. Frizzell
15. Michael M. Myerburg
16. James C. Paulson
17. Anita K. McElroy
18. Tavis K. Anderson
19. Amy L. Vincent Baker
20. Seema S. Lakdawala

Reviewed by PREreview

In-silico docking platform with serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) structures identifies host cysteine protease targets with significance for SARS-CoV-2

1. Joaquín J Rodriguez Galvan
2. Maren de Vries
3. Shiraz Belblidia
4. Ashley Fisher
5. Rachel A Prescott
6. Keaton M Crosse
7. Walter F. Mangel
8. Ralf Duerr
9. Meike Dittmann

Reviewed by Review Commons

Divergent downstream biosynthetic pathways are supported by L-cysteine synthases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

1. Mehak Zahoor Khan
2. Debbie M Hunt
3. Biplab Singha
4. Yogita Kapoor
5. Nitesh Kumar Singh
6. D V Sai Prasad
7. Sriram Dharmarajan
8. Divya Tej Sowpati
9. Luiz Pedro S de Carvalho
10. Vinay Kumar Nandicoori

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Sulphur atoms derived from cysteine are thought to play significant roles in maintaining redox homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which encounters stresses associated with immune cell interactions. In this valuable manuscript, the authors provide solid evidence that the genes encoding cysteine biosynthetic enzymes (cysM and cysK2) are required to maintain full viability of M. tuberculosis under in vitro stress conditions, macrophage infections, and within the lung tissues of mice. The manuscript presents transcriptomic and metabolomic evidence to support the hypothesis that CysM and CysK2 play distinct roles in maintaining cysteine-derived metabolite pools under stress conditions. The work will be of interest to microbiologists in general.

Reviewed by eLife

Bacteria are a major determinant of Orsay virus transmission and infection in Caenorhabditis elegans

1. Brian G Vassallo
2. Noemie Scheidel
3. Sylvia E J Fischer
4. Dennis H Kim

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Using a C. elegans/virus system, this important work demonstrates that viral susceptibility can be greatly altered by the bacterial food that C. elegans consumes. The work is rigorous with solid support for the conclusions: the authors show that quorum-sensing compounds play a role in reducing host susceptibility, and they perform control experiments to rule out nutrition and pathogenicity of the bacteria as the cause of impacts on viral susceptibility.

Reviewed by eLife

The target of rapamycin signaling pathway regulates vegetative development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus

1. Guoqi Li
2. Xiaohong Cao
3. Elisabeth Tumukunde
4. Qianhua Zeng
5. Shihua Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript provides important information about the influence of TOR signaling pathway on development and aflatoxin production in the plant and human fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus. Compared to an earlier version, the authors have addressed most of the concerns of the reviewers, including the convincing demonstration of the essential TOR pathway in this fungus by constructing a xylose promoter mutant strain.

Reviewed by eLife

Unraveling the gut microbiota of Tibetan chickens: insights into highland adaptation and ecological advantages

1. Tao Zeng
2. Yongqing Cao
3. Jianmei Yin
4. Peishi Feng
5. Yong Tian
6. Hanxue Sun
7. Tiantian Gu
8. Yibo Zong
9. Xueying Ma
10. Zelong Zhao
11. Li Chen
12. Wenwu Xu
13. Wei Han
14. Lizhi Lu

Reviewed by PREreview

Metabolic disruption impairs ribosomal protein levels, resulting in enhanced aminoglycoside tolerance

1. Rauf Shiraliyev
2. Mehmet A Orman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The findings of this study are valuable as they challenge the dogma regarding the link between lowered bacterial metabolism and tolerance to aminoglycosides. The authors propose that the well-known tolerance to AG of mutants such as those of complexes I and II is not due to a decrease in the proton motive force and thus antibiotic uptake. The results presented here are convincing.

Reviewed by eLife

Widespread Horizontal Gene Transfer Among Animal Viruses

1. Christopher B. Buck
2. Nicole Welch
3. Anna K. Belford
4. Arvind Varsani
5. Diana V. Pastrana
6. Michael J. Tisza
7. Gabriel J. Starrett

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study is a computational analysis using publicly available deep sequencing datasets and the findings support the models that propose widespread gene transfer amongst DNA viruses. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, but reproducing the analysis based only on the information as presented in the Materials and Methods would be difficult as the data are currently presented. A Flow chart that details the process would help. This is an almost entirely computational study without experimental evidence but one that has the potential to become a fundamental resource for virus hunters - an activity of increasing importance.

Reviewed by eLife