Microbiology

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

Rapid bacterial evaluation beyond the colony forming unit in osteomyelitis

1. Qi Sun
2. Kimberley Huynh
3. Dzenita Muratovic
4. Nicholas J Gunn
5. Anja R Zelmer
6. Lucian Bogdan Solomon
7. Gerald J Atkins
8. Dongqing Yang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This fundamental study addresses discrepancies in determining bacterial burden in osteomyelitis as determined by culture and enumeration using DNA. The authors present compelling data demonstrating the emergence of discrepancies between CFU counts and genome copy numbers detected by PCR in Staphylococcus aureus strains infecting osteocyte-like cells. The observations represent a substantial addition to the field of musculoskeletal infection, with possible broad applicability and clinical benefit to other infectious diseases.

Reviewed by eLife

Adaptation of CD4 in gorillas and chimpanzees conveyed resistance to simian immunodeficiency viruses

1. Cody J Warren
2. Arturo Barbachano-Guerrero
3. Vanessa L Bauer
4. Alex Stabell
5. Obaiah Dirasantha
6. Qing Yang
7. Sara L Sawyer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important finding on how lentiviral infection has driven the diversification of the HIV/SIV entry receptor CD4. Using a combination of molecular evolution approaches coupled with functional testing of extant and ancestral reconstructions of great ape CD4, the authors provide solid evidence to support the idea that endemic simian immunodeficiency virus infection in gorillas have selected for gorilla CD4 alleles that are more resistant to SIV infection. Expanding the study to interrogate the evolution and function of additional primate CD4 sequences could yield even stronger evidence.

Reviewed by eLife

Characterization of natural product inhibitors of quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals competitive inhibition of RhlR by ortho -vanillin

1. Kathryn E. Woods
2. Sana Akhter
3. Blanca Rodriguez
4. Kade A. Townsend
5. Nathan Smith
6. Ben Smith
7. Alice Wambua
8. Vaughn Craddock
9. Rhea G. Abisado-Duque
10. Emma E. Santa
11. Daniel E. Manson
12. Berl R. Oakley
13. Lynn E. Hancock
14. Yinglong Miao
15. Helen E. Blackwell
16. Josephine R. Chandler

Reviewed by preLights

Lytic bacteriophages interact with respiratory epithelial cells and induce the secretion of antiviral and proinflammatory cytokines

1. Paula F. Zamora
2. Thomas G. Reidy
3. Catherine R. Armbruster
4. Ming Sun
5. Daria Van Tyne
6. Paul E. Turner
7. Jonathan L. Koff
8. Jennifer M. Bomberger

Reviewed by preLights

Deep mutational scanning reveals functional constraints and antibody-escape potential of Lassa virus glycoprotein complex

1. Caleb R. Carr
2. Katharine H.D. Crawford
3. Michael Murphy
4. Jared G. Galloway
5. Hugh K. Haddox
6. Frederick A. Matsen
7. Kristian G. Andersen
8. Neil P. King
9. Jesse D. Bloom

Reviewed by PREreview

Streptococcus pneumoniae augments circadian clock gene expression in zebrafish cells

1. Camila Morales Fénero
2. Raina E. Sacksteder
3. Jacqueline M. Kimmey

Reviewed by preLights

MOB rules: Antibiotic Exposure Reprograms Metabolism to Mobilize Bacillus subtilis in Competitive Interactions

1. Yongjin Liu
2. Sandra LaBonte
3. Courtney Brake
4. Carol LaFayette
5. Adam P. Rosebrock
6. Amy A. Caudy
7. Paul D. Straight

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This paper reports on the transcriptional changes upon chloramphenicol-induced surface mobility of Bacillus subtilis, a phenomenon that can occur during co-incubation with Streptomyces venezuelae, a chloramphenicol producer. The work presented includes valuable and thorough transcriptomics data, which convincingly indicate that sub-lethal chloramphenicol triggers substantial changes in B. subtilis gene expression. There are, however, significant limitations and concerns whether the documented changes are causal for the phenotypes observed or simply correlated with these phenotypes; additionally, the notion that chloramphenicol triggers a 'division of labor' was incomplete and should be backed up experimentally.

Reviewed by eLife

A packaging signal-binding protein regulates the assembly checkpoint of integrative filamentous phages

1. Ting-Yu Yeh
2. Michael C. Feehley
3. Patrick J. Feehley
4. Vivian Y. Ooi
5. Yi-Yung Hung
6. Shao-Cheng Wang
7. Gregory P. Contreras

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable work describes a new protein factor that is required for filamentous phage assembly. Convincing evidence is provided for the binding of PSB15 to the packaging signal of the single-stranded DNA, Trx, and cardiolipin, and a mechanism for how the phage DNA is targeted to the assembly site in the bacterial inner membrane is presented. The work will be of interest to microbiologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Aspergillus dsRNA virus drives fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host

1. Marina Campos Rocha
2. Vanda Lerer
3. John Adeoye
4. Hilla Hayby
5. Maria Laura Fabre
6. Amelia E. Barber
7. Neta Shlezinger

Reviewed by preLights