Microbiology

High-Throughput Quantification of Population Dynamics using Luminescence

1. Malte Muetter
2. Daniel Angst
3. Roland Regoes
4. Sebastian Bonhoeffer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Muetter et al. provide an important argument that luminescence is a reliable, high-throughput alternative to colony-forming units (CFU) for super-MIC investigations, particularly when the quantity of interest is biomass. By examining 20 antimicrobials spanning 11 classes, the work shows that discrepancies between CFU and luminescence are often biological (filamentation, Viable But Not Culturable). The work provides a compelling view of how these three common measurements (luminescence, optical density, and CFU) relate to one another across a range of drug treatments, although testing on clinical isolates could be of further benefit.

Reviewed by eLife

Unlocking new understanding of Plasmodium sporozoite biology with expansion microscopy

1. Benjamin Liffner
2. Thiago Luiz Alves e Silva
3. Elizabeth Glennon
4. Veronica Primavera
5. Elaine Hoffman
6. Alexis Kaushansky
7. Joel Vega-Rodriguez
8. Sabrina Absalon

Reviewed by Review Commons

A rapid transfer of virions coated with heparan sulfate from the ECM to CD151 defines an early step in the human papillomavirus infection cascade

1. Annika Massenberg
2. Yahya Homsi
3. Carl Niklas Schneider
4. Snježana Mikuličić
5. Tatjana Döring
6. Luise Florin
7. Thorsten Lang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable insight into the role of actin protrusions in mediating early pre-endoyctic steps of human papillomavirus entry at the cell surface. Using state-of-the-art microscopy in an immortalized keratinocyte model, the authors present mostly solid evidence that filopodia actively promote the transfer of heparin sulfate-coated virions from the extracullar matrix to the viral entry factor CD151. Remaining gaps in the mechanistic model could be further supported by including a more expansive analysis of the fixed microscopy samples and live cell imaging to distinguish virion transfer from direct binding.

Reviewed by eLife

Unmasking Pathogen Traits for Chronic Colonization in Neurogenic Bladder Patients

1. Seth A. Reasoner
2. Brendan T. Frainey
3. Owen F. Hale
4. Alexandra Borden
5. M. Kyle Graham
6. Elise Turner
7. Lucas R. Brenes
8. Carl B.W. Soderstrom
9. Hamilton Green
10. Jonathan E. Schmitz
11. Michael T. Laub
12. Maryellen S. Kelly
13. Douglass B. Clayton
14. Maria Hadjifrangiskou

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

ZFT is the major iron and zinc transporter in Toxoplasma gondii

1. Dana Aghabi
2. Cecilia Gallego Rubio
3. Miguel Cortijo Martinez
4. Augustin Pouzache
5. Erin J Gibson
6. Lucas Pagura
7. Stephen J Fairweather
8. Giel G van Dooren
9. Clare R Harding

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study identifies a metal transporter in the plasma membrane of the obligate intracellular pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii. Using an array of different approaches, the authors convincingly demonstrate that this transporter mediates iron and zinc uptake and regulates diverse cellular processes, including parasite metabolism and differentiation. This work will be of broad interest to cell biologists and biochemists studying metal ion transport mechanisms.

Reviewed by eLife

Glycolysis-dependent sulfur metabolism orchestrates morphological plasticity and virulence in fungi

1. Dhrumi Shah
2. Nikita Rewatkar
3. Adishree M
4. Siddhi Gupta
5. Sudharsan Mathivathanan
6. Sayantani Biswas
7. Sriram Varahan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work identifies a novel, conserved link between glycolysis and sulfur metabolism that governs fungal morphogenesis and virulence. The compelling evidence, integrating multiple approaches, provides an important conceptual advance. A future mechanistic dissection of how sulfur metabolites interface with known pathways is encouraged.

Reviewed by eLife

Pathogen-Phage Geomapping to Overcome Resistance

1. Camilla Do
2. Keiko C Salazar
3. Justin R Clark
4. Austen L Terwilliger
5. Paul Ruchhoeft
6. Paul Nicholls
7. Anthony W Maresso

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study establishes a workflow based on environmental sampling for the discovery of bacteriophages capable of infecting antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The experimental design, analysis, and results demonstrating the effectiveness of the workflow are convincing, although a broader sampling scheme and more careful framing of the data within the current limitations of viral taxonomy could strengthen the work. This study will interest researchers working on bacterial infections, environmental microbiology, and phage-based alternatives for addressing antimicrobial resistance.

Reviewed by eLife

Symbiont diversity and light-organ morphology in Sepiola affinis

1. Clotilde Bongrand
2. Raphael Lami
3. Marcelino T. Suzuki
4. Eric J. Koch

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

The PPE2 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for the development of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance during tuberculosis

1. Manoj Kumar Bisht
2. Vandana Maurya
3. Priyanka Dahiya
4. Vijaya Lakshmi Valluri
5. Sudip Ghosh
6. Sangita Mukhopadhyay

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable work demonstrates that M. tuberculosis protein PPE2 perturbs adipose tissue biology by modulating adipogenesis, lipolysis, and inflammatory remodeling, thereby contributing to fat loss and insulin resistance during TB. Using M. smegmatis overexpression strains, PPE2-deficient Mtb mutants, and mouse models, the study links PPE2 to downregulation of PPAR-γ, C/EBP-α, adiponectin, and broader transcriptional changes in host fatty acid metabolism. These findings convincingly highlight, for the first time, a direct role for a bacterial virulence factor in TB-associated wasting. However, despite strong associative evidence, the mechanistic basis of PPE2-mediated regulation remains unresolved.

Reviewed by eLife

Targeted disruption of phage liquid crystalline droplets abolishes antibiotic tolerance of bacterial biofilms

1. Abul K. Tarafder
2. Miles Graham
3. Luke K. Davis
4. Shawna Pratt
5. Jan Böhning
6. Pavithra Manivannan
7. Zhexin Wang
8. Camila M. Clemente
9. Raymond J Owens
10. George A. O’Toole
11. Philip Pearce
12. Tanmay A.M. Bharat

Reviewed by Review Commons