Microbiology

Discovery of antimicrobial peptides in the global microbiome with machine learning

1. Célio Dias Santos-Júnior
2. Marcelo D.T. Torres
3. Yiqian Duan
4. Álvaro Rodríguez del Río
5. Thomas S.B. Schmidt
6. Hui Chong
7. Anthony Fullam
8. Michael Kuhn
9. Chengkai Zhu
10. Amy Houseman
11. Jelena Somborski
12. Anna Vines
13. Xing-Ming Zhao
14. Peer Bork
15. Jaime Huerta-Cepas
16. Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez
17. Luis Pedro Coelho

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Metabolic diversity in commensal protists regulates intestinal immunity and trans-kingdom competition

1. Elias R. Gerrick
2. Soumaya Zlitni
3. Patrick T. West
4. Matthew M. Carter
5. Claire M. Mechler
6. Matthew R. Olm
7. Elisa B. Caffrey
8. Jessica A. Li
9. Steven K. Higginbottom
10. Christopher J. Severyn
11. Frauke Kracke
12. Alfred M. Spormann
13. Justin L. Sonnenburg
14. Ami S. Bhatt
15. Michael R. Howitt

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Analysis of CDPK1 targets identifies a trafficking adaptor complex that regulates microneme exocytosis in Toxoplasma

1. Alex W Chan
2. Malgorzata Broncel
3. Eden Yifrach
4. Nicole R Haseley
5. Sundeep Chakladar
6. Elena Andree
7. Alice L Herneisen
8. Emily Shortt
9. Moritz Treeck
10. Sebastian Lourido

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii significantly advances our understanding of calcium signaling mediated by the kinase CDPK1 in this species. The authors' conclusions are supported by convincing evidence, with rigorous biochemical experiments and microscopy analysis. The work will be of broad interest to researchers in the fields of signal transduction and protozoan biology.

Reviewed by eLife

Non-invasive Analysis of Peptidoglycan from Living Animals

1. Karl L. Ocius
2. Sree H. Kolli
3. Saadman S. Ahmad
4. Jules M. Dressler
5. Mahendra D. Chordia
6. Brandon L. Jutras
7. Melanie R. Rutkowski
8. Marcos M. Pires

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Characterization of a selective, iron-chelating antifungal compound that disrupts fungal metabolism and synergizes with fluconazole

1. Jeanne Corrales
2. Lucia Ramos-Alonso
3. Javier González-Sabín
4. Nicolás Ríos-Lombardía
5. Nuria Trevijano-Contador
6. Henriette Engen Berg
7. Frøydis Sved Skottvoll
8. Francisco Moris
9. Oscar Zaragoza
10. Pierre Chymkowitch
11. Ignacio Garcia
12. Jorrit M. Enserink

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Secretory protein Rv1987, a ‘probable chitinase’ from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a novel chitin and cellulose binding protein lacking enzymatic function

1. Chiranth M. Prakash
2. Vani Janakiraman

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Glycan-specific IgM is critical for human immunity to Staphylococcus aureus

1. Astrid Hendriks
2. Priscilla F. Kerkman
3. Meri R.J. Varkila
4. Jelle L.G. Haitsma-Mulier
5. Sara Ali
6. Thijs ten Doesschate
7. Thomas W. van der Vaart
8. Carla J.C. de Haas
9. Piet C. Aerts
10. Olaf L. Cremer
11. Marc J.M. Bonten
12. Victor Nizet
13. George Y. Liu
14. Jeroen D.C. Codée
15. Suzan H.M. Rooijakkers
16. Jos A.G. van Strijp
17. Nina M. van Sorge

Reviewed by preLights

Diverse evolutionary pathways challenge the use of collateral sensitivity as a strategy to suppress resistance

1. Rebecca EK Mandt
2. Madeline R Luth
3. Mark A Tye
4. Ralph Mazitschek
5. Sabine Ottilie
6. Elizabeth A Winzeler
7. Maria Jose Lafuente-Monasterio
8. Francisco Javier Gamo
9. Dyann F Wirth
10. Amanda K Lukens

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study addresses an important question in the field of antimicrobial chemotherapy: whether combinations of enzyme inhibitors that select for mutations that confer resistance to one inhibitor and at the same time increased sensitization to the other inhibitor can provide a path towards mitigating resistance risks. The authors here investigated one such combination of inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum DHODH (dihydroorotate dehydrogenase), finding that despite "collateral sensitivity", it was still possible to select a mutation that mediated resistance to both inhibitors without any change in parasite fitness. Additional cross-susceptibility and structural modeling strengthen this study, which is performed to a high technical standard and presents a convincing body of data.

Reviewed by eLife

Candida albicans exhibits heterogeneous and adaptive cytoprotective responses to antifungal compounds

1. Vanessa Dumeaux
2. Samira Massahi
3. Van Bettauer
4. Austin Mottola
5. Anna Dukovny
6. Sanny Singh Khurdia
7. Anna Carolina Borges Pereira Costa
8. Raha Parvizi Omran
9. Shawn Simpson
10. Jinglin Lucy Xie
11. Malcolm Whiteway
12. Judith Berman
13. Michael T Hallett

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The valuable study by Dumeaux et al examines the transcriptional response to antifungal treatment in the major opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Using solid methodology, including a novel droplet-based single cell transcriptomics platform, the authors report that fungal cells exhibit heterogeneity in their transcriptional response to antifungal drug treatment. The ability to study the trajectories of individual cells in a high-throughput manner provides a novel perspective on studying the emergence of drug tolerance and resistance in fungal pathogens.

Reviewed by eLife

A tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis facilitates optimal intracellular growth

1. Francesca G Tomasi
2. Satoshi Kimura
3. Eric J Rubin
4. Matthew K Waldor

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This is a valuable addition to the literature as it helps us understand the role of tRNA modifying enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By knocking out one of the enzymes, the authors convincingly demonstrate the importance of tRNA-modifying enzymes for intra-host growth of tubercle bacteria. Some of the claims regarding modification as well as the role in virulence could be strengthened through further bioinformatics and phylogenetic analyses as well as experimental approaches. The work will be of interest to microbiologists.

Reviewed by eLife