Microbiology

PPARγ mediated enhanced lipid biogenesis fuels Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in a drug-tolerant hepatocyte environment

1. Binayak Sarkar
2. Jyotsna
3. Mohit Yadav
4. Priya Sharma
5. Raman Deep Sharma
6. Shweta Singh
7. Aakash Chandramouli
8. Kritee Mehdiratta
9. Ashwani Kumar
10. Siddhesh S Kamat
11. Devram S Ghorpade
12. Debasisa Mohanty
13. Dhiraj Kumar
14. Rajesh S Gokhale

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental study examines infection of the liver and hepatocytes during tuberculosis infection. The authors convincingly demonstrate that aerosol infection of mice and guinea pigs leads to appreciable infection of the liver as well as the lung. A further strength of the study lies in clinical evaluation of the presence of tuberculosis bacteria in human autopsied liver samples from individuals with miliary tuberculosis and the presence of a clear granuloma-like structure, which will prompt further study.

Reviewed by eLife, preLights

Viral commitment to infection depends on host metabolism

1. Anastasios Marantos
2. Kim Sneppen
3. Stanley Brown
4. Namiko Mitarai

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study shows the impact of the metabolic state of bacteria on phage infection. The experimental results, based on various phages infecting E. coli, are solid and consistent with a two-step adsorption mathematical model, although the detailed evidence supporting this model is currently incomplete. This study should be of interest to the communities working on cell metabolism and on host-pathogen interactions.

Reviewed by eLife

Structure-guided secretome analysis of gall-forming microbes offers insights into effector diversity and evolution

1. Soham Mukhopadhyay
2. Muhammad Asim Javed
3. Jiaxu Wu
4. Edel Perez-Lopez

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important discovery regarding the diversity and evolution of gall-forming microbial effectors. Supported by convincing computational structural predictions and analyses, the research provides insights into the unique mechanisms by which gall-forming microbes exert their pathogenicity in plants. This study also offers guidance that is of value for future studies on pathogen effector function and co-evolution with host plants.

Reviewed by eLife

A SHERLOCK toolbox for eco-epidemiological surveillance of African trypanosomes in domestic pigs from Western Africa

1. Roger Eloiflin
2. Elena Pérez-Antón
3. Aïssata Camara
4. Annick Dujeancourt-Henry
5. Salimatou Boiro
6. Martial N Djetchi
7. Mélika Barkissa Traoré
8. Mathurin Koffi
9. Dramane Kaba
10. Yann Le Pennec
11. Bakary Doukouré
12. Abdoulaye Dansy Camara
13. Moïse Kagbadouno
14. Pascal Campagne
15. Mamadou Camara
16. Vincent Jamonneau
17. Sophie Thévenon
18. Jean-Mathieu Bart
19. Lucy Glover
20. Brice Rotureau

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study reports an advancement in the diagnosis of Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT), which adapts a CRISPR-based diagnostic tool (SHERLOCK4AAT) to detect different trypanosome species responsible for AAT. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing and in line with the current state-of-the-art diagnostics. This study will be of interest to the fields of Epidemiology, Public Health, and Veterinary Medicine.

Reviewed by eLife

Antibiotic potentiation and inhibition of cross-resistance in pathogens associated with cystic fibrosis

1. Nikol Kadeřábková
2. R Christopher D Furniss
3. Evgenia Maslova
4. Kathryn E Potter
5. Lara Eisaiankhongi
6. Patricia Bernal
7. Alain Filloux
8. Cristina Landeta
9. Diego Gonzalez
10. Ronan R McCarthy
11. Despoina AI Mavridou

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study demonstrates that disruption of a common protein-folding system renders drug-resistant clinical bacteria susceptible to antibiotics. The work convincingly shows that targeting protein folding can be used to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens, both by potentiating the efficacy of existing drugs and by therapeutic use of small-molecule inhibitors. This study is significant and timely as it informs on a new strategy that is relevant to microbiologists and clinicians interested in combating antimicrobial resistance.

Reviewed by eLife

Bacterial metabolites induce cell wall remodeling, antifungal resistance, and immune recognition of commensal fungi

1. Faith Anderson Davis
2. Kalpana Singh
3. Joseph M. Krampen
4. Jaidyn A Bryant
5. Kyla S. Ost
6. Shannon E. Righi
7. Marcy J. Balunas
8. Tuo Wang
9. Teresa R. O’Meara

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

A rapid transfer of virions coated with heparan sulfate from the ECM to cell surface CD151 defines a 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 useful study presents interesting observations on the potential importance of extracellular transport of human papillomaviruses along actin protrusions by retrograde flow. The focus on the events of HPV infection between ECM binding and keratinocyte-specific receptor binding is unique and interesting. However, the evidence supporting the conclusions is incomplete, and additional experimental support is needed. Because conclusions drawn regarding HS interactions are largely based on experiments using a single HS mAb, the specificity of this mAb needs to be described in more detail, either based on the literature or further experimentation.

Reviewed by eLife

Spatial integration of sensory input and motor output in Pseudomonas aeruginosa chemotaxis through colocalized distribution

1. Zhengyu Wu
2. Maojin Tian
3. Sanyuan Fu
4. Min Chen
5. Rongjing Zhang
6. Junhua Yuan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study by Wu et al presents convincing data on bacterial cell organization, demonstrating that the two structures that account for bacterial motility - the chemotaxis complex and the flagella - colocalize to the same pole in Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells, and expose the regulation underlying their spatial organization and functioning. This manuscript will be of interest to cell biologists, primarily those studying bacteria.

Reviewed by eLife

The interplay of membrane tension and FtsZ filament condensation on the initiation and progression of cell division in B. subtilis

1. Diego A Ramirez-Diaz
2. Lei Yin
3. Daniela Albanesi
4. Jenny Zheng
5. Diego de Mendoza
6. Ethan C Garner

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental work provides solid evidence that advances our understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying bacterial cell division by examining the role of membrane tension and FtsZ condensation in sequential stages of division. The effect of accDA overexpression on membrane tension was carefully characterized. To further enhance rigor, the authors could consider examining orthogonal perturbations to membrane tension, addressing membrane tension vs. fluidity, and addressing the ability of FtsZ to bend membranes in cells.

Reviewed by eLife

Mycobacterium tuberculosis partitions the Krebs cycle to persist under iron starvation

1. Agnese Serafini
2. Acely Garza-Garcia
3. Davide Sorze
4. Luiz Pedro Sorio de Carvalho
5. Riccardo Manganelli

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This well-designed, valuable study uses isotope tracing to analyse how iron limitation alters TCA cycle metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, revealing potential antibiotic targets for non-replicating bacteria in the host. The findings provide insights into metabolic remodelling under iron-limited conditions. Whilst some of the evidence is solid, the data around the GABA shunt is incomplete, requiring genetic validation, as was done for the glyoxylate shunt. Questions remain about the underlying mechanisms and their specific role in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis.

Reviewed by eLife