Microbiology

Engineering probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 to block transfer of multiple antibiotic resistance genes by exploiting a type I CRISPR-Cas system

1. Mengdie Fang
2. Ruiting Zhang
3. Chenyu Wang
4. Zhizhi Liu
5. Mingyue Fei
6. Biao Tang
7. Hua Yang
8. Dongchang Sun

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

SPARK regulates AGC kinases central to the Toxoplasma gondii asexual cycle

1. Alice L Herneisen
2. Michelle L Peters
3. Tyler A Smith
4. Emily Shortt
5. Sebastian Lourido

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This fundamental study identifies protein kinases in the parasitic protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii that are required for parasite invasion of host cells and differentiation to drug-resistant chronic stages. The use of advanced proteomic and functional approaches provides compelling evidence for the proposed signalling pathway, although additional analyses are needed to fully validate some findings. The work will be of broad interest to cell biologists and parasitologists with an interest in cell signalling and environmental sensing.

Reviewed by eLife

Rifampicin tolerance and growth fitness among isoniazid-resistant clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from a longitudinal study

1. Srinivasan Vijay
2. Nguyen Le Hoai Bao
3. Dao Nguyen Vinh
4. Le Thanh Hoang Nhat
5. Do Dang Anh Thu
6. Nguyen Le Quang
7. Le Pham Tien Trieu
8. Hoang Ngoc Nhung
9. Vu Thi Ngoc Ha
10. Phan Vuong Khac Thai
11. Dang Thi Minh Ha
12. Nguyen Huu Lan
13. Maxine Caws
14. Guy E Thwaites
15. Babak Javid
16. Nguyen Thuy Thuong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study demonstrates that there is significant variation in the susceptibility of isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates to killing by rifampicin, in some cases at the same tolerance levels as bona fide resistant strains. The evidence provided is solid, with no clear genetic marker for increased tolerance, suggesting that there may be multiple routes to achieving this phenotype. The work will be of interest to infectious disease researchers.

Reviewed by eLife

Functional genomics reveals the mechanism of hypoxic adaptation in nontuberculous mycobacteria

1. Yoshitaka Tateishi
2. Yuriko Ozeki
3. Akihito Nishiyama
4. Yuta Morishige
5. Yusuke Minato
6. Anthony D Baughn
7. Sohkichi Matsumoto

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This descriptive study reports the genetic requirements for growth and fitness of multiple clinical strains of a relatively understudied species of mycobacteria, Mycobacterium intracellulare. The findings are valuable however, the study is incomplete as the primary claims related to hypoxia adaptation need additional experimental support and data presentation requires more clarity. The work will be of interest to microbiologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Altering the redox status of Chlamydia trachomatis directly impacts its developmental cycle progression

1. Vandana Singh
2. Scot P. Ouellette

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  In this valuable study, the authors propose a model wherein the bacterial redox state plays a crucial role in the differentiation of Chlamydia trachomatis into elementary and reticulate bodies. They provide evidence to argue that a highly oxidising environment favours the formation of elementary bodies while a reducing condition slows down development. Whilst aspects related to the role of AhpC in regulating redox, and implications on differentiation, are solid, more precise measurements of the redox potential are required to convincingly demonstrate the role of redox in developmental progression.

Reviewed by eLife

Addition of Soil Protists Enhances Performance of Agrochemical Seed Treatments

1. Christopher J. Hawxhurst
2. Travis McClure
3. Daniel Kirk
4. Mikhael Shor
5. Daniel J. Gage
6. Leslie M. Shor

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Recombinant origin and interspecies transmission of a HERV-K(HML-2)-related primate retrovirus with a novel RNA transport element

1. Zachary H Williams
2. Alvaro Dafonte Imedio
3. Lea Gaucherand
4. Derek C Lee
5. Salwa Mohd Mostafa
6. James P Phelan
7. John M Coffin
8. Welkin E Johnson

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This work is a bioinformatic analysis of HML-2-like proviruses found in the genomes of Rhesus Macaques, which convincingly argues that an HML-2 provirus underwent an ancient recombination event with a HERV-K (HML-8) related virus. The authors also provide data to suggest that the recombinant retrovirus may have acquired a distinct mechanism for the regulation of expression of spliced and unspliced transcripts. This paper should be of broad interest to virologists as it uses molecular 'fossil-like' evidence contained in the genomes of modern pirates to document the generation of what could be considered a previously undescribed retrovirus species, through recombination.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

CyAbrB2 is a nucleoid-associated protein in Synechocystis controlling hydrogenase expression during fermentation

1. Ryo Kariyazono
2. Takashi Osanai

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The authors provide solid data on a functional investigation of potential nucleoid-associated proteins and the modulation of chromosomal conformation in a model cyanobacterium. These valuable findings will be of interest to the chromosome and microbiology fields. Additional analysis and the tempering of conclusions has helped to improve the work, although further refinement remains possible.

Reviewed by eLife

Evolutionary rescue of spherical mreB deletion mutants of the rod-shape bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25

1. Paul Richard Yulo
2. Nicolas Desprat
3. Monica L. Gerth
4. Barbara Ritzl-Rinkenberger
5. Andrew D Farr
6. Yunhao Liu
7. Xue-Xian Zhang
8. Michael Miller
9. Felipe Cava
10. Paul B. Rainey
11. Heather L Hendrickson

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study combines evolution experiments with molecular and genetic techniques to study how a genetic lesion in MreB that causes rod-shape cells to become spherical, with concomitant deleterious fitness effects, can be rescued by natural selection. The results are convincing, although the statistical analyses and figure presentation could be improved, and the concrete contribution of the paper and how it relates to previous literature clarified.

Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

Essential Roles of RodA Peptidoglycan Polymerase and PBP2 Transpeptidase in Expression of Cell Wall-Spanning Supramolecular Organelles and Modulating Salmonella Virulence

1. Anne C. Doble
2. Bethany C Gollan
3. John Clark-Corrigall
4. David M. Bulmer
5. Richard A Daniel
6. Pietro Mastroeni
7. C. M. Anjam Khan

Reviewed by Arcadia Science