Microbiology

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

Two Vibrio species co-colonize a morphologically complex symbiotic light organ

1. Clotilde Bongrand
2. Raphaël 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

Membrane affinity difference between MinD monomer and dimer is not crucial for MinD gradient formation in Bacillus subtilis

1. Laura C Bohorquez
2. Henrik Strahl
3. Davide Marenduzzo
4. Martin J Thiele
5. Frank Burmann
6. Leendert Hamoen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In the gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis, the membrane associated ParA family member MinD, concentrates the division inhibitor MinC at cell poles where it prevents aberrant division events. This important study presents compelling data suggesting that polar localization of MinCD is largely due to differences in diffusion rates between monomeric and dimeric MinD. This finding is exciting as it negates the necessity for a third, localization determinant, in this system as has been proposed by previous investigations.

Reviewed by eLife

Microbial Feast or Famine: dietary carbohydrate composition and gut microbiota metabolic function

1. Blake Dirks
2. Alex E. Mohr
3. Karen D. Corbin
4. Elvis A. Carnero
5. Steven R. Smith
6. Corrie M. Whisner
7. Bruce E. Rittmann
8. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown

Reviewed by preLights

Dynamic protrusions mediate unique crawling motility in Asgard Archaea (Promethearchaeota)

1. Philipp Radler
2. Tobias Viehboeck
3. Zhen-Hao Luo
4. Nevena Maslać
5. Katharina Schmidt
6. Robert Hauschild
7. Masaru Nobu
8. Silvia Bulgheresi
9. Theresia E.B. Stradal
10. Klemens Rottner
11. Hiroyuki Imachi
12. Michael Sixt
13. Christa Schleper

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

A system for functional studies of the major virulence factor of malaria parasites

1. Jakob Cronshagen
2. Johannes Allweier
3. Joëlle Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
4. Jan Stäcker
5. Anna Viktoria Vaaben
6. Gala Ramón-Zamorano
7. Isabel Naranjo-Prado
8. Max Graser
9. Patricia López-Barona
10. Susann Ofori
11. Pascal WTC Jansen
12. Joëlle Hornebeck
13. Florian Kieferle
14. Agnes Murk
15. Elicia Martin
16. Carolina Castro-Peña
17. Richárd Bártfai
18. Thomas Lavstsen
19. Iris Bruchhaus
20. Tobias Spielmann

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study introduces an important approach using selection linked integration (SLI) to generate Plasmodium falciparum lines expressing single, specific surface adhesins PfEMP1 variants, enabling precise study of PfEMP1 trafficking, receptor binding, and cytoadhesion. By moving the system to different parasite strains and introducing an advanced SLI2 system for additional genomic edits, this work provides compelling evidence for an innovative and rigorous platform to explore PfEMP1 biology and identify novel proteins essential for malaria pathogenesis including immune evasion.

Reviewed by eLife

Loss of the s2U tRNA modification induces antibiotic tolerance and is linked to changes in ribosomal protein expression

1. Katherine L Cotten
2. Abigail McShane
3. Peter C Dedon
4. Thomas J Begley
5. Kimberly M Davis

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental work examines how tRNA modifications influence antibiotic tolerance, providing novel insights that may have therapeutic uses. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing. Strengths of the manuscript include the mechanism of tRNA modification influencing antibiotic tolerance and the precise measurement techniques used throughout. Further analysis of growth rate impacts and specific identification of the proteins responsible for the effect would further strengthen the manuscript.

Reviewed by eLife