{"title":"The Role of Chromatin and Transcriptional Control in the Formation of Sexual Fruiting Bodies in Fungi.","authors":"Minou Nowrousian","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00104-22","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00104-22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungal fruiting bodies are complex, three-dimensional structures that arise from a less complex vegetative mycelium. Their formation requires the coordinated action of many genes and their gene products, and fruiting body formation is accompanied by major changes in the transcriptome. In recent years, numerous transcription factor genes as well as chromatin modifier genes that play a role in fruiting body morphogenesis were identified, and through research on several model organisms, the underlying regulatory networks that integrate chromatin structure, gene expression, and cell differentiation are becoming clearer. This review gives a summary of the current state of research on the role of transcriptional control and chromatin structure in fruiting body development. In the first part, insights from transcriptomics analyses are described, with a focus on comparative transcriptomics. In the second part, examples of more detailed functional characterizations of the role of chromatin modifiers and/or transcription factors in several model organisms (Neurospora crassa, Aspergillus nidulans, Sordaria macrospora, Coprinopsis cinerea, and Schizophyllum commune) that have led to a better understanding of regulatory networks at the level of chromatin structure and transcription are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0010422"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9769939/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9549194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pheromone Response and Mating Behavior in Fission Yeast.","authors":"Taisuke Seike, Hironori Niki","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00130-22","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00130-22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most ascomycete fungi, including the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, secrete two peptidyl mating pheromones: C-terminally modified and unmodified peptides. S. pombe has two mating types, plus and minus, which secrete two different pheromones, P-factor (unmodified) and M-factor (modified), respectively. These pheromones are specifically recognized by receptors on the cell surface of cells of opposite mating types, which trigger a pheromone response. Recognition between pheromones and their corresponding receptors is important for mate discrimination; therefore, genetic changes in pheromone or receptor genes affect mate recognition and cause reproductive isolation that limits gene flow between populations. Such genetic variation in recognition via the pheromone/receptor system may drive speciation. Our recent studies reported that two pheromone receptors in S. pombe might have different stringencies in pheromone recognition. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanism of pheromone response and mating behavior, emphasizing pheromone diversification and its impact on reproductive isolation in S. pombe and closely related fission yeast species. We speculate that the \"asymmetric\" system might allow flexible adaptation to pheromone mutational changes while maintaining stringent recognition of mating partners. The loss of pheromone activity results in the extinction of an organism's lineage. Therefore, genetic changes in pheromones and their receptors may occur gradually and/or coincidently before speciation. Our findings suggest that the M-factor plays an important role in partner discrimination, whereas P-factor communication allows flexible adaptation to create variations in S. pombe. Our inferences provide new insights into the evolutionary mechanisms underlying pheromone diversification.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0013022"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9769774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10458957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bin Zhu, Zhi Tao, Laahirie Edupuganti, Myrna G Serrano, Gregory A Buck
{"title":"Roles of the Microbiota of the Female Reproductive Tract in Gynecological and Reproductive Health.","authors":"Bin Zhu, Zhi Tao, Laahirie Edupuganti, Myrna G Serrano, Gregory A Buck","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00181-21","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00181-21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The microbiome of the female reproductive tract defies the convention that high biodiversity is a hallmark of an optimal ecosystem. Although not universally true, a homogeneous vaginal microbiome composed of species of <i>Lactobacillus</i> is generally associated with health, whereas vaginal microbiomes consisting of other taxa are generally associated with dysbiosis and a higher risk of disease. The past decade has seen a rapid advancement in our understanding of these unique biosystems. Of particular interest, substantial effort has been devoted to deciphering how members of the microbiome of the female reproductive tract impact pregnancy, with a focus on adverse outcomes, including but not limited to preterm birth. Herein, we review recent research efforts that are revealing the mechanisms by which these microorganisms of the female reproductive tract influence gynecologic and reproductive health of the female reproductive tract.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0018121"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9769908/pdf/mmbr.00181-21.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9752398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enforcement of Postzygotic Species Boundaries in the Fungal Kingdom.","authors":"Jui-Yu Chou, Po-Chen Hsu, Jun-Yi Leu","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00098-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00098-22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the molecular basis of speciation is a primary goal in evolutionary biology. The formation of the postzygotic reproductive isolation that causes hybrid dysfunction, thereby reducing gene flow between diverging populations, is crucial for speciation. Using various advanced approaches, including chromosome replacement, hybrid introgression and transcriptomics, population genomics, and experimental evolution, scientists have revealed multiple mechanisms involved in postzygotic barriers in the fungal kingdom. These results illuminate both unique and general features of fungal speciation. Our review summarizes experiments on fungi exploring how Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibility, killer meiotic drive, chromosome rearrangements, and antirecombination contribute to postzygotic reproductive isolation. We also discuss possible evolutionary forces underlying different reproductive isolation mechanisms and the potential roles of the evolutionary arms race under the Red Queen hypothesis and epigenetic divergence in speciation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0009822"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9769731/pdf/mmbr.00098-22.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10574142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marie Schöpping, Ahmad A Zeidan, Carl Johan Franzén
{"title":"Stress Response in Bifidobacteria.","authors":"Marie Schöpping, Ahmad A Zeidan, Carl Johan Franzén","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00170-21","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00170-21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bifidobacteria naturally inhabit diverse environments, including the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals. Members of the genus are of considerable scientific interest due to their beneficial effects on health and, hence, their potential to be used as probiotics. By definition, probiotic cells need to be viable despite being exposed to several stressors in the course of their production, storage, and administration. Examples of common stressors encountered by probiotic bifidobacteria include oxygen, acid, and bile salts. As bifidobacteria are highly heterogenous in terms of their tolerance to these stressors, poor stability and/or robustness can hamper the industrial-scale production and commercialization of many strains. Therefore, interest in the stress physiology of bifidobacteria has intensified in recent decades, and many studies have been established to obtain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying their stability and robustness. By complementing traditional methodologies, omics technologies have opened new avenues for enhancing the understanding of the defense mechanisms of bifidobacteria against stress. In this review, we summarize and evaluate the current knowledge on the multilayered responses of bifidobacteria to stressors, including the most recent insights and hypotheses. We address the prevailing stressors that may affect the cell viability during production and use as probiotics. Besides phenotypic effects, molecular mechanisms that have been found to underlie the stress response are described. We further discuss strategies that can be applied to improve the stability of probiotic bifidobacteria and highlight knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0017021"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9769877/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10821106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Feiss, Ryland Young, Jolene Ramsey, Sankar Adhya, Costa Georgopoulos, Roger W Hendrix, Graham F Hatfull, Eddie B Gilcrease, Sherwood R Casjens
{"title":"Hybrid Vigor: Importance of Hybrid λ Phages in Early Insights in Molecular Biology.","authors":"Michael Feiss, Ryland Young, Jolene Ramsey, Sankar Adhya, Costa Georgopoulos, Roger W Hendrix, Graham F Hatfull, Eddie B Gilcrease, Sherwood R Casjens","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00124-21","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00124-21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Laboratory-generated hybrids between phage λ and related phages played a seminal role in establishment of the λ model system, which, in turn, served to develop many of the foundational concepts of molecular biology, including gene structure and control. Important λ hybrids with phages 21 and 434 were the earliest of such phages. To understand the biology of these hybrids in full detail, we determined the complete genome sequences of phages 21 and 434. Although both genomes are canonical members of the λ-like phage family, they both carry unsuspected bacterial virulence gene types not previously described in this group of phages. In addition, we determined the sequences of the hybrid phages λ <i>imm21,</i> λ <i>imm434</i>, and λ <i>h434 imm21.</i> These sequences show that the replacements of λ DNA by nonhomologous segments of 21 or 434 DNA occurred through homologous recombination in adjacent sequences that are nearly identical in the parental phages. These five genome sequences correct a number of errors in published sequence fragments of the 21 and 434 genomes, and they point out nine nucleotide differences from Sanger's original λ sequence that are likely present in most extant λ strains in laboratory use today. We discuss the historical importance of these hybrid phages in the development of fundamental tenets of molecular biology and in some of the earliest gene cloning vectors. The 434 and 21 genomes reinforce the conclusion that the genomes of essentially all natural λ-like phages are mosaics of sequence modules from a pool of exchangeable segments.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 4","pages":"e0012421"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9799177/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10858789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clara Lambert, Claire Poyart, Alexandra Gruss, Agnes Fouet
{"title":"FabT, a Bacterial Transcriptional Repressor That Limits Futile Fatty Acid Biosynthesis.","authors":"Clara Lambert, Claire Poyart, Alexandra Gruss, Agnes Fouet","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00029-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00029-22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phospholipids are vital membrane constituents that determine cell functions and interactions with the environment. For bacterial pathogens, rapid adjustment of phospholipid composition to changing conditions during infection can be crucial for growth and survival. Fatty acid synthesis (FASII) regulators are central to this process. This review puts the spotlight on FabT, a MarR-family regulator of FASII characterized in streptococci, enterococci, and lactococci. Roles of FabT in virulence, as reported in mouse and nonhuman primate infection models, will be discussed. We present FabT structure, the FabT regulon, and changes in FabT regulation according to growth conditions. A unique feature of FabT concerns its modulation by an unconventional corepressor, acyl-acyl-carrier protein (ACP). Some bacteria express two ACP proteins, which are distinguished by their interactions with endogenous or exogenous fatty acid sources, one of which causes strong FabT repression. This system seems to allow preferred use of environmental fatty acids, thereby saving energy by limiting futile FASII activity. Control of <i>fabT</i> expression and FabT activity link various metabolic pathways to FASII. The various physiological consequences of FabT loss summarized here suggest that FabT has potential as a narrow range therapeutic target.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 3","pages":"e0002922"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9491164/pdf/mmbr.00029-22.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9702821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lavinia J González Aparicio, Carolina B López, Sébastien A Felt
{"title":"A Virus Is a Community: Diversity within Negative-Sense RNA Virus Populations.","authors":"Lavinia J González Aparicio, Carolina B López, Sébastien A Felt","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00086-21","DOIUrl":"10.1128/mmbr.00086-21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Negative-sense RNA virus populations are composed of diverse viral components that interact to form a community and shape the outcome of virus infections. At the genomic level, RNA virus populations consist not only of a homogeneous population of standard viral genomes but also of an extremely large number of genome variants, termed viral quasispecies, and nonstandard viral genomes, which include copy-back viral genomes, deletion viral genomes, mini viral RNAs, and hypermutated RNAs. At the particle level, RNA virus populations are composed of pleomorphic particles, particles missing or having additional genomes, and single particles or particle aggregates. As we continue discovering more about the components of negative-sense RNA virus populations and their crucial functions during virus infection, it will become more important to study RNA virus populations as a whole rather than their individual parts. In this review, we will discuss what is known about the components of negative-sense RNA virus communities, speculate how the components of the virus community interact, and summarize what vaccines and antiviral therapies are being currently developed to target or harness these components.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 3","pages":"e0008621"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9491172/pdf/mmbr.00086-21.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9705327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reflections on Cyanobacterial Chromatic Acclimation: Exploring the Molecular Bases of Organismal Acclimation and Motivation for Rethinking the Promotion of Equity in STEM.","authors":"Beronda L Montgomery","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00106-21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00106-21","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms that exhibit characteristic acclimation and developmental responses to dynamic changes in the external light environment. Photomorphogenesis is the tuning of cellular physiology, development, morphology, and metabolism in response to external light cues. The tuning of photosynthetic pigmentation, carbon fixation capacity, and cellular and filament morphologies to changes in the prevalent wavelengths and abundance of light have been investigated to understand the regulation and fitness implications of different aspects of cyanobacterial photomorphogenesis. Chromatic acclimation (CA) is the most common form of photomorphogenesis that has been explored in cyanobacteria. Multiple types of CA in cyanobacteria have been reported, and insights gained into the regulatory pathways and networks controlling some of these CA types. I examine the recent expansion of CA types that occur in nature and provide an overview of known regulatory factors involved in distinct aspects of cyanobacterial photomorphogenesis. Additionally, I explore lessons for cultivating success in scientific communities that can be drawn from a reflection on existing knowledge of and approaches to studying CA.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 3","pages":"e0010621"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9491170/pdf/mmbr.00106-21.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9756035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pradip Kumar Singh, Janay Little, Michael S Donnenberg
{"title":"Landmark Discoveries and Recent Advances in Type IV Pilus Research.","authors":"Pradip Kumar Singh, Janay Little, Michael S Donnenberg","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00076-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00076-22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Type IV pili (T4P) are retractable multifunctional nanofibers present on the surface of numerous bacterial and archaeal species. Their importance to microbiology is difficult to overstate. The scientific journey leading to our current understanding of T4P structure and function has included many innovative research milestones. Although multiple T4P reviews over the years have emphasized recent advances, we find that current reports often omit many of the landmark discoveries in this field. Here, we attempt to highlight chronologically the most important work on T4P, from the discovery of pili to the application of sophisticated contemporary methods, which has brought us to our current state of knowledge. As there remains much to learn about the complex machine that assembles and retracts T4P, we hope that this review will increase the interest of current researchers and inspire innovative progress.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":"86 3","pages":"e0007622"},"PeriodicalIF":12.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9491203/pdf/mmbr.00076-22.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9520532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}