Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-09-05DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.006
Yi Liu, Claudia Blanco-Toral, Gerald Larrouy-Maumus
{"title":"The role of cyclic nucleotides in bacterial antimicrobial resistance and tolerance.","authors":"Yi Liu, Claudia Blanco-Toral, Gerald Larrouy-Maumus","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nucleotide signalling molecules - mainly cyclic 3',5'-adenosine phosphate (cAMP), bis-(3',5')-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), and bis-(3',5')-cyclic diadenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) - contribute to the regulation of cellular pathways. Numerous recent works have focused on the involvement of these cyclic nucleotide phosphates (cNPs) in bacterial resistance and tolerance to antimicrobial treatment. Indeed, the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rising global threat to human health, while the rise of antimicrobial tolerance underlies the development of AMR and long-term infections, placing an additional burden on this problem. Here, we summarise the current understanding of cNP signalling in bacterial physiology with a focus on our understanding of how cNP signalling affects AMR and antimicrobial tolerance in different bacterial species. We also discuss additional cNP-related drug targets in bacterial pathogens that may have therapeutic potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"164-183"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142146320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging the gap: pathway programs for inclusion and persistence in microbiology.","authors":"Archana Anand, Adam Arkin, Faith Dukes, Catherine Mageeney, Harshini Mukundan, Vivek Mutalik","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbiology plays an important role in most sectors. Future progress in critical areas requires diverse workforce development. We outline a pathway program that aims to provide equitable exposure to high-impact research experiences and course-based instruction to provide crucial training in growing areas of microbiology (phage discovery, synthetic biology and data science/AI).</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"137-140"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143012342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.004
Marleny García-Lozano, Hassan Salem
{"title":"Microbial bases of herbivory in beetles.","authors":"Marleny García-Lozano, Hassan Salem","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ecological radiation of herbivorous beetles is among the most successful in the animal kingdom. It coincided with the rise and diversification of flowering plants, requiring beetles to adapt to a nutritionally imbalanced diet enriched in complex polysaccharides and toxic secondary metabolites. In this review, we explore how beetles overcame these challenges by coopting microbial genes, enzymes, and metabolites, through both horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and symbiosis. Recent efforts revealed the functional convergence governing both processes and the unique ways in which microbes continue to shape beetle digestion, development, and defense. The development of genetic and experimental tools across a diverse set of study systems has provided valuable mechanistic insights into how microbes spurred metabolic innovation and facilitated an herbivorous transition in beetles.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"151-163"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142354529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.012
Francisco J Guerra-Garcia, Siva Sankari
{"title":"NCR peptides in plant-bacterial symbiosis: applications and importance.","authors":"Francisco J Guerra-Garcia, Siva Sankari","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While establishing symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria certain legumes produce nodule-specific cysteine rich peptides. These peptides turn the bacteria into terminally differentiated non-replicative bacteroids. Here, we discuss the properties, essentiality, emerging clinical and agricultural applications, and the need to study the detailed mechanism of action of these peptides.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"147-150"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142847718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-29DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.005
Tiffany B Taylor, Mark W Silby, Robert W Jackson
{"title":"Pseudomonas fluorescens.","authors":"Tiffany B Taylor, Mark W Silby, Robert W Jackson","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"250-251"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142755700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-10-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.007
Maryam Mapar, Thomas Rydzak, Josefien W Hommes, Bas G J Surewaard, Ian A Lewis
{"title":"Diverse molecular mechanisms underpinning Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants.","authors":"Maryam Mapar, Thomas Rydzak, Josefien W Hommes, Bas G J Surewaard, Ian A Lewis","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Small colony variants (SCVs) of Staphylococcus aureus are a relatively rare but clinically significant growth morphotype. Infections with SCVs are frequently difficult to treat, inherently antibiotic-resistant, and can lead to persistent infections. Despite a long history of research, the molecular underpinnings of this morphotype and their impact on the clinical trajectory of infections remain unclear. However, a growing body of literature indicates that SCVs are caused by a diverse range of molecular factors. These recent findings suggest that SCVs should be thought of as an ensemble collection of loosely related phenotypes, and not as a single phenomenon. This review describes the diverse mechanisms currently known to contribute to SCVs and proposes an ensemble model for conceptualizing this morphotype.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"223-232"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-10-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.006
David Mayo-Muñoz, Huijuan Li, Mario Rodríguez Mestre, Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
{"title":"The role of noncoding RNAs in bacterial immunity.","authors":"David Mayo-Muñoz, Huijuan Li, Mario Rodríguez Mestre, Rafael Pinilla-Redondo","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The evolutionary arms race between bacteria and phages has driven the development of diverse anti-phage defense mechanisms. Recent studies have identified noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as key players in bacteria-phage conflicts, including CRISPR-Cas, toxin-antitoxin (TA), and reverse transcriptase (RT)-based defenses; however, our understanding of their roles in immunity is still emerging. In this review, we explore the multifaceted roles of ncRNAs in bacterial immunity, offering insights into their contributions to defense and anti-defense mechanisms, their influence on immune regulatory networks, and potential biotechnological applications. Finally, we highlight key outstanding questions in the field to spark future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"208-222"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142475620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sandra Condori-Catachura, Sarah Ahannach, Monica Ticlla, Josiane Kenfack, Esemu Livo, Kingsley C Anukam, Viviana Pinedo-Cancino, Maria Carmen Collado, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, Corrie Miller, Gabriel Vinderola, Sonja Merten, Gilbert G G Donders, Thies Gehrmann, Sarah Lebeer
{"title":"Diversity in women and their vaginal microbiota.","authors":"Sandra Condori-Catachura, Sarah Ahannach, Monica Ticlla, Josiane Kenfack, Esemu Livo, Kingsley C Anukam, Viviana Pinedo-Cancino, Maria Carmen Collado, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, Corrie Miller, Gabriel Vinderola, Sonja Merten, Gilbert G G Donders, Thies Gehrmann, Sarah Lebeer","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Women's health is essential to global societal and economic wellbeing, yet health disparities remain prevalent. The vaginal microbiota plays a critical role in health, with research indicating that reduced levels of core bacteria, such as lactobacilli, are associated with conditions like bacterial vaginosis (BV) and increased infection susceptibility. Lower levels of vaginal lactobacilli are reported more frequently in women of African and Latin American descent compared with women of European and Asian descent. However, geographical and other study inclusion and analysis biases influence current research. This opinion highlights the need for a more comprehensive understanding of a 'healthy' vaginal microbiome. It underscores efforts to broaden global research on microbiome diversity in socially relevant contexts, avoiding inappropriate applications of terms such as race and ethnicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143371223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arthur Menezes, Solohery Lalaina Razafimahatratra, Oghenebrume Wariri, Andrea L Graham, C Jessica E Metcalf
{"title":"Strengthening serological studies: the need for greater geographical diversity, biobanking, and data-accessibility.","authors":"Arthur Menezes, Solohery Lalaina Razafimahatratra, Oghenebrume Wariri, Andrea L Graham, C Jessica E Metcalf","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Serological studies uniquely strengthen infectious disease surveillance, expanding prevalence estimates to encompass asymptomatic infections, and revealing the otherwise inapparent landscape of immunity, including who is and is not susceptible to infection. They are thus a powerful complement to often incomplete epidemiological and public health measures (administrative measures of vaccination coverage, incidence estimates, etc.). The recent surge in the deployment of serological surveys globally (in part due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic), alongside the development of new assays and new inference methods, means that the time is ripe to interrogate areas to strengthen future serosurveillance efforts. We identify three themes warranting attention: first, expanding the geographical diversity of these studies; second, investing globally in infrastructure for storage of blood samples (biobanking), opening the way to future analyses; and third, establishing protocols to increase data accessibility and to facilitate data usage for current and future studies. We conclude that strengthening serological studies is necessary and achievable through thoughtful sampling design, wide-scale sample storage, and thorough reporting practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143012373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emerging models to study competitive interactions within bacterial communities.","authors":"Mollie Virgo, Serge Mostowy, Brian T Ho","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Within both abiotic and host environments, bacteria typically exist as diverse, multispecies communities and have crucial roles in human health, agriculture, and industry. In these communities, bacteria compete for resources, and these competitive interactions can shape the overall population structure and community function. Studying bacterial community dynamics requires experimental model systems that capture the different interaction networks between bacteria and their surroundings. We examine the recent literature advancing such systems, including (i) in silico models establishing the theoretical basis for how cell-to-cell interactions can influence population level dynamics, (ii) in vitro models characterizing specific interbacterial interactions, (iii) organ-on-a-chip models revealing the physiologically relevant parameters, such as spatial structure and mechanical forces, that bacteria encounter within a host, and (iv) in vivo plant and animal models connecting the host responses to interbacterial interactions. Each of these systems has greatly contributed to our understanding of bacterial community dynamics and can be used synergistically to understand how bacterial competition influences population architecture.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142972271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}