Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-05DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.004
Jie Li, Yueting Liang, Xiuzhu Dong
{"title":"Post-transcriptional regulation in archaea.","authors":"Jie Li, Yueting Liang, Xiuzhu Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During genetic information transfer from DNA to protein, gene expression is strictly controlled at several key stages. Post-transcriptional regulation provides a plethora of mechanisms for precise and rapid control of gene expression, ensuring cellular survival and environmental adaptation. Emerging evidence shows that Archaea, the third domain of life, employ diverse post-transcriptional regulation strategies, including distinct RNA-associated proteins and small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs), to control gene expression. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding archaeal post-transcriptional regulation, focusing on processes, mechanisms, and physiological significances, and key elements including sRNAs, 5'- or 3'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs or 3'-UTRs), RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) or chaperones, and ribonucleases, underscoring their crucial roles in optimizing archaeal gene expression for survival and environmental responsiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"765-781"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143574130","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.007
Cheryll M Sia, Jaclyn S Pearson, Benjamin P Howden, Deborah A Williamson, Danielle J Ingle
{"title":"Salmonella pathogenicity islands in the genomic era.","authors":"Cheryll M Sia, Jaclyn S Pearson, Benjamin P Howden, Deborah A Williamson, Danielle J Ingle","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Serovars of Salmonella are significant bacterial pathogens and are leading contributors to the global burden of diarrhoeal disease. Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) are essential for the survival and success of this genus, enabling colonisation, invasion, and survival in hostile environments. While genomics has transformed efforts to understand the evolution, dissemination, and antimicrobial resistance of members, its use to explore virulence determinants that contribute to the pathogenicity of specific organisms and severity of infection remains varied. Here, we discuss the importance of SPIs to the evolution of Salmonella, the implications in the shift of identification of SPIs from molecular microbiology to genomic-based approaches, and examine current efforts to explore the distribution and prevalence of SPIs in large-scale datasets of Salmonella genomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"752-764"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028049","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-21DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.009
Sandra Witteveen, Antoni P A Hendrickx
{"title":"Providencia stuartii.","authors":"Sandra Witteveen, Antoni P A Hendrickx","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.009","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"810-811"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143693397","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-17DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.013
Yaohui Sun, Min Zhao
{"title":"Bacterial galvanotaxis: a neglected biological process.","authors":"Yaohui Sun, Min Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacterial galvanotaxis, the directed migration in response to electric fields, remains an understudied yet intriguing phenomenon. This forum explores its history, independence from chemotaxis, and role in Salmonella targeting the follicle-associated epithelium. We also highlight potential implications in chronic diseases, where disrupted bioelectric fields may promote bacterial invasion and pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"713-717"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143658684","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-29DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.012
Xueqin Zhang, Zhiguo Yuan, Shihu Hu
{"title":"Current trends in electromicrobiology of methane oxidation.","authors":"Xueqin Zhang, Zhiguo Yuan, Shihu Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With many methane oxidation processes now recognized as being electrochemically driven, microbial methane oxidation is becoming an emerging focus in electromicrobiology. This review examines the current trends in the electromicrobiology of methane oxidation. We begin by reviewing recent advances in the understanding of the microbial and physiological diversity involved in microbial methane oxidation. We highlight the versatile role of aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria in electrochemically driven methane oxidation, and the non-syntrophic lifestyle of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) enabled by their extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathways. These aspects are followed by a review of recent findings on the potential reversibility of methanogen metabolism, with a focus on the proposed EET pathways that may facilitate their shift to a methane-oxidizing phenotype, a topic that remains under active investigation and debate. Finally, we examine the biogeochemical cycles and the application potential involving electrochemically driven methane oxidation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"782-795"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143754532","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":"The cost of doing science in Latin America: experiences from Mexico.","authors":"Frédérique Reverchon, Blondy Canto-Canché, Jorge Rocha, Edgardo Sepúlveda","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The low science budget combined with the increase in the number of researchers creates challenging conditions for Mexican scientists to fund their research. Although these difficulties are shared by scientists from many other countries, doing science in Latin America may come with additional costs. Here, we describe some of these costs and propose some integral solutions relying on policy changes and planification to optimize the use of research money and foster Mexican science visibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"705-708"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144183187","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-06-03DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.011
Josie Elliott, Anne Chevallereau
{"title":"Fast phages outcompete by depleting host resources.","authors":"Josie Elliott, Anne Chevallereau","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In nature, phages frequently coinfect bacteria, leading to inter-species competition. Furthermore, phage therapy often involves using a cocktail of different species to circumvent bacterial resistance. Bürkle et al. investigated the competition dynamics between two virulent phages, demonstrating that faster assembly can allow a phage to dominate over its competitor.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"703-704"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144226812","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 : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-24DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.004
E W Omagamre, G F Custer
{"title":"Digging deep: microbial PFAS-degradation in landfill sediments.","authors":"E W Omagamre, G F Custer","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are detrimental to human and environmental health. Here, we discuss obstacles hindering PFAS biodegradation, addressing challenges from chemical and microbial ecotoxicological perspectives. We then highlight the unique eco-evolutionary landscapes of buried landfills and consider the importance of these underexplored xeno-ecological niches for promoting PFAS biodegradation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"709-712"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143711409","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":"Rare taxa in the core microbiome.","authors":"Ditam Chakraborty, Alexandre Jousset, Zhong Wei, Samiran Banerjee","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rare taxa are an important constituent of the microbiome and play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. However, little is known about rare taxa within the core microbiome (i.e., core rare taxa), nor do we understand the factors that drive their distribution and occupancy in ecosystems. In this opinion article, we define and explore the role of core rare taxa and the ecological and genetic drivers of their persistence. We also discuss 'innate' and 'adaptive' resilience in relation to core rare taxa and their drivers. Finally, we emphasize the need to develop appropriate metrics to quantify core rare taxa and their functions, as this can have significant implications for biodiversity conservation and microbiome engineering in the long run.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"727-737"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143743696","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":"Balancing act: thiol-based redox regulation drives fungal pathogenesis.","authors":"Braydon Black, Tianne Kussat, James W Kronstad","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.06.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cells must maintain an equilibrium between external and internal sources of oxidation while also employing endogenously generated reactive species to support intracellular signaling and proliferation. This balancing act is crucial for fungal pathogens, as their survival depends on the skillful coordination of attack and defense mechanisms to overcome stressors encountered in the hostile host environment. In this review, we examine recent findings on the contributions of small-molecule and protein thiols to fungal pathogenesis, and place this information in the context of the thiol-based redox systems that support the response to oxidative stress in fungal pathogens of humans. The emerging view is that small molecules and thiol-active proteins/enzymes maintain a redox balance during infection thereby avoiding irreversible oxidative damage and ultimately supporting fungal growth and pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144544986","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}