Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.012
James P J Hall
{"title":"Loading and unloading plasmid cargoes.","authors":"James P J Hall","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasmids are vehicles for horizontal gene transfer between cells, but they also exchange genes with associated chromosomes in a process termed 'intracellular mobility'. I discuss a recent article by Kadibalban et al. mapping such plasmid-chromosomal sequence similarities across diverse bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1150-1152"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406918","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-06-27DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.008
Matthew R Nitschke, David Abrego, Corinne E Allen, Carlos Alvarez-Roa, Nadine M Boulotte, Patrick Buerger, Wing Yan Chan, Wladimir A Fae Neto, Elizabeth Ivory, Bede Johnston, Luka Meyers, Catalina Parra V, Lesa Peplow, Tahirih Perez, Hugo J Scharfenstein, Madeleine J H van Oppen
{"title":"The use of experimentally evolved coral photosymbionts for reef restoration.","authors":"Matthew R Nitschke, David Abrego, Corinne E Allen, Carlos Alvarez-Roa, Nadine M Boulotte, Patrick Buerger, Wing Yan Chan, Wladimir A Fae Neto, Elizabeth Ivory, Bede Johnston, Luka Meyers, Catalina Parra V, Lesa Peplow, Tahirih Perez, Hugo J Scharfenstein, Madeleine J H van Oppen","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The heat tolerance of corals is largely determined by their microbial photosymbionts (Symbiodiniaceae, colloquially known as zooxanthellae). Therefore, manipulating symbiont communities may enhance the ability of corals to survive summer heatwaves. Although heat-tolerant and -sensitive symbiont species occur in nature, even corals that harbour naturally tolerant symbionts have been observed to bleach during summer heatwaves. Experimental evolution (i.e., laboratory selection) of Symbiodiniaceae cultures under elevated temperatures has been successfully used to enhance their upper thermal tolerance, both in vitro and, in some instances, following their reintroduction into corals. In this review, we present the state of this intervention and its potential role within coral reef restoration, and discuss the next critical steps required to bridge the gap to implementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1241-1252"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141470972","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.010
Elizabeth S Duan, Olivia Kosterlitz, Benjamin Kerr
{"title":"Agents of change: a partnership between mobile genetic elements facilitates rapid bacterial adaptation.","authors":"Elizabeth S Duan, Olivia Kosterlitz, Benjamin Kerr","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While the evolutionary interests of mobile genetic elements may differ from those of their bacterial hosts, these elements can be beneficial for their hosts by delivering, disrupting, or activating genes. A recent paper by Sastre-Domínguez et al. describes a novel synergistic effect of mobile elements in clinically relevant bacteria, whereby conjugative plasmids that carry transposable elements can be agents of rapid adaptive change through an elevation in transposition-mediated mutation rate.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1156-1158"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142682766","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-08-31DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.005
Qing-Lin Chen, Kai Yang, Qian Xiang, Li Cui, Yong-Guan Zhu
{"title":"Tackling the plastisphere: the single-cell Raman spectroscopy framework.","authors":"Qing-Lin Chen, Kai Yang, Qian Xiang, Li Cui, Yong-Guan Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.08.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conventional bulk molecular approaches, often limited by their destructive nature and low spatial resolution, face challenges when probing the intricate dynamics of the plastisphere. Here, we outline a framework employing Raman spectroscopy combined with stable isotope profiling (SIP) to interrogate the physiological function of the plastisphere microbiome and track its evolutionary trajectories.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1159-1162"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142112341","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-06-05DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.005
Khalimat Murtazalieva, Andre Mu, Aleksandra Petrovskaya, Robert D Finn
{"title":"The growing repertoire of phage anti-defence systems.","authors":"Khalimat Murtazalieva, Andre Mu, Aleksandra Petrovskaya, Robert D Finn","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The biological interplay between phages and bacteria has driven the evolution of phage anti-defence systems (ADSs), which evade bacterial defence mechanisms. These ADSs bind and inhibit host defence proteins, add covalent modifications and deactivate defence proteins, degrade or sequester signalling molecules utilised by host defence systems, synthesise and restore essential molecules depleted by bacterial defences, or add covalent modifications to phage molecules to avoid recognition. Overall, 145 phage ADSs have been characterised to date. These ADSs counteract 27 of the 152 different bacterial defence families, and we hypothesise that many more ADSs are yet to be discovered. We discuss high-throughput approaches (computational and experimental) which are indispensable for discovering new ADSs and the limitations of these approaches. A comprehensive characterisation of phage ADSs is critical for understanding phage-host interplay and developing clinical applications, such as treatment for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1212-1228"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141284858","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.002
Gyanesh Shukla, Gaurav Sharma
{"title":"A unique bacterial family strikes again!","authors":"Gyanesh Shukla, Gaurav Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Garcia et al. recently identified a novel myxobacterial family, Pendulisporaceae, encompassing four strains with novel biosynthetic gene clusters. This study underscores the value of exploring underrepresented microbial taxa for novel natural products, highlighting the potential of the family Pendulisporaceae as a source of new antimicrobial and therapeutic agents.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1153-1155"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142508753","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-06-04DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.006
Michael L Pepke, Søren B Hansen, Morten T Limborg
{"title":"Unraveling host regulation of gut microbiota through the epigenome-microbiome axis.","authors":"Michael L Pepke, Søren B Hansen, Morten T Limborg","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent studies of dynamic interactions between epigenetic modifications of a host organism and the composition or activity of its associated gut microbiota suggest an opportunity for the host to shape its microbiome through epigenetic alterations that lead to changes in gene expression and noncoding RNA activity. We use insights from microbiota-induced epigenetic changes to review the potential of the host to epigenetically regulate its gut microbiome, from which a bidirectional 'epigenome-microbiome axis' emerges. This axis embeds environmentally induced variation, which may influence the adaptive evolution of host-microbe interactions. We furthermore present our perspective on how the epigenome-microbiome axis can be understood and investigated within a holo-omic framework with potential applications in the applied health and food sciences.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1229-1240"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141262218","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.003
Gordon D Brown, Pablo R Murcia, Andrew P Waters, Jose Penades, Alberto Muñoz
{"title":"Tackling coinfections.","authors":"Gordon D Brown, Pablo R Murcia, Andrew P Waters, Jose Penades, Alberto Muñoz","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanistic understanding of the impact of coinfections is a critical knowledge gap. A workshop on coinfections highlighted key aspects required to advance this field, including identifying the coinfection priorities, creating research platforms for this type of research, promoting cross-expertise collaborations, and securing funding to support cross-kingdom pathogen research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1148-1149"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142508754","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.002
Martin Strnad, Marie Vancová, Ryan O M Rego
{"title":"Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi.","authors":"Martin Strnad, Marie Vancová, Ryan O M Rego","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1253-1254"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142354528","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 : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-13DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.004
Hamed Azarbad, Ryszard Laskowski, Heidrun Stoeger, Nico M van Straalen
{"title":"From advisors to mentors: fostering supportive mentorship in academia.","authors":"Hamed Azarbad, Ryszard Laskowski, Heidrun Stoeger, Nico M van Straalen","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.10.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A supportive mentorship has long-lasting effects on shaping students' personal and professional development. Here, we outline important aspects of mentoring and indicators of good mentors, focusing on effective mutualistic interaction. We believe that traditional academic advice should be expanded to include supportive group mentoring to foster future top scientific talent.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1145-1147"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142629007","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}