{"title":"CRISPR-Cas: a game-changer in vaccine development and the fight against viral infections.","authors":"Fayu Yang, Saba Aliyari, Zixiang Zhu, Haixue Zheng, Genhong Cheng, Shilei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the mechanisms of virus-host interactions is crucial for advancing our knowledge of viral pathogenesis and developing effective antiviral strategies. As novel, highly virulent pathogens continue to emerge, overcoming the challenges in virus-host biology and infection control is more important than ever. The CRISPR-Cas system has revolutionized genetic engineering, offering a precise and efficient application in synthetic biology. It is also invaluable in virology research, diagnostics, and antiviral therapeutics. In this review, we explore the latest advances in CRISPR-Cas-based approaches to elucidate virus-host interactions, focusing on the identification of key receptors and host factors essential for virus infection. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of the CRISPR-Cas system as an antiviral strategy for tackling newly emerging and re-emerging viruses. Finally, we discuss the potential of CRISPR-Cas-based gene editing for the development of innovative viral vaccines.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"650-664"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606501","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 : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-02-18DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.01.014
Jim Zoladek, Séverine Deymier, Andrea Cimarelli, Sébastien Nisole
{"title":"Not all RNAs are created equal for the antiviral RNase ISG20.","authors":"Jim Zoladek, Séverine Deymier, Andrea Cimarelli, Sébastien Nisole","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>ISG20 is a broad-spectrum antiviral protein capable of specifically degrading viral RNA. Here, we examine the different strategies developed by viruses to evade ISG20-mediated restriction, shedding light on how this exonuclease distinguishes between self and non-self RNAs, and highlighting the many questions that remain unanswered.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"583-585"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143459198","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 : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.010
Alison L Gould, Hannah K Osland
{"title":"Strain-level variation in microbial symbiosis: lessons from the Siphamia-Photobacterium mandapamensis system.","authors":"Alison L Gould, Hannah K Osland","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Siphamia-Photobacterium mandapamensis symbiosis is a binary, gut-associated mutualism that serves as a powerful model for studying strain-level variation in host-microbe interactions. Its combination of high species-level specificity and significant strain diversity makes it ideal for exploring host selectivity, microbial diversity, and the broader mechanisms driving strain-level dynamics in microbial symbioses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"580-582"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143664594","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 : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.009
Mollie Virgo, Serge Mostowy, Brian T Ho
{"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":"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":"688-700"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","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}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.002
Arijit Mukherjee, Li Han, Sourav Mukhopadhyay, Stanislav Kopriva, Sanjay Swarup
{"title":"Sulfur traits in the plant microbiome: implications for sustainable agriculture.","authors":"Arijit Mukherjee, Li Han, Sourav Mukhopadhyay, Stanislav Kopriva, Sanjay Swarup","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Owing to its biochemical flexibility, sulfur (S) is uniquely poised to fulfill versatile roles in plant-microbe interactions - impacting their metabolism with significant consequences for plant health and the global S cycle. We present evidence that the diversity of S-metabolic genes in plant-associated microbiomes (phytobiomes) is underappreciated, and plant niches are hotspots of bacterial S-metabolism with implications for S emissions. Building upon emerging findings, we posit that coordination of S-metabolism between plants and phytobiomes is a common mechanism for plant-microbe homeostasis and agriculturally beneficial microbial services. Finally, we summarize strategies to harness S-metabolic traits of plants and phytobiomes to sustainably enhance agricultural productivity under the stresses associated with climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"635-649"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143617344","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}
Huang Tan, Fangfang Li, Xueping Zhou, Rosa Lozano-Durán
{"title":"New genes on the block: additional open reading frames in the genomes of geminiviruses.","authors":"Huang Tan, Fangfang Li, Xueping Zhou, Rosa Lozano-Durán","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In their DNA genomes, the devastating plant-infecting geminiviruses contain partially overlapping genes which encode multifunctional proteins. For decades, geminiviral genomes were believed to contain four to eight open-reading frames (ORFs); now, a burst of independent works has found evidence for the existence of additional ORFs, revealing that their coding space remains to be fully explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144226814","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}
Ruggero La Rosa, Søren Molin, Helle Krogh Johansen
{"title":"Pseudomonas aeruginosa: persistence beyond antibiotic resistance.","authors":"Ruggero La Rosa, Søren Molin, Helle Krogh Johansen","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The persistence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chronic infections extends beyond the issue of antibiotic resistance. A critical, yet unresolved question is why antibiotics fail to eradicate all infecting bacteria, despite P. aeruginosa often being phenotypically susceptible. This highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of persistence mechanisms, which we consider to be directly rooted in host-pathogen interactions and which are frequently overlooked. We propose that both gene regulatory adaptation and adaptive genetic evolution play fundamental roles in the long-term persistence of P. aeruginosa. Elucidating these complex interactions has profound clinical implications, but their elucidation depends on access to advanced and innovative model systems that accurately replicate host-pathogen relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144180181","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":"https://doi.org/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":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","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}
Abhirupa Ghosh, Charmie K Vang, Evan P Brenner, Janani Ravi
{"title":"Unlocking antimicrobial resistance with multiomics and machine learning.","authors":"Abhirupa Ghosh, Charmie K Vang, Evan P Brenner, Janani Ravi","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergency is driven by complex and evolving molecular mechanisms. Cutting-edge machine learning methods and multiomics technologies can help to combat this crisis by predicting novel AMR biomarkers and outcomes with unprecedented precision and speed, offering critical insights into the molecular underpinnings of AMR.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161193","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":"Antimicrobial efflux and biofilms: an interplay leading to emergent resistance evolution.","authors":"Silvia Vareschi, Valerie Jaut, Srinivasan Vijay, Rosalind J Allen, Frank Schreiber","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The biofilm mode of growth and drug efflux are both important factors that impede the treatment of bacterial infections with antimicrobials. Decades of work have uncovered the mechanisms involved in both efflux and biofilm-mediated antimicrobial tolerance, but links between these phenomena have only recently been discovered. Novel findings show how efflux impacts global cellular physiology and antibiotic tolerance, underpinned by phenotypic heterogeneity. In addition efflux can mediate cell-to-cell interactions, relevant in biofilms, via mechanisms including efflux of signaling molecules and metabolites, signaling using pump components and the establishment of local antibiotic gradients via pumping. These recent findings suggest that biofilm antibiotic tolerance and efflux are closely coupled, with synergistic effects leading to the evolution of antimicrobial resistance in the biofilm environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144133215","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}