Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.004
Ronnie N Glud, Clemens Schauberger
{"title":"Element cycling and microbial life in the hadal realm.","authors":"Ronnie N Glud, Clemens Schauberger","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hadal trenches represent the deepest oceanic realm and were once considered to be deprived of life. However, trenches act as important depocenters for organic matter with highly elevated microbial activity. In this forum, we discuss the biogeochemistry of the hadal realm and its microbial communities thriving at extreme hydrostatic pressure.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1045-1048"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141860989","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 : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-05-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.004
Christopher McCrory, Megan Lenardon, Ana Traven
{"title":"Bacteria-derived short-chain fatty acids as potential regulators of fungal commensalism and pathogenesis.","authors":"Christopher McCrory, Megan Lenardon, Ana Traven","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human gastrointestinal microbiome encompasses bacteria, fungi, and viruses forming complex bionetworks which, for organismal health, must be in a state of homeostasis. An important homeostatic mechanism derives from microbial competition, which maintains the relative abundance of microbial species in a healthy balance. Microbes compete for nutrients and secrete metabolites that inhibit other microbes. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are one such class of metabolites made by gut bacteria to very high levels. SCFAs are metabolised by microbes and host cells and have multiple roles in regulating cell physiology. Here, we review the mechanisms by which SCFAs regulate the fungal gut commensal Candida albicans. We discuss SCFA's ability to inhibit fungal growth, limit invasive behaviours and modulate cell surface antigens recognised by immune cells. We review the mechanisms underlying these roles: regulation of gene expression, metabolism, signalling and SCFA-driven post-translational protein modifications by acylation, which contribute to changes in acylome dynamics of C. albicans with potentially large consequences for cell physiology. Given that the gut mycobiome is a reservoir for systemic disease and has also been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease, understanding the mechanisms by which bacterial metabolites, such as SCFAs, control the mycobiome might provide therapeutic avenues.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1106-1118"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140903789","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 : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-05-21DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.008
Xiaoyu Zai, Viviane Cordovez, Feng Zhu, Meicheng Zhao, Xianmin Diao, Fusuo Zhang, Jos M Raaijmakers, Chunxu Song
{"title":"C4 cereal and biofuel crop microbiomes.","authors":"Xiaoyu Zai, Viviane Cordovez, Feng Zhu, Meicheng Zhao, Xianmin Diao, Fusuo Zhang, Jos M Raaijmakers, Chunxu Song","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbiomes provide multiple life-support functions for plants, including nutrient acquisition and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Considering the importance of C4 cereal and biofuel crops for food security under climate change conditions, more attention has been given recently to C4 plant microbiome assembly and functions. Here, we review the current status of C4 cereal and biofuel crop microbiome research with a focus on beneficial microbial traits for crop growth and health. We highlight the importance of environmental factors and plant genetics in C4 crop microbiome assembly and pinpoint current knowledge gaps. Finally, we discuss the potential of foxtail millet as a C4 model species and outline future perspectives of C4 plant microbiome research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1119-1131"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141076814","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 : 2024-11-01Epub Date: 2024-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.011
Caroline Lin Lin Chua, Raika Francesca Morales, Po Ying Chia, Tsin Wen Yeo, Andrew Teo
{"title":"Neutrophils - an understudied bystander in dengue?","authors":"Caroline Lin Lin Chua, Raika Francesca Morales, Po Ying Chia, Tsin Wen Yeo, Andrew Teo","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease which causes significant morbidity and mortality each year. Previous research has proposed several mechanisms of pathogenicity that mainly involve the dengue virus and host humoral immunity. However, innate immune cells, such as neutrophils, may also play an important role in dengue, albeit a much less defined role. In this review, we discuss the emerging roles of neutrophils in dengue and their involvement in pathologies associated with severe dengue. We also describe the potential use of several neutrophil proteins as biomarkers for severe dengue. These studies suggest that neutrophils are important players in dengue, and a better understanding of neutrophil-dengue biology is urgently needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1132-1142"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140945959","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}
Alexander D Williams, Vivian W Leung, Julian W Tang, Nishimura Hidekazu, Nobuhiro Suzuki, Andrew C Clarke, David A Pearce, Tommy Tsan-Yuk Lam
{"title":"Ancient environmental microbiomes and the cryosphere.","authors":"Alexander D Williams, Vivian W Leung, Julian W Tang, Nishimura Hidekazu, Nobuhiro Suzuki, Andrew C Clarke, David A Pearce, Tommy Tsan-Yuk Lam","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this review, we delineate the unique set of characteristics associated with cryosphere environments (namely, ice and permafrost) which present both challenges and opportunities for studying ancient environmental microbiomes (AEMs). In a field currently reliant on several assumptions, we discuss the theoretical and empirical feasibility of recovering microbial nucleic acids (NAs) from ice and permafrost with varying degrees of antiquity. We also summarize contamination control best practices and highlight considerations for the latest approaches, including shotgun metagenomics, and downstream bioinformatic authentication approaches. We review the adoption of existing software and provide an overview of more recently published programs, with reference to their suitability for AEM studies. Finally, we summarize outstanding challenges and likely future directions for AEM research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142564026","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}
Prabhat K Talukdar, Saeed Banawas, Mahfuzur R Sarker
{"title":"Clostridium perfringens.","authors":"Prabhat K Talukdar, Saeed Banawas, Mahfuzur R Sarker","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142475619","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}
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":"https://doi.org/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":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-12","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}
Jacobo de la Cuesta-Zuluaga, Patrick Müller, Lisa Maier
{"title":"Balancing act: counteracting adverse drug effects on the microbiome.","authors":"Jacobo de la Cuesta-Zuluaga, Patrick Müller, Lisa Maier","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human gut microbiome, a community of microbes that plays a crucial role in our wellbeing, is highly adaptable but also vulnerable to drug treatments. This vulnerability can have serious consequences for the host, for example, increasing susceptibility to infections, immune, metabolic, and cognitive disorders. However, the microbiome's adaptability also provides opportunities to prevent, protect, or even reverse drug-induced damage. Recently, several innovative approaches have emerged aimed at minimizing the collateral damage of drugs on the microbiome. Here, we outline these approaches, discuss their applicability in different treatment scenarios, highlight current challenges, and suggest avenues that may lead to an effective protection of the microbiome.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142475618","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}
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":"https://doi.org/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":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","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 : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-08-20DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.006
Brett M Barney
{"title":"Azotobacter vinelandii.","authors":"Brett M Barney","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.07.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1034-1035"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142018709","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}