Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.002
Aize Pellon, Ainhoa Palacios, Leticia Abecia, Héctor Rodríguez, Juan Anguita
{"title":"Friends to remember: innate immune memory regulation by the microbiota.","authors":"Aize Pellon, Ainhoa Palacios, Leticia Abecia, Héctor Rodríguez, Juan Anguita","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Innate immune memory (IIM) is the process by which, upon a primary challenge, innate immune cells alter their epigenetic, transcriptional, and immunometabolic profiles, resulting in modified secondary responses. Unlike infections or other immune-system-related diseases, the role of IIM in nonpathogenic contexts is less understood. An increasing body of research has shown that normal microbiota members or their metabolic byproducts induce alternative memory phenotypes, suggesting that memory cells contribute to homeostasis in mucosal areas. In this review, we discuss the newest insights in the emerging field of IIM to the microbiota and the potential of manipulating these long-term responses to promote better mucosal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"510-520"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142965642","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":"Microbial electrotaxis: rewiring environmental microbiomes.","authors":"Dong Zhang, Jiang Tao Gao, Shun Gui Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electric fields in sediments and soils are critical yet overlooked drivers of microbial ecology. This review examines the importance of electrotaxis in shaping microbial community dynamics and ecology models, surpassing traditional frameworks centered on chemotaxis. We analyze evidence that electric field gradients influence microbial community structure, function, and biogeochemical cycles in natural environments. Current mechanistic models, primarily based on eukaryotic systems, insufficiently explain bacterial electrotactic responses, necessitating new conceptual frameworks that integrate electrochemical and biological perspectives. We also evaluate its applications in environmental and microbiome engineering, with future research recommendations and methodologies in electrotaxis research. This synthesis aims to establish electrotaxis as an essential consideration in microbial ecology, presenting both challenges and opportunities for advancing our understanding of microbial ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144020198","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":"Bacterial lectins: multifunctional tools in pathogenesis and possible drug targets.","authors":"Mario Fares, Anne Imberty, Alexander Titz","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glycans are vital macromolecules with diverse biological roles, decoded by lectins - specialized carbohydrate-binding proteins crucial in pathogenesis. The WHO identifies bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a critical global health challenge, necessitating innovative strategies that also target non-antibiotic pathways. Recent studies highlight bacterial lectins as key players in pathogenesis and promising therapeutic targets, with early clinical success using glycomimetics and vaccines to treat and prevent AMR-related infections. This review covers the current knowledge on bacterial lectins, their classifications, and roles in host recognition and adhesion, biofilm formation, cytotoxicity, and host immune evasion, with examples of well-characterized lectins. It also explores their therapeutic potential and highlights novel lectins with unknown functions, encouraging further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144016012","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}
Emma V Waters, Sarah K Cameron, Gemma C Langridge, Andrew Preston
{"title":"Bacterial genome structural variation: prevalence, mechanisms, and consequences.","authors":"Emma V Waters, Sarah K Cameron, Gemma C Langridge, Andrew Preston","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A vast number of bacterial genome sequences are publicly available. However, the majority were generated using short-read sequencing, producing fragmented assemblies. Long-read sequencing can generate closed assemblies, and they reveal that bacterial genome structure, the order and orientation of genes on the chromosome, is highly variable for many species. Growing evidence suggests that genome structure is a determinant of genome-wide gene expression levels and thus phenotype. We review this developing picture of genome structure variation among bacteria, the challenges for the study of this phenomenon, and its impact on adaptation and evolution, including virulence and infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014602","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}
Terence K Tutumlu, Cédric Dollé, Katharina Kusejko, Sébastien Gagneux, Silvio D Brugger, Huldrych F Günthard, Johannes Nemeth
{"title":"Mycobacteria beyond disease.","authors":"Terence K Tutumlu, Cédric Dollé, Katharina Kusejko, Sébastien Gagneux, Silvio D Brugger, Huldrych F Günthard, Johannes Nemeth","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mycobacteria have coevolved with humans over millennia, leaving profound imprints on our immune systems. Beyond active disease, their exposure may exert immunomodulatory effects, including allergy modulation and heterologous protection against infections. This forum article explores these potentially mutualistic interactions, highlighting their potential for novel therapies and public health strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055280","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}
Yan-Ruide Li, Xinyuan Shen, Yichen Zhu, Zibai Lyu, Lili Yang
{"title":"The microbiota shapes the life trajectory of mucosal-associated invariant T cells.","authors":"Yan-Ruide Li, Xinyuan Shen, Yichen Zhu, Zibai Lyu, Lili Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells predominantly located in barrier tissues such as the lung, liver, skin, and colon. These cells recognize metabolites derived from the riboflavin biosynthetic pathway, which can rapidly traverse epithelial barriers and be presented during MAIT cell differentiation in the thymus and maturation in peripheral tissues. Furthermore, microbial metabolites significantly influence MAIT cell functions in various conditions, including cancer. This review summarizes how the microbiota shapes the life trajectory of MAIT cells and their antitumor reactivity. Additionally, we discuss the therapeutic implications of manipulating the microbiota as a 'bug-drug' strategy to enhance MAIT cell antitumor immunity, particularly in mucosal cancers, while emphasizing challenges and future directions for integrating microbiota considerations into MAIT cell-based therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028768","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":"Bacteriophages as important considerations for mycorrhizal symbioses in our changing world.","authors":"Louis Berrios","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteriophages, bacteria, and mycorrhizal fungi are key members of plant microbiomes, yet connections among them remain unexplored. This forum article highlights the potential importance of bacteriophage knock-on effects in mycorrhizal ecology, develops testable hypotheses, and details experiments that could clarify views of belowground nutrient economies and plant growth responses in our changing world.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144033691","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}
Eleonora Cella, Mónica V Cunha, Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara, José Lourenço, Marta Giovanetti
{"title":"Strengthening arbovirus surveillance: bridging gaps for global health preparedness.","authors":"Eleonora Cella, Mónica V Cunha, Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara, José Lourenço, Marta Giovanetti","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite significant advancements in arbovirus research, contributions remain disproportionately focused on regions with reported major outbreaks of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. This bias risks neglecting potentially critical properties in viral evolution, transmission dynamics, ecological drivers, and host-pathogen interactions that occur within the less-studied areas. Recent developments highlight the importance of incorporating data from underrepresented regions and from recent surveillance approaches to uncover novel insights that could enhance global preparedness and response strategies. This opinion explores frameworks for generating and integrating diverse geographical data, proposing equitable research approaches to better capture the global heterogeneities and properties of at-risk environments and populations. A geographically inclusive perspective is essential to address emerging arboviral challenges, particularly in the context of a changing environment and shifting land use patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144048219","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}
Brajesh K Singh, Gaofei Jiang, Zhong Wei, Tadeo Sáez-Sandino, Min Gao, Hongwei Liu, Chao Xiong
{"title":"Plant pathogens, microbiomes, and soil health.","authors":"Brajesh K Singh, Gaofei Jiang, Zhong Wei, Tadeo Sáez-Sandino, Min Gao, Hongwei Liu, Chao Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Healthy soil is vital for ecosystem sustainability and global food security. However, anthropogenic activities that promote intensive agriculture, landscape and biodiversity homogenization, and climate change disrupt soil health. The soil microbiome is a critical component of healthy soils, and increasing evidence suggests that soils with low diversity or homogenized microbial systems are more susceptible to soil pathogen invasion, but the extent and mechanisms that increase the threat of pathogen invasion (i.e., increase in prevalence of existing species and introduction of new species) remain unclear. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap by synthesizing the literature and providing novel insights for the scientific community and policy advisors. We also present the current and future global distribution of some dominant soil-borne pathogens. We argue that an improved understanding of the interplay between the soil microbiome, soil health, host, and pathogen distribution, and their responses to environmental changes is urgently needed to ensure the future of productive farms, safe food, sustainable environments, and holistic global well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028361","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":"Unraveling the tempo and mode of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria.","authors":"Benjamin H Good, Ami S Bhatt, Michael J McDonald","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has surged over the past two decades, revealing its critical role in accelerating evolutionary rates, facilitating adaptive innovations, and shaping pangenomes. Recent experimental and theoretical results have shown how HGT shapes the flow of genetic information within and between populations, expanding the range of possibilities for microbial evolution. These advances set the stage for a new wave of research seeking to predict how HGT shapes microbial evolution within natural communities, especially during rapid ecological shifts. In this article, we highlight these developments and outline promising research directions, emphasizing the necessity of quantifying the rates of HGT within diverse ecological contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144045480","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}