{"title":"How hepatitis E virus invades hepatocytes: the mystery of viral entry.","authors":"Yannick Brüggemann, Nicola Frericks, Emely Richter, Volker Kinast, Eike Steinmann","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis globally. HEV infections can progress to chronic disease in immunocompromised individuals and may also cause extrahepatic complications. By contrast to other hepatitis viruses, HEV exhibits a broad tissue tropism, and certain genotypes have the ability to infect multiple species. The initial steps of surface attachment and host cell entry are critical steps in the viral infection cycle and serve as key determinants to establish an infection. This review summarizes the current understanding of HEV entry, focusing on molecular entry factors, such as viral receptors, and discusses differences between quasi-enveloped and non-enveloped HEV. We further cover recent developments of assay systems to study HEV entry and highlight experimental strategies to identify novel host components required for HEV entry. Advancing our understanding in these areas could help to guide the development of targeted antiviral strategies to block the early stages of HEV infection.</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":"144049960","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":"Emerging roles of RNA modifications in the rice blast fungus.","authors":"Yanjun Kou, Naweed I Naqvi, Zeng Tao","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>RNA modifications have been revealed by epitranscriptomics to play crucial roles in diverse biological processes. Nevertheless, data regarding RNA modifications during plant-pathogen interaction remain scarce. Recently, several studies have demonstrated the functions of RNA modifications in rice blast fungus.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014885","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":"Metagenomics for IgA-coated gut microbiota: from taxonomy to function.","authors":"Shuqin Zeng, Shaopu Wang, Dezhi Mu","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immunoglobulin A (IgA) establishes intricate interactions with human gut microbiota, thereby forming IgA-coated microbiota. This forum first explores state-of-the-art metagenomic techniques for characterizing IgA-coated microbiota. Thereafter, metagenomic insights into its taxonomic diversity and microbial genomic functions that mediate IgA coating are provided. Finally, clinical implications for human health are highlighted.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050243","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 diversity, pathogenic spectrum, and ecological significance of arthropod viruses.","authors":"Cixiu Li, Edward C Holmes, Weifeng Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on arthropod viruses initially focused on those associated with diseases in vertebrates, particularly humans, as well as in plants of economic importance. However, the more recent deployment of metatranscriptomic sequencing of diverse arthropod species has facilitated the discovery of a multitude of novel arthropod viruses, in turn revealing that pathogenic viruses represent only a small component of the arthropod virome. In addition, arthropods may play a pivotal role in viral evolution and ecological dynamics, and have the potential to act as reservoirs for pathogens affecting vertebrates or plants. Due to active interactions between arthropod populations and diverse organisms - including fungi, plants, vertebrates, and even other arthropods in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems - there is an increased risk of the spillover of arthropod viruses to other organisms, including mammals. Herein, we review our current understanding of the diversity and ecology of arthropod viruses. We outline what is known about pathogenic arthropod viruses in diverse host types and emphasize the unique niche of arthropods as the source of emerging viral infectious diseases. Finally, we describe the evolutionary interactions between arthropod viruses and their hosts in ecosystems, at the same time highlighting their ecological significance with respect to regulating host populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000467","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}
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":"https://doi.org/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":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","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}
{"title":"Neisseria gonorrhoeae.","authors":"Jerri M Lankford, Aimee D Potter","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144049963","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 : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.011
Estefanía Cordisco, Diego Omar Serra
{"title":"Moonlighting antibiotics: the extra job of modulating biofilm formation.","authors":"Estefanía Cordisco, Diego Omar Serra","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.12.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The widespread use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections has led to the common perception that their only function is to inhibit growth or kill bacteria. However, it has become clear that when antibiotics reach susceptible bacteria at non-lethal concentrations, they perform additional functions that significantly impact bacterial physiology, shaping both individual and collective behaviors. A key bacterial behavior influenced by sub-lethal antibiotic doses is biofilm formation, a multicellular, surface-associated mode of growth. This review explores different contexts in which natural and clinical antibiotics act as modulators of bacterial biofilm formation. We discuss cases that provide mechanistic insights into antibiotic modes of action, highlighting emerging common patterns and novel findings that pave the way for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"459-471"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143012344","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 : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.011
Christopher James Barnes, Mo Bahram, Mogens Nicolaisen, M Thomas P Gilbert, Mette Vestergård
{"title":"Microbiome selection and evolution within wild and domesticated plants.","authors":"Christopher James Barnes, Mo Bahram, Mogens Nicolaisen, M Thomas P Gilbert, Mette Vestergård","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbes are ubiquitously found across plant surfaces and even within their cells, forming the plant microbiome. Many of these microbes contribute to the functioning of the host and consequently affect its fitness. Therefore, in many contexts, including microbiome effects enables a better understanding of the phenotype of the plant rather than considering the genome alone. Changes in the microbiome composition are also associated with changes in the functioning of the host, and there has been considerable focus on how environmental variables regulate plant microbiomes. More recently, studies suggest that the host genome also preconditions the microbiome to the environment of the plant, and the microbiome is therefore subject to evolutionary forces. Here, we outline how plant microbiomes are governed by both environmental variables and evolutionary processes and how they can regulate plant health together.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"447-458"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142865460","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 : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-12-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.006
Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige, Guruprasad R Medigeshi, R Tedjo Sasmono, Chanaki Amaratunga
{"title":"Funding and collaboration inequalities in infectious disease research - why does it matter?","authors":"Gathsaurie Neelika Malavige, Guruprasad R Medigeshi, R Tedjo Sasmono, Chanaki Amaratunga","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2024.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To face the current and emerging challenges due to infectious diseases, global research communities must comprehend the challenges faced by scientists in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Here we address pertinent issues regarding funding and collaboration inequalities that could potentially cripple economic and healthcare systems, escalating to bigger global threats.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"378-381"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142822710","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 : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-03-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.017
Shankar Iyer
{"title":"Inclusion and diversity through a geographical lens.","authors":"Shankar Iyer","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.02.017","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"373-374"},"PeriodicalIF":14.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143625707","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}