microLife最新文献

{"title":"Climate change and leptospirosis: a growing environmental and zoonotic threat.","authors":"Vincent Herbreteau, Mathieu Picardeau","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change is increasingly recognized as a key driver in the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, including leptospirosis, a globally distributed bacterial zoonosis. The bacterial agents of leptospirosis infect humans through contact with soil or water contaminated by the urine of animal reservoirs. As a primarily waterborne disease, leptospirosis is strongly influenced by climatic conditions, including rainfall, flooding, and extreme events such as hurricanes and cyclones. Here, we present current knowledge on the links between climate change and leptospirosis, as well as perspectives on effective strategies to combat this disease, which disproportionately affects the poorest populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag015"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13147459/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147847115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel expression system for imaging single-molecule fluorescence in <i>Haloferax volcanii</i> WR806 enables visualization of altered Cas1 dynamics during UV-induced DNA damage response.","authors":"Paula R Schrage, Uliana Afonina, Julia Wörtz, Anita Marchfelder, Koen J A Martens, James P Sáenz, Ulrike Endesfelder","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fluorescence microscopy has become an indispensable tool in biological research, offering powerful approaches to study protein dynamics and cellular processes <i>in vivo</i>. Among archaea, <i>Haloferax volcanii</i> has emerged as a particularly well-suited model organism for imaging studies, with a growing toolkit of established fluorescent markers, plasmids, and promoter systems. Recent advances in single-molecule imaging techniques have created new opportunities through WR806, a carotenoid-free <i>H. volcanii</i> strain providing reduced autofluorescence background. However, existing plasmid-based expression systems in WR806 show critical limitations in protein expression control and challenges with protein aggregation. To address these limitations, we developed pUE001, a novel plasmid system specifically designed for WR806. This system achieves precise expression control by decoupling selection and induction through strategic implementation of the <i>trpA</i> selection marker. Through comprehensive characterization, we demonstrate that pUE001 provides superior control over protein expression compared to the previously established pTA962 system. It enables linear, titratable expression of diverse proteins-from the highly regulated CRISPR-Cas component Cas1 to the abundant structural protein FtsZ1-while preventing protein aggregation that could compromise native cellular functions. Additionally, we performed a comprehensive analysis of WR806 to show that carotenoid depletion does not affect native cellular physiology. Finally, to demonstrate the system's utility, we investigated the role of Cas1 in UV-induced DNA repair using single-particle tracking photoactivated localization microscopy (sptPALM). Our findings reveal Cas1 colocalizing with DNA-dense cellular regions and significant, dose-dependent changes in Cas1 mobility following UV-light-induced damage, providing evidence for its possible involvement in DNA damage response processes and offering new insights into the expanding roles of CRISPR-Cas systems beyond adaptive immunity.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag014"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13147458/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147847105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Living together: evolutionary and ecological dimensions of protist endosymbiosis.","authors":"Anna Karnkowska, Iván García-Cunchillos, Marta Sałek","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Protists, which comprise the majority of eukaryotic diversity, frequently engage in endosymbiotic relationships with other unicellular eukaryotes or prokaryotes. These interactions have profoundly shaped eukaryotic evolution, not only through the origin of endosymbiotic organelles and the subsequent diversification of eukaryotes, but also via less studied endosymbioses that have influenced the evolution of diverse eukaryotic lineages. Endosymbioses often alter host metabolic capabilities, enabling the colonisation of new ecological niches and significantly contributing to ecosystem functioning. In recent years, interest in these interactions has increased, driven by methodological innovations and new discoveries that reveal the diversity, mechanisms, and ecological roles of protist endosymbioses. Despite these advances, key questions remain: How widespread and ecologically impactful are protist endosymbioses? What functions do symbionts provide, and how do associations form, persist, or break down? Addressing these questions requires systematic studies of protists in their natural environments, combining microscopy and sequencing using both high-throughput and single-cell approaches, along with experimental manipulations of host-symbiont interactions. Here, we review current knowledge, highlight recent breakthroughs, and discuss ongoing challenges in the study of protist endosymbioses.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag013"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080271/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"FungiNetDB: a uniform (pre-)processing platform for fungal expression data.","authors":"Sascha Schäuble, Daniela Albrecht-Eckardt, Gianni Panagiotou","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungi, and particularly fungal pathogens, are having an increasing impact on human health and economy. At the same time, modern high-throughput technologies offer insights deep into the molecular level and thus mechanisms, giving scientists new opportunities to identify fungal biomarkers and essential components for survival and virulence. This wealth of data, however, is most often only analyzed in the context of a specific scientific question, while many more projects may benefit from a multifaceted view on e.g. fungal gene expression under various conditions. The prime challenge is the limited access to readily pre-processed data and circumventing technological biases introduced by different sequencing platforms and software tools across different projects. We here present FungiNetDB, a web platform comprising 139 fungal pathogenicity datasets and statistical analysis of more than 2000 different pairwise gene expression comparisons. FungiNetDB thus resembles a most comprehensive fungal transcriptomics resource, which can be explored without any programming knowledge, allows highly customizable filtering and cross-project comparisons and download of all offered data tables and visualizations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag012"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080270/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fragile research systems, brain drain, and predatory publishing in under-resourced countries.","authors":"Stipan Jonjić, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Puri Lopez-Garcia, Paul Williams, Ani Gerbin, Luka Traven, Kenneth N Timmis, Paul B Rainey","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many countries with lower research & innovation capacity face persistent constraints in building stable research systems. Chronic underfunding and weak science policy reduce institutional capacity and limit researchers' career prospects. These conditions encourage brain drain, particularly among early-career scientists who seek predictable funding, transparent evaluation, and merit-based advancement. As a result, research institutions lose skilled personnel, which weakens scientific training, governance, and research output. Additionally, within this environment, predatory publishing practices create further damage. These scientific outlets reward volume over quality, thus distorting evaluation criteria. They promote negative selection by favouring speed of publication at the expense of rigorous peer review. Over time, this weakens academic standards and undermines trust in the research output. The result is a decline in scientific credibility and an overall reduction in international competitiveness. Although predatory publishing is motivated by financial gain, it results in serious institutional consequences. It directly reshapes hiring, promotion, and funding decisions in ways that disadvantage high-quality research. This contributes to the erosion of both research integrity and academic communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag011"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13069680/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147678209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial proteomics for the analysis of host-pathogen interactions in mice lungs infected with <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>.","authors":"Saskia Wolter, Thomas Krüger, Daniela Pelzel, Ilse D Jacobsen, Axel A Brakhage, Ferdinand von Eggeling, Olaf Kniemeyer","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level requires methods capable of linking spatial context with proteomic information. Here, we present an integrated workflow combining matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and laser microdissection (LMD)-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> infection in murine lung tissue. Consecutive formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections were used for spatially resolved MALDI-MSI and subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis of laser-microdissected fungal-infected and non-infected regions. MALDI-MSI revealed reproducible <i>m</i>/<i>z</i> features specifically associated with infected areas. Corresponding tissue microregions were microdissected and analyzed by proteomics to identify candidate proteins underlying these spatial signals. Comparative proteomics of fungal-infected with non-infected alveolar lung regions via LC-MS/MS identified host proteins involved in leukocyte recruitment, inflammatory signaling, and reactive oxygen species formation, including a 424-fold increase in formyl peptide receptor 2 (Fpr2) during fungal invasion of the lungs. Fungal regions were also enriched in proteins encoded by the gliotoxin biosynthetic gene cluster. Spatial and proteomic data were linked by matching theoretical peptide-adduct masses to MALDI-MSI features, using a semi-quantitative scoring system to prioritize protein assignments. Fungal regions showed contributions from both host and pathogen proteins. This workflow establishes a conceptual basis for spatial proteomics of host-pathogen-interactions in fungal infections and enables association of characteristic <i>m/z</i> signals with plausible protein candidates.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag010"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13078167/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147694208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crucial Gram-positive type IV secretion system protein TraF is a structural homolog of type VII secretion system protein EssB/YukC.","authors":"Kirill Kuhlmann, Amrutha Stallinger, Claudia Michaelis, Tamara Margot Ismael Berger, Verena Kohler, Bernd Gesslbauer, Tea Pavkov-Keller, Elisabeth Grohmann, Walter Keller","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/femsml/uqag009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) are found in both monoderm and diderm bacteria. The broad-host-range conjugative plasmid pIP501 from <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> harbors a T4SS encoding 15 <i>tra</i> genes responsible for the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes among diverse G+ pathogens. Eight Tra proteins (TraB, TraC_B3, TraF, TraH_B8, TraI, TraK, TraL_B6, and TraM_B8) are postulated to form the mating pair formation (MPF) complex representing the central DNA translocation pore. One of these proteins is TraF, a 52.8 kDa transmembrane protein, which lacks any homologs in other well described T4SSs. In this study, TraF was proven to be an essential conjugative transfer protein. The TraF pulldown co-eluted all Tra proteins except TraG_B1 and TraN. Bacterial-two-hybrid assay showed a strong interaction between TraF and TraM_B8. We present a 1.25 Å resolution crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of TraF, which adopts a pseudokinase fold. AlphaFold predictions of full-length TraF with membrane mimetics show a transmembrane protein with two distinct soluble domains. FoldSeek revealed a strong similarity to YukC (EssB), a transmembrane pseudokinase from type VII secretion system (T7SS). YukC was shown to function as an interaction hub by mediating contacts between its pseudokinase domain and other T7SS proteins as part of the central membrane core complex. We postulate that TraF might play an important role in T4SS complex formation.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag009"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13037476/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147596420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in molecular tools for elucidating nucleic acid biology in fungal pathogens.","authors":"Lukas Schrettenbrunner, Neshima Mavani, Slavica Janevska, Matthew G Blango","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag008","DOIUrl":"10.1093/femsml/uqag008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Throughout the history of molecular biology, surprising advances have come from the study of all sorts of microbes. The first description of DNA polymerase came from the bacterial workhorse <i>Escherichia coli</i>, reverse transcriptase was revealed by studies of the Rous Sarcoma Virus, and even the initial discovery of DNA as the hereditary molecule was determined using strains of pneumococci in the classic Griffith and Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiments. Here, we build from these foundational discoveries to discuss the rapid development of molecular tools to study microbes themselves, with a focus on nucleic acid biology. We use fungal pathogens as a case study, as their diversity, complexity, and emerging appreciation as a global threat to society makes them particularly compelling and informative. In this review, we will address how advancements in methods to probe nucleic acids are now informing our understanding of fungal pathogens and the way we fight them in both the clinic and agriculture. We begin with DNA, taking a close look at the exciting progress in the fields of genetic engineering and chromatin biology, and their impact on the elucidation of virulence-associated cellular processes. Emerging RNA-based technologies follow, highlighting the value provided by biochemical advances and large-scale -omics approaches. We end by speculating on the future of molecular mycology and how these new approaches may facilitate generation of novel antifungals and diagnostic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag008"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13003923/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147500872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transmembrane effector substrates of type IV secretion systems: mechanisms of secretion and insertion into host cell membranes.","authors":"Sarah-Maria Trenz, Ann-Kathrin Kuwertz, Josua Carl, Samuel Wagner","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag007","DOIUrl":"10.1093/femsml/uqag007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intracellular Gram-negative pathogens employ either type IVA or type IVB secretion systems (T4SSs) to translocate effector proteins into host cells, where they modulate cellular processes to facilitate infection and promote intracellular survival. Roughly one-third of these effectors harbor hydrophobic transmembrane domains and are thus destined for integration into host cell membranes during infection. Many of these transmembrane domain-containing effectors (TMEs) localize to the membrane of the pathogen-containing vacuole, thereby contributing to its formation and remodeling. Despite the biological relevance of TMEs, the detailed molecular mechanisms governing their translocation via T4SSs and subsequent membrane integration in the host cell remain insufficiently understood. In this review, the biophysical characteristics of T4SS-secreted TMEs are systematically examined, including predictions of membrane topology and hydrophobicity. These analyses are then contextualized through comparison with recent structural analysis of both T4ASS and T4BSS machineries, as well as with mechanistic principles of eukaryotic membrane protein biogenesis. This integrative approach enables the conceptual reconstruction of the potential pathways by which TMEs are translocated through the T4SS and subsequently targeted and inserted into host membranes, offering new mechanistic insights into the poorly understood handling of bacterial TMEs from both the pathogen and host perspectives.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag007"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12981334/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147464423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A modular genetic toolbox for precise gene regulation and multi-color imaging in streptococci.","authors":"Johann Mignolet, Albane Schmid, Johan Staub, Jan Roelof van der Meer, Jan-Willem Veening, Virginie Libante","doi":"10.1093/femsml/uqag006","DOIUrl":"10.1093/femsml/uqag006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fluorescent labeling is a powerful tool in microbiology allowing live cell imaging and providing insights into dynamic cellular processes, quantification of gene expression, and protein subcellular localization. Although multicolor imaging is widely used in <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> and <i>S. mutans</i>, this is less common in other streptococcal species. To address this gap in the streptococcal molecular toolbox, we benchmarked five different fluorescent proteins. They were fused to the C-terminus of <i>S. pneumoniae</i> HlpA, a small non-specific DNA binding histone-like protein. These reporters, combined with four different antibiotic resistance genes, were engineered with various expression systems (inducible or constitutive) to form versatile cassettes. We provide methods to transfer these cassettes to different streptococcal species including <i>S. salivarius, S. thermophilus</i>, and <i>S. pyogenes</i>. As a proof of concept, we generated a triple labeled <i>S. salivarius</i> strain in which HlpA, FtsZ, and DivIVA were fused to three spectrally distinct compatible fluorescent proteins. Multiple fluorescent labeling has broad applications for deciphering a wide range of scientific problems, from cellular processes to infectious disease mechanisms. The availability of these cassettes should allow for a wider use of single-cell labeling strategies in the streptococcus clade and other closely related bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":74189,"journal":{"name":"microLife","volume":"7 ","pages":"uqag006"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12981332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147464416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}