{"title":"Host-Pathogen Interactions in Malaria: Invasion, Neutralization, and Evasion.","authors":"Thayne H Dickey, Niraj H Tolia","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-042424-032639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-042424-032639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malaria remains a major global health burden despite decades of effort toward its prevention and treatment. Much of this difficulty stems from the complexity of the <i>Plasmodium</i> parasite's life cycle and its interactions with the human host. Here, we review receptor-ligand interactions between the <i>Plasmodium</i> parasite and human host, with a focus on clinically relevant antigens. The parasite uses a variety of proteins at each stage of its life cycle to achieve requisite functions such as motility, cell traversal, and invasion. In turn, the human immune response targets these key parasite antigens, and we review well-characterized antibody-antigen interactions. Finally, we describe several mechanisms the parasite uses to evade the human immune response. Understanding of this evolutionary back-and-forth has inspired several different vaccines and therapeutics, and we describe ongoing efforts to create improved next-generation versions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238613","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":"From an Interest in Molecules to a Fascination with Microbes.","authors":"Jon Clardy","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-042924-030959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-042924-030959","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>My scientific career has followed a meandering path centered on the structures and functions of microbial metabolites. These microbes included bacteria, fungi, and single-celled eukaryotes, and the metabolites included representatives from most metabolite families-peptides, complex carbohydrates, and lipids. The journey began with an interest in the structural complexity of microbial toxins and in microbes as chemists, and it evolved into a fixation on microbial metabolites' ability to reveal totally unexpected structure-function and host-guest relations and microbes' ability to affect human health and disease. The results described in this manuscript illustrate the power of interdisciplinary collaborations, clearly defined and soluble questions, a skilled research team, and serendipity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147969818","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 Physiology in the Context of Algal Partners.","authors":"Einat Segev","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-042924-052612","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-042924-052612","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Marine bacteria display diverse lifestyles, many of which are shaped by close associations with microalgal partners. In the photic zone, where microalgae fix carbon through photosynthesis, bacteria consume algal-derived organic matter and often exhibit growth patterns that mirror algal activity and abundance. These interactions expose bacteria to strong fluctuations, with bursts of algal exudates during high productivity alternating with periods of scarcity. To cope, algal-associated bacteria have evolved strategies that balance rapid growth with the ability to endure starvation. This review highlights current knowledge and open questions in the physiology of algal-associated bacteria across three stages: the growth phase, supported by algal resources; the starvation phase, marked by storage strategies and a regulated decrease in cellular functions; and the transitions between these states, shaped by algal cues and corresponding bacterial responses. I hope this synthesis of our current understanding and the challenges ahead will inspire broader recognition of the importance and excitement of studying bacterial physiology in an environmental context.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147925764","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}
Malcolm J McConville, Eleanor C Saunders, Julie E Ralton
{"title":"Carbon Metabolism of Intracellular Parasitic Protists.","authors":"Malcolm J McConville, Eleanor C Saunders, Julie E Ralton","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-120925","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-120925","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Apicomplexan and trypanosomatid parasites cause important human diseases, including malaria, toxoplasmosis, Chagas disease, and human leishmaniasis. The mammalian-infective stages of these parasites colonize nutrient-rich, intracellular niches in a range of different host cells. These niches include specialized vacuoles (<i>Plasmodium</i> spp., <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>), the mature lysosome of phagocytic cells (<i>Leishmania</i>), and the cytoplasm of nucleated host cells (<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>). Here, we review the different growth and metabolic strategies utilized by each of these protists to survive in these niches. Although all stages utilize sugars as preferred carbon sources, different species or developmental stages vary markedly in their dependence on aerobic fermentation versus respiratory metabolism and their co-utilization of other carbon sources. Stage-specific differences in glycolytic and mitochondrial respiratory capacity may be a hardwired feature of each stage and reflect the trade-off of achieving high growth rates at the expense of host range adaptability and establishing long-lived persistent infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"573-594"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144939522","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":"Opportunistic Fungal Infections in Sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Lucian Duvenage, Emily Ruth Higgitt, Rachael Dangarembizi, J Claire Hoving","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-121423-115959","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-121423-115959","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Opportunistic fungal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The high prevalence of advanced HIV disease, limited surveillance and reporting of fungal disease, and lack of access to healthcare lead to a disproportionate number of fungal-related deaths in this region. This review explores selected fungal pathogens associated with the highest mortality rates: <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> and <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i>, as well as endemic dimorphic fungal pathogens <i>Histoplasma</i> spp. and <i>Emergomyces africanus</i>, which are underreported in the region. Recent advances in our understanding of pathogenesis and how this knowledge may be exploited for the development of novel antifungals and therapies are discussed. We reflect on the risk factors unique to sub-Saharan Africa and on the diagnostic and treatment challenges, and we highlight the current research priorities that are needed to reduce the burden of fungal disease in this endemic region.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"129-148"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144504727","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 Invisible Extinction.","authors":"Martin J Blaser, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051024-092416","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051024-092416","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The characterization of the human microbiome has opened a new chapter in understanding human biology and its relationship to health and disease. Yet we also have learned that our ancient coevolved microbiome has been changing across recent human generations; we have been losing a substantial amount of its diversity. This is especially concerning because the microbiota that we acquire early in life has important bearing on our developmental trajectory, especially with regard to metabolism, immunity, and cognition. Collectively, the early-life microbiota is a partner in our human developmental biology. We detail the medical, public health, and dietary phenomena bearing on the acquisition, maintenance, and loss of members of the microbiota and then consider the linkages between the altered microbiome and the diseases that have been emerging in recent years. Finally, we highlight ways to address and solve these problems associated with modernization.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"311-334"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144783303","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}
Peter Bing Svendsen, Lauge Alfastsen, Lone Gram, Nathalie N S E Henriksen, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia, Sheng-Da Zhang
{"title":"Roles of Marine Microbial Natural Products.","authors":"Peter Bing Svendsen, Lauge Alfastsen, Lone Gram, Nathalie N S E Henriksen, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia, Sheng-Da Zhang","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-040824-022431","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-040824-022431","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over billions of years, marine microorganisms evolved a vast genetic potential to produce the molecules we denote as natural products or secondary metabolites. While these molecules show promise as therapeutics, their ecological roles, beyond those as antimicrobials, are receiving increasing attention. This review examines recent advances in our understanding of the ecological functions of marine microbial natural products and highlights both known and emerging roles. We summarize the involvement of these natural products in biological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes in the oceans; outline how their production may profoundly affect the producing organism; and discuss how the presence of natural product-producing microorganisms may affect microbiome composition and function. Despite progress, knowledge about the ecological roles of marine microbial natural products remains limited, and we also discuss challenges and opportunities in this field, including promising new technologies that could provide novel insights.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"361-382"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144788093","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":"My Life as a Pioneering Woman Scientist in a Golden Age of Science and Society.","authors":"Carol A Gross","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-052924-120235","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-052924-120235","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>My time in science spans the period from the early 1960s to the present and has enabled me to experience science from the dawn of molecular biology to our current time of rapid technological advancement and knowledge explosion. I have also been privileged to be a part of the great democratization of science. I tell the story of this impactful time in science and society from the perspective of my personal and professional journey, starting from Lac repressor studies, progressing to studying bacterial transcription (most especially the \"σ universe\"), and now centering on the development and use of global technologies to solve the huge genotype-phenotype gap: how to acquire in years, not decades, gene function and pathway information in understudied organisms critical to human and planetary health. The scientific explosion I have witnessed also suggests that the potential for science to positively influence our world has never been higher.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":12.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144233011","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}
Luis M Cantu Morin, Kilian Dekoninck, Varun Sridhar, Saoirse Disney-McKeethen, Theresa Proctor, Ashley Y Eng, Matthew F Traxler
{"title":"Why Do Filamentous <i>Actinomycetota</i> Produce Such a Vast Array of Specialized Metabolites?","authors":"Luis M Cantu Morin, Kilian Dekoninck, Varun Sridhar, Saoirse Disney-McKeethen, Theresa Proctor, Ashley Y Eng, Matthew F Traxler","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-060424-051257","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-060424-051257","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteria of the phylum <i>Actinomycetota</i> are extremely diverse: They inhabit niches ranging from soils and ocean sediments to the normal human microbiota, and they cause tuberculosis, one of the most prevalent chronic bacterial infections. They display an accordingly wide range of adaptive traits that enable their persistence, including, in some clades, a vast repertoire of biologically active small molecules. While humans have capitalized on this trove of useful natural products (also called secondary or specialized metabolites), the utility of these molecules for their producers has been challenging to directly assess. In this review, we consider adaptations that may have paved the way for the evolution of the expansive specialized metabolisms present in certain clades of <i>Actinomycetota</i>. We also consider the evolutionary pressures that may have driven diversification of these metabolisms and document how these organisms use these molecules in microbial interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"753-772"},"PeriodicalIF":12.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13117493/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145051409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alex Graça Contato, Thiago Machado Pasin, Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Moraes Polizeli
{"title":"Microbial Enzymes for Biomass Conversion.","authors":"Alex Graça Contato, Thiago Machado Pasin, Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Moraes Polizeli","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-025214","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-025214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant biomass has emerged as a cornerstone of the global bioenergy landscape because of its abundance and cost-effectiveness. The cell wall of plant biomass is an intricate network of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose by holoenzymes converts these polymers into monosaccharides and paves the way for the production of bioethanol and other bio-based products. This enzymatic and fermentative process is crucial for the sustainable use of agro-industrial residues as renewable energy sources, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. This review explores critical aspects of lignocellulolytic enzyme systems, all of which derive from microorganisms. Furthermore, it underscores the advantages of microbial sources and their potential for enhancing enzyme properties through genetic engineering and enzyme immobilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"663-683"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145028712","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}