Mark A Hanson, Hannah E Westlake, Philippe Bulet, Bruno Lemaitre
{"title":"The Antimicrobial and Host Defense Peptides of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>.","authors":"Mark A Hanson, Hannah E Westlake, Philippe Bulet, Bruno Lemaitre","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-101923-100221","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-101923-100221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Drosophila</i> fruit flies are a powerful model for studying innate immunity. In <i>Drosophila</i>, seven classical antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene families were identified in the 1990s. These genes are primarily regulated by the TOLL and IMD NF-κB pathways in response to infection. Analyses of mutants have revealed their important roles, including a surprising degree of peptide-microbe specificity at the effector level, in the host defense against gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Many new families of host defense peptides (HDPs) with unknown mechanisms of action are now being investigated. One prominent example is the Bomanins, which are peptides with an essential role in combatting infection by practically all gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Recent studies suggest that AMPs may have broader roles beyond direct antimicrobial activity, notably in the brain and behavior. This review summarizes what is known about each family of <i>Drosophila</i> HDPs and provides supplementary discussion for less characterized genes involved in defense against infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":"79 1","pages":"335-360"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145353385","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 Central Role of Gut Microbes in Host Purine Homeostasis.","authors":"Heather L Emery, Robert L Kerby, Federico E Rey","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-041522-100126","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-041522-100126","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Purines are ubiquitous metabolites that play evolutionarily conserved roles, including as precursors to molecules central to life. Purine synthesis is metabolically and energetically expensive; thus, under physiological conditions, intermediates of purine degradation are efficiently reused through salvage pathways. Excess purines are oxidized and eliminated via the kidneys and intestine. The efficient elimination of excess purines in humans is critical because the primary waste product of purine metabolism, uric acid, is proinflammatory and has been linked to multiple health conditions. Recent studies suggest that gut bacteria influence the purine pool locally and systemically. Bacteria can break down uric acid and other purines aerobically and anaerobically and may regulate their homeostasis. In this article, we provide an overview of purines and their metabolism, and we discuss our current understanding of the complex purine-dependent cross talk and cross-feeding between the host and the gut microbiome.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"615-638"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144991187","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":"Circadian Biology in Parasites: Beyond Known Mechanisms.","authors":"Mukhtar Sadykov, Filipa Rijo-Ferreira","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-060424-051248","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-060424-051248","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Circadian rhythms play a fundamental role in regulating biological processes across the tree of life. While these 24-h cycles are well-characterized in model organisms, their role in parasitic organisms has remained largely unexplored until recently. Here, we review emerging evidence that parasites possess intrinsic timekeeping abilities, focusing particularly on the malaria parasite <i>Plasmodium</i>. We examine two principal paradigms of biological timing: transcriptional-translational feedback loops and posttranscriptional feedback loops. Despite lacking canonical clock genes found in other eukaryotes, <i>Plasmodium</i> employs sophisticated regulatory machinery, including ApiAP2 transcription factors, chromatin regulators, and noncoding RNAs, that could form novel timing circuits. We discuss how these mechanisms might enable parasites to synchronize with host rhythms and optimize their development and transmission. Understanding these temporal regulatory networks could reveal new therapeutic strategies and expand our knowledge of biological timing mechanisms across evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":"79 1","pages":"731-751"},"PeriodicalIF":12.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12692157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145353411","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}
Jackson R Rapala, Faith Anderson Davis, Ajay Larkin, Teresa R O'Meara
{"title":"Pathogenic Fungal Sensing and Responses to Stressful Host Environments.","authors":"Jackson R Rapala, Faith Anderson Davis, Ajay Larkin, Teresa R O'Meara","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051024-033116","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051024-033116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the ubiquity of fungi in nature, only a small fraction are pathogenic to humans, and the majority of these fungi are opportunistic and affect immunocompromised individuals. In general, pathogen emergence is restricted by the ability of fungi to sense and withstand human host environmental cues and stresses. These stress responses in fungi involve immediate survival reactions as well as long-term adaptations. Additionally, some opportunistic pathogenic behavior suggests that virulence traits evolved for environmental survival, a concept known as exaptation. This review covers recent advances in examining fungal responses to host environments and focuses on stress pathways including HOG (high osmolarity glycerol) and CWI (cell wall integrity), thermotolerance mechanisms, CO<sub>2</sub> and oxygen sensing, nutrient and metal stresses, pH adaptation, and antimicrobial defenses. By focusing on both conserved and specialized responses, we highlight the critical role of stress adaptation in pathogenicity and potential avenues for further research and therapeutic intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":"79 1","pages":"449-473"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12813995/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145353349","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}
Elizabeth R Hughes, Maria E Panzetta, Agastya Sharma, Raphael H Valdivia
{"title":"The Biology of <i>Akkermansia</i>.","authors":"Elizabeth R Hughes, Maria E Panzetta, Agastya Sharma, Raphael H Valdivia","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-032131","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-032131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Members of the genus <i>Akkermansia</i> are the only cultured representatives of <i>Verrucomicrobiota</i> within the gastrointestinal tract. <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i>, the best-characterized representative of the genus, is a mucin-degrading specialist that has emerged as a microbe of significant interest due to its influence on the health of its hosts. We describe emerging themes in the biology of <i>Akkermansia</i> species, including their diversity; cellular structures; physiology; interactions with other intestinal microbes; responses to diet; and effects on mammalian hosts, particularly their role in modulating immune responses. We also describe some of the tools available to explore the molecular biology of <i>Akkermansia</i> and discuss its increasingly complex interactions with other members of the microbiota and their implications for gastrointestinal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"287-310"},"PeriodicalIF":12.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13312221/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144758906","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}
{"title":"Making Fungal-Photobiont Symbioses in the Lab: Past, Present, and Future of the Elusive In Vitro Lichen.","authors":"Arseniy Belosokhov, Toby Spribille","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-031834","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-031834","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ability to synthesize lichen symbioses in vitro from pure cultures of transformable symbionts would be a game changer for experiments to identify the metabolic interplay that underpins the success of lichens. However, despite multiple reports of successful lichen resynthesis, no lichen lab model system exists today. We reviewed 150 years of in vitro lichen studies and found that the term resynthesis is applied to many types of fungal-photobiont cocultures that do not resemble lichens. Some of the most lichen-like results, for their part, were obtained from nonaxenic tissue culture. Only a few studies reported obtaining natural-looking lichens from axenic input cultures, but all appear to have been isolated successes obtained against the background of extensive contamination. We suggest revisiting resynthesis experiments in light of recent advances in our understanding of lichen microbial composition to test whether in vitro lichen morphogenesis requires microbial inputs beyond those of the canonical fungal and algal symbionts.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"713-730"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145028742","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":"Genetic Exchange in <i>Leishmania</i>: Understanding the Cryptic Sexual Cycle.","authors":"Carolina M C Catta-Preta, David L Sacks","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-050724-091231","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-050724-091231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While reproduction in <i>Leishmania</i> is primarily clonal, genomic analyses of natural isolates provide evidence for hybridization within and between species. Genetic exchange has been formally demonstrated via the generation of hybrids in the laboratory. Experimentally, genetic exchange in <i>Leishmania</i> is nonobligatory, relatively rare, and naturally confined to life cycle stages present in the sandfly midgut. Per whole genome sequencing, allele inheritance is Mendelian and involves meiosis-like recombination of the nuclear genome. Deletion of meiosis- and plasmogamy-related genes reveals their requirement for successful hybridization. Mitochondrial DNA inheritance appears uniparental for maxicircle kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) but biparental for minicircle kDNA. To account for the current absence of identified haploid gametes and for the hybridization of aneuploid genomes, alternative modes of genetic exchange have been proposed. Future studies will need to confirm the existence of gametes, explore the conditions promoting their development, and exploit the generation of sexual recombinants to map genes controlling important traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"105-128"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315770","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}
Pablo Villarreal, Jennifer Molinet, Stephanie Braun-Galleani, Francisco A Cubillos
{"title":"Non-Conventional Yeasts as a Source of Genetic Diversity and Biotechnological Potential.","authors":"Pablo Villarreal, Jennifer Molinet, Stephanie Braun-Galleani, Francisco A Cubillos","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-052324-091517","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-052324-091517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most of our current knowledge about yeast is based on the workhorse <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. However, can this yeast represent the vast array of natural yeast life-forms? This review discusses significant recent advances in the study of non-<i>Saccharomyces</i> yeasts, also known as non-conventional yeasts (NCYs). We (<i>a</i>) review recent literature on bioprospecting methodologies and on population genomics that have expanded our understanding of NCY diversity, (<i>b</i>) highlight critical species with industrial applications, and (<i>c</i>) offer insights into how NCYs' genetic diversity translates into phenotypic plasticity and adaptation to extreme environments. We assess the limitations that are delaying the widespread use of NCYs in biotechnology, including the need for ambitious bioprospecting efforts and robust genetic tools in the scaling up of NCY-based processes for industry. NCYs could offer novel sustainable solutions in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and bioenergy sectors and could open a new frontier of commercial opportunities.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"595-614"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144939578","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 M Norte, Luis Alfredo Avitia-Dominguez, Daniel E Rozen
{"title":"Evolution and Ecology of <i>Streptomyces</i>.","authors":"David M Norte, Luis Alfredo Avitia-Dominguez, Daniel E Rozen","doi":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-032254","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-micro-051524-032254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Streptomyces</i> are among the most well-studied and important groups of bacteria, largely owing to their prolific production of biomedically important compounds like antibiotics and antifungals. Research over more than a half-century has elucidated the molecular and mechanistic details of <i>Streptomyces</i> multicellular development and the production of secondary metabolites. In contrast, the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that underlie these phenotypes are comparatively understudied. Our aim in this review is to examine these aspects of <i>Streptomyces</i> biology, with a focus on the benefits associated with their complex life cycle, their multicellular architecture and development, and their production of antibiotics. In addition to highlighting existing studies, we point to clear knowledge gaps that can serve to motivate further research on these bacteria. A greater understanding of <i>Streptomyces</i> evolution and ecology is needed to improve our ability to exploit these organisms for biomedical and agricultural applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":7946,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"383-403"},"PeriodicalIF":9.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144881914","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}