Molecular Biology and Physiology
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIndependent Mechanisms for Acquired Salt Tolerance versus Growth Resumption Induced by Mild Ethanol Pretreatment in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMicrobes in nature frequently experience “boom or bust” cycles of environmental stress. Thus, microbes that can anticipate the onset of stress would have an advantage. One way that microbes anticipate future stress is through acquired stress resistance, where cells exposed to a mild dose of one stress gain the ability to survive an otherwise lethal dose of a subsequent stress. In the budding yeast...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologycsrB Gene Duplication Drives the Evolution of Redundant Regulatory Pathways Controlling Expression of the Major Toxic Secreted Metalloproteases in Vibrio tasmaniensis LGP32The conserved CsrB sRNAs are an example of sibling sRNAs, i.e., sRNAs which are present in multiple copies in genomes. This report illustrates how new copies arise through gene duplication events and highlights two evolutionary advantages of having such multiple copies: differential regulation of the multiple copies allows integration of different input signals into the regulatory network of which they are parts, and the high redundancy...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenetic Analysis of NDT80 Family Transcription Factors in Candida albicans Using New CRISPR-Cas9 ApproachesTranscription factors play key roles in regulating virulence of the human fungal pathogen C. albicans. In addition to regulating the expression of virulence factors, they also control the ability of C. albicans to switch to filamentous hyphal growth, which facilitates biofilm formation on medical...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySurface Exposure and Packing of Lipoproteins into Outer Membrane Vesicles Are Coupled Processes in BacteroidesSpecies from the Bacteroides genus are predominant members of the human gut microbiota. OMVs in Bacteroides have been shown to be important for the homeostasis of complex host-commensal relationships, mainly involving immune tolerance and protection from disease. OMVs carry many enzymatic activities involved in the cleavage of complex polysaccharides and have been proposed as public goods that can provide growth to...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEstablishment and Application of Rapid Diagnosis for Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR of Newly Emerging Goose-Origin Nephrotic Astrovirus in ChinaGoose-origin astrovirus (GoAstV), as a newly emerging virus in 2017, is different from previously known astroviruses in the genus Avastrovirus. So far, few studies have focused on the novel virus. Considering the infectious development of astrovirus (AstV), we established a reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay with a strong specificity to quickly and...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySinorhizobium meliloti, a Slow-Growing Bacterium, Exhibits Growth Rate Dependence of Cell Size under Nutrient LimitationThe dependence of cell size on growth rate is a fundamental principle in the field of bacterial cell size regulation. Previous studies of cell size regulation mainly focus on fast-growing bacterial species such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyInterplay of Klebsiella pneumoniae fabZ and lpxC Mutations Leads to LpxC Inhibitor-Dependent Growth Resulting from Loss of Membrane HomeostasisEmergence of antibiotic resistance has prompted efforts to identify and optimize novel inhibitors of antibacterial targets such as LpxC. This enzyme catalyzes the first committed step of lipid A synthesis, which is necessary to generate lipopolysaccharide and ultimately the Gram-negative protective outer membrane. Investigation of this pathway and its interrelationship with inner membrane (phospholipid) biosynthesis or other pathways is...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyIntracellular Signaling by the comRS System in Streptococcus mutans Genetic CompetenceThe ComRS system can function as a quorum sensing trigger for genetic competence in S. mutans. The signal peptide XIP, which is derived from the precursor ComS, enters the cell and interacts with the Rgg-type cytosolic receptor ComR to activate comX, which encodes the alternative sigma factor for the late competence genes. Previous studies have demonstrated...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGlucose Signaling Is Important for Nutrient Adaptation during Differentiation of Pleomorphic African TrypanosomesAs the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei completes its life cycle, it encounters many different environments. Adaptation to these environments includes modulation of metabolic pathways to parallel the availability of nutrients. Here, we describe how the blood-dwelling life cycle stages of the African trypanosome, which consume glucose to meet their nutritional...
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyNovel Observations Concerning Differentiation of Bloodstream-Form Trypanosomes to the Form That Is Adapted for Growth in Tsetse FliesSalivarian trypanosomes grow in mammals, where they depend on glucose, and as procyclic forms in tsetse flies, where they metabolize proline. Differentiation of bloodstream forms to nongrowing stumpy forms, and to procyclic forms, has been studied extensively, but reconciling the results is tricky because investigators have used parasites with various differentiation competences and different media for procyclic-form culture.
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