Latest Articles
Research Article | Synthetic BiologyDevelopment of a CRISPR/Cas9-Based Tool for Gene Deletion in Issatchenkia orientalisMicrobial production of fuels and chemicals from renewable and readily available biomass is a sustainable and economically attractive alternative to petroleum-based production. Because of its unusual tolerance to highly acidic conditions, I. orientalis is a promising potential candidate for the manufacture of valued organic acids. Nevertheless, reliable and efficient genetic engineering tools in I. orientalis are...
Commentary | Applied and Environmental SciencemSphere of Influence: Engineering MicrobesPatrick J. McNamara works in the field of environmental engineering. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the papers “Bacterial community structure in the drinking water microbiome is governed by filtration processes” (A. J. Pinto, C. Xi, and L.
Commentary | Molecular Biology and PhysiologymSphere of Influence: the Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Infection BiologyArtur Yakimovich works in the field of computational virology and applies machine learning algorithms to study host-pathogen interactions. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on two papers “Holographic Deep Learning for Rapid Optical Screening of Anthrax Spores” by Jo et al. (Y. Jo, S. Park, J. Jung, J.
Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionmSphere of Influence: Evolutionary Strategies To Sensitize Drug-Resistant PathogensRebecca S. Shapiro studies antimicrobial resistance and genetic interaction networks. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the papers “Bacterial evolution of antibiotic hypersensitivity” by Lázár et al. (V. Lázár, G. Pal Singh, R. Spohn, I.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEndless Forms: Within-Host Variation in the Structure of the West Nile Virus RNA Genome during Serial Passage in Bird HostsThe enzymes that copy RNA genomes lack proofreading, and viruses that possess RNA genomes, such as West Nile virus, rapidly diversify into swarms of mutant lineages within a host. Intrahost variation of the primary genomic sequence of RNA viruses has been studied extensively because the extent of this variation shapes key virus phenotypes. However, RNA genomes also form complex secondary structures based on within-genome nucleotide...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAssignment of Serotype-Specific IgG1, IgG2, and IgA Weight-Based Antibody Units to the Human Pneumococcal Standard Reference Serum, 007spA well-characterized antibody standard is an indispensable reagent for use in assays designed to measure antibodies with precision and where assays between laboratories need to be comparable. The human pneumococcal standard reference serum, lot 89SF, greatly facilitated the standardization of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methodologies during a critical period when the first pneumococcal polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines were being...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAn Intragenic Recombination Event Generates a Snf4-Independent Form of the Essential Protein Kinase Snf1 in Candida albicansGenomic alterations, including different types of recombination events, facilitate the generation of genetically altered variants and enable the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans to adapt to stressful conditions encountered in its human host. Here, we show that a specific recombination event between two 8-bp direct repeats within the coding sequence of the SNF1...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Aspergillus fumigatus Mucin MsbA Regulates the Cell Wall Integrity Pathway and Controls Recognition of the Fungus by the Immune SystemAspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungus with great medical importance. During infection, Aspergillus grows, forming hyphae that colonize the lung tissue and invade and spread over the mammal host, resulting in high mortality rates. The knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for regulation of fungal growth and virulence comprises an important point...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Heat Shock Protein 48 (HSP48) Biomolecular Condensate Is Induced during Dictyostelium discoideum DevelopmentDuring cellular stress, many microbes undergo a transition to a dormant state. This includes the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum that transitions from a unicellular amoeba to a multicellular fruiting body upon starvation. In this work, we identify heat shock protein 48 (HSP48) as a chaperone that is induced during development. We also show that HSP48 forms a...
