Articles in 2013

The discovery of an essential ATP-binding-cassette transporter that is used for the secretion of an entire family ofStaphylococcus aureuscytolytic toxins.

Two studies reveal that optimizing codon usage in bacterial and fungal circadian clock proteins is maladaptive, indicating that non-optimal codons are essential for circadian gene regulation.

In this Opinon article, Cornforth and Foster argue that several of the major bacterial stress responses detect ecological competition directly through competition sensing, a physiological response that detects harm caused by other cells and that evolved, at least in part, for that purpose. In support of this argument, they show that bacteriocins and antibiotics are frequently upregulated by stress responses to nutrient limitation and cell damage but not by responses to abiotic stress.

The gut microbiota, traditionally studied in the context of disease, has emerged as a key regulator during normal homeostasis. Here, Sommer and Bäckhed discuss how the gut microbiota promotes the development and homeostasis of the immune system and orchestrates several aspects of human physiology, including tissue morphogenesis, metabolism and even behaviour.

A new study challenges the obligate diploid status ofCandida albicansand promises new tools for genetic analyses.

Phytophthora sojaeevades host immunity by silencing avirulence genes over multiple generations.

The first comprehensive biogeochemical survey of a storm cloud reveals a selection bias for plant-associated bacteria over soil bacteria, which could influence the global distribution of bacteria.

Two groups report the development of a reverse genetics system to recover Schmallenberg virus from cloned cDNA.

Transcription of an sRNA is required for formation of a G4 structure that allows pilin antigenic variation inNeisseria gonorrhoeae.

This month's Genome Watch highlights how deep sequencing technologies have vastly reduced the time and prior knowledge needed to generate viral genomes.

The publication of a new article type prompts us to have a look back at the evolution and development of the journal over the past decade.

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are used by plants, nematodes and arthropods in cellular defence against viruses, but in chordates, sRNAs were replaced with a protein-based system to inhibit viral replication. Here, Benjamin tenOever describes how the lack of interplay between cellular sRNAs and RNA viruses permits the engineering of vectors that can deliver their own sRNAs or are controlled by the sRNAs present in the host.

In this Analysis article, Morris and Schmidt report the results of surveys searching for high-affinity terminal oxidase genes in sequenced bacterial genomes and shotgun metagenomes. They find that bacteria with the potential to respire under microoxic conditions are phylogenetically diverse and intriguingly widespread in nature, and go on to highlight the importance of microaerobic metabolism in host-associated bacteria.

In addition to developing vaccines and drugs that target vector-borne diseases, historically the use of insecticides has been the main approach for targeting the vector itself. However, as McGraw and O'Neill describe in this Review, there has been substantial recent progress in developing alternative genetic and biological vector-control strategies.

Mycobacterium lepraetriggers reprogramming of Schwann cells to promote its dissemination.

Here, Blaser, Bork, Fraser, Knight and Wang highlight the most exciting findings in the field of microbiome research and discuss what will be necessary to obtain a better understanding of the role of the microbiota in human health and disease, and to develop microbiota-based therapies.