Articles in 2013

Oncolytic viruses can infect and destroy tumour tissues; however, many have proven less effective in clinical trials than anticipated. Miest and Cattaneo outline strategies to enhance the efficacy of next-generation virotherapy and to provide the clinic with a range of viruses that are engineered to safely and specifically destroy cancer cells.

A study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis shows a potential role of the gut bacteriumPrevotella copriin the development of this autoimmune disease.

Two newStaphylococcus aureusvirulence factors convert neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to deoxyadenosine, which triggers macrophage apoptosis.

Two studies report novel approaches to eradicate bacterial persisters, both of which involve proteolysis by the ClpP protease.

In the archaeonHaloferax volcanii, origin depletion results in a fitness advantage and replication is initiated by homologous recombination.

As World AIDS Day approaches, and the 30th anniversary year of the isolation of HIV-1 draws to a close, it is timely to reflect on the past, present and future of HIV/AIDS research.

This month's Genome Watch investigates the role of hypermutation in chronic bacterial infection and its implications for phylogenomic analyses.

Antonio Cassone outlines why he thinks univalent subunit vaccines targetingCandida albicansare unlikely to succeed and argues that the development of a multivalent vaccine could be a better approach.

The first visualization and detailed characterization of the DNA-uptake apparatus that is involved in natural transformation inVibrio cholerae.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and, more recently, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has highlighted the pathogenic and epidemic potential of this virus family. Here, Graham, Donaldson and Baric review key biological properties of coronaviruses and how to target them with potential therapeutics.

Current antimalarial therapy heavily relies on artemisinins, a drug class that only targets the blood stages of the parasite and which is increasingly feared to elicit drug resistance. Flannery, Chatterjee and Winzeler discuss the approaches used to develop novel drugs that are active against different life cycle stages with the ultimate aim of eliminating malaria.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidisreleases soluble mycotoxins that inhibitXenopus laevislymphocyte proliferation by inducing caspase-mediated apoptosis.

The identification of a quorum sensing antagonist that inhibitsPseudomonas aeruginosavirulence factor expression and biofilm formation.