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This study reveals that an outer membrane protein from the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus forms a pentameric assembly that traps a lipid monolayer within. This allows the discovery of two superfamilies, distributed across a wide range of bacteria, likely to adopt a similar architecture.

Bacterial malic enzymes (ME) transform malate to pyruvate. One group, hybrid ME enzymes, are regulated by acetyl-CoA, linking the enzyme activity to the metabolic state of the cell. Structures of a representative hybrid ME MaeB reveal large conformational rearrangements that provide insight into the mechanism of allosteric inhibition by acetyl-CoA.

The bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predator of other bacteria, invading the prey’s periplasm and forming a rounded killed cell where it replicates. Here, Tyson et al. identify a B. bacteriovorus protein that is important for successful invasion of prey, and show that prey killing can occur without invasion.

Here, Franklin et al show that the mycobacterial glycoside hydrolase LamH cleaves lipomannan and lipoarabinomannan from their lipid carrier, facilitating the export of the polysaccharide domain and signalling bacterial growth phase transition.

A diverse arsenal of fibre-like proteins extend outward from the B. bacteriovorus cell surface and localize towards prey cells, facilitating recognition and invasion.

A structural look at the interaction between the SH3b domain of the peptidoglycan endopeptidase lysostaphin and the target for its antistaphylococcal activity, peptidoglycan, reveals a mechanism of bacterial cell wall binding.

Heart failure is a complex syndrome that is associated with many different underlying risk factors. Here, to increase power, the authors jointly analyse cases of heart failure of different aetiologies in a genome-wide association study and identify 11 loci of which ten had not been previously reported.

The initiation of prey invasion by the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is governed by the activity of the diguanlylate cyclase DgcB. Here the authors show that the stimulus regulating DgcB activity is a phosphopeptide derived from DgcB itself and present the crystal structures of full-length DgcB and of its empty and peptide-bound sensor domain.

The presence of the signalling lipid Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) in erythrocytes has unclear physiological implications. Here the authors show that the S1P-generating enzyme Sphingosine kinase type 1 and its product S1P play an important role in the red blood cell adaptation to hypoxic environments in mice and humans.

Cells of the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, which invades and replicates within the periplasm of other bacteria, have a characteristic curved rod shape. Here, Banks et al. show that a peptidoglycan hydrolase is required for the curved shape, and this facilitates invasion of prey cells.

The bacterial periplasmic predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus deacetylates the peptidoglycan of the prey bacterium early upon invasion. Here, the authors identify and characterize a Bdellovibrio lysozyme that acts specifically on deacetylated peptidoglycan and is important for periplasmic exit.

The bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus invades and kills other bacteria, but it is unclear how it avoids degradation of its own cell wall. Here the authors identify the B. bacteriovorusprotein Bd3460 as an endopeptidase inhibitor that prevents hydrolysis of the predator’s peptidoglycan during invasion of prey.

Humans that reach high altitude soon after the first ascent show faster adaptation to hypoxia. Songet al. show that this adaptive response relies on decreased red blood cell uptake of plasma adenosine due to reduced levels of nucleoside transporter ENT1 resulting from coordinated adenosine generation by ectonucleotidase CD73 and activation of A2B receptors.

A combination of structural and biochemical analyses of MlaC, the soluble periplasmic component of the Mla pathway, elucidate how this protein assists phospholipid movement between the bacterial inner and outer membranes.

Cryo-electron tomography reveals unanticipated features of Bdellovibro predation of Gram-negative bacteria.

Bacterial cell growth and division require the coordinated action of enzymes that synthesize and degrade cell wall polymers. Here, the authors identify enzymes that cleave the D-arabinan core of arabinogalactan, an unusual component of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria.

Bacterial growth and division require remodelling of the cell wall, which generates free peptidoglycan fragments. Here, Moynihan et al. show that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can recycle components of their peptidoglycan, and characterise a crucial enzyme required for this process.

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD). Here, the authors identify and prioritize genetic loci for cIMT and plaque by GWAS and colocalization approaches and further demonstrate genetic correlation with CHD and stroke.

Gram-positive bacteria have a thick cell wall composed of peptidoglycan and teichoic acid, a complex anionic polymer that is important for cellular integrity and virulence. The crystal structures of TagF polymerase from Staphylococcus epidermidis in its apo form and in complex with a model susbtrate are now presented, providing insight into teichoic acid biosynthesis.

The second messenger c-di-GMP modulates multiple responses to environmental and cellular signals in bacteria. Here, Skotnicka et al. identify a protein that binds c-di-GMP and contributes to chromosome organization and segregation in Myxococcus xanthus, with DNA-binding activity regulated by c-di-GMP.

Collateral sensitivity-inducing mutations in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains lead to re-sensitization of bacteria to penicillin–clavulanic acid combinatorial treatment.

An analysis of the finished sequence of human chromosome 12 representing 4.5% of the human genome determines that chromosome 12 hosts a number of genes mutated in specific cancers, as well as movement disorders and potentially Alzheimer's disease.

There is currently no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a common neurodegenerative disorder. Here, the authors use genetic variation associated with gene and protein expression to find putative drug targets for Parkinson’s disease using Mendelian randomization of the druggable genome.

Knowledge of genomic features specific to humans may be important for understanding disease. Here the authors demonstrate a potential role for these human-lineage-specific sequences in brain development and neurological disease.

An analysis of human chromosome 15 — which is altered in Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes — reveals that it resembles a hall of mirrors, as it contains a number of sequence duplications throughout its length. The evolutionary events that may have led to the high number of duplications was also reconstructed.