Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - by David Ojcius

Researchers examined interactions between enteropathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica O:8 and its mucus-adherent bacteriophage in a simulated mucosal environment. Mucin exposure increased phage replication by approximately 100-fold, altered infection dynamics, and reduced bacterial biofilm formation. Resistant mutants acquired mutations affecting virulence, quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance pathways, highlighting mucin's role in phage-bacterium ecology.

This study examines how different sequencing methods influence microbial community analysis in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of Cinnamomum migao. Variations in annotation resolution, microbial domain, and quantification significantly altered network parameters and keystone taxa identification, highlighting the need for careful interpretation of microbial interactions.

Rhizopus arrhizus emerges as a key fungal driver of metabolic steatotic liver cancer. Its conditioned medium boosts proliferation of human tumor cells, while kynurenic acid produced by the fungus promotes tumor growth in mice. Kynurenic acid binds IQGAP1 and activates MAPK signaling, revealing a pathogenic host–fungus interaction that may be therapeutically targeted to suppress disease progression.

Plasma gelsolin reduces acute inflammation and fungal burden in a 24‑hour mouse model of candidemia. Treatment lowers inflammatory gene expression, decreases renal and pulmonary injury, and improves fungal clearance. In human monocytes, plasma gelsolin boosts fungal uptake, enhances intracellular killing, and modulates reactive radical production without direct candidacidal activity.

Cryo‑electron tomography of native and antibiotic‑perturbed Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells yields 140 in‑cell maps capturing translation initiation, elongation, and recycling. The study visualizes transcription‑translation assemblies, proposes a threading‑based reinitiation mechanism, and provides structural evidence for a supercomplex coordinating transcription, translation, and membrane attachment

Cryo‑electron tomography of Mycoplasma pneumoniae reveals a surface complex combining the conserved Sec‑translocon with a dome‑like assembly formed by three previously uncharacterized Mdps. Integrative proteomics and structural modeling show Mdps resemble PrsA‑like foldases, with Mdp444 retaining catalytic activity. The study provides sub‑nanometer maps of SecA‑mediated translocation coordinated with extracellular protein folding.