Mostly Microbes and Infection - by David Ojcius

Highlights • This study systematically analyzed alterations in the ocular surface microbiome of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson’s syndrome (PSP-RS) via metagenomic sequencing, with comparisons to Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and healthy controls (HC). • The β-diversity of the ocular surface microbiome in PSP-RS patients was significantly altered compared to HC, while no such obvious difference was observed in PD patients. PSP-RS patients exhibited increased abundances of g_Acinetobacter and g_Anaerococcus, decreased abundance of g_Vibrio, as well as characteristic changes at the specific species (e.g., s_Acinetobacter_guillouiae) and strain levels. • The ocular surface microbiome of PSP-RS patients showed more significant remodeling in Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional pathways, involving multiple key pathways such as transposase activity and amino acid metabolism. • The abundance of g_Acinetobacter was positiv...

Highlights • The  S. maltophilia  MntH importer contributes to H 2 O 2  resistance and intracellular survival • The Mn exporter MntP limits toxicity even at sub-inhibitory Mn²⁺ concentrations • The  S. maltophilia  MntR regulated genes include the extracytoplasmic TBDR-pTFP module • The TBDR-pTFP locus is specifically induced under combined Mn 2+  and Fe 2+  limitation • S. maltophilia  Mn homeostasis is linked to iron availability and oxidative stress responses

Highlights • Bifidobacterium stercoris  KC84 alleviates IBS-D-like symptoms in mouse and rat models • KC84 modulates serotonin-related pathways associated with diarrhea • KC84 induces IFN-β production from colonic dendritic cells • IFN-β is associated with reduced intestinal smooth muscle contractility

Highlights • Maternal helminths promote offspring antiviral immunity via the microbiota • Helminth-altered microbiota produce IPA, which drives antiviral protection • IPA induces lung epithelial type I interferon responses to promote antiviral immunity • Helminth-endemic human microbiota are enriched in the tryptophan metabolism pathway

Abstract The circadian clock enables organisms to predict daily environmental changes and synchronise their physiology and behaviour accordingly. Macrophages, key sensor cells in the innate immune system, exhibit cell-autonomous circadian rhythmicity. This circadian rhythmic behaviour is synchronised to the central clock in the hypothalamus as a result of neural, and hormonal signals. Macrophage rhythms and responses involve sensing temporal cues, integrating information from tissue-specific environments, and initiating context-appropriate, time-gated responses. On a broader scale, monocytes and macrophages communicate and synchronise with other immune cells, migrate throughout the body, and infiltrate tissues, collectively contributing to circadian regulation in both health and disease. While the field of macrophage circadian biology is rapidly advancing, it is equally important to reflect on its historical development, which has been shaped by over two centuries of accumulating knowl...

Highlights • Streptomyces  are enriched in roots during drought via suppressed immunity and Fe uptake • Drought-induced suppression of iron uptake is conserved across ∼160 mya of plant evolution • Some  Streptomyces  improve plant performance under drought and low iron • Plant benefits are independent of enrichment and instead driven by intra-genus antagonism