Mostly Microbes and Infection - by David Ojcius

Highlights • Engineered GSDMs are tailored as VIDAs to sense viral protease • VIDA is inert without infection and has potent antiviral effects in vitro and in vivo • VIDA elicits a “kill-and-alert” antiviral immune response in mice • AI-driven accelerated evolution generates safer and more potent VIDAs

Highlights • Bulk meta-transcriptomics separates recurrent and condition-specific responses. • Heat ramp triggers a broader, more structured program than heat shock. • WGCNA, GO and motif analyses identify recurrent non-specific modules. • Heat ramp-specific signatures link ribosome biogenesis and proteostasis. • Stress-responsive modules show limited overlap with evolutionarily young genes.

Highlights • Seeds can transmit a subset of associated bacteria to the next plant generation. • Seed-associated bacteria can influence germination, nutrient acquisition, and pathogen suppression. • Seed-focused SynComs enable tests of bacterial persistence, seed-to-seedling transfer and effects on crop traits.

Highlights • NiV as a highly pathogenic zoonotic agent, poses a persistent and severe threat to global public health. • This review systematically reviews the viral structure and pathogenic mechanisms of NiV. • This review summarizes the progress and breakthroughs in vaccine development and addresses current research limitations. • The review provides theoretical support for the precise prevention and control of NiV.

Highlights • Pristine river ecosystem hosts ESBL ARGs, like bla TEM and bla CTX-M . • The Yamuna River hosts multidrug, fluoroquinolone, fosfomycin, and β-lactam resistance genes. • Predominance of biofilm-forming bacteria and their co-occurrence with the ARGs.

Highlights • Qdr3 coordinates cellular homeostasis in C. auris. • qdr3 deletion remodels mitochondrial function. • Loss of Qdr3 alters biofilm architecture and extracellular matrix production. • qdr3 deletion enhances virulence. • Qdr3 links membrane transport, mitochondrial function, and virulence.