Mostly Microbes and Infection - by David Ojcius

Microbial communities shift with salinity and K⁺, altering succession & carbon‑use strategies across evaporation stages.

Ecosystem Settings & Urbanization Shape Microbial Communities & Antibiotic Resistance Genes on Coastal microplastics Plastispheres differ by habitat & urbanization, with urban mangroves showing the highest ARG diversity.

Highlights • Genomics-driven discovery of a family of lanthipeptide BGCs with anti-phage function • Anti-phage function is confirmed for 6 lanthipeptides in native or heterologous hosts • Key enzymes and residues are identified for anti-phage function • Lanthivirin expression inhibits phage replication through interaction with proteins

Highlights • SidL is an actin-dependent adenylyltransferase that targets host glycolysis • SidL adenylates 3PG to produce 2-AMP-3PG • Expression of SidL in human cells disrupts glycolysis and blocks mTORC1 signaling • Production of 2-AMP-3PG by SidL occurs early during the Legionella infection cycle

Highlights • An introduced analytical framework quantifies taxon–community associations to identify computationally inferred candidate keystone taxa. • Application to five PVTGs identifies 121 candidate keystone taxa, most of which are population-specific, with a reproducible subset across traditional populations. • Several candidate keystone taxa associated with lower community dispersion also show consistent associations with multiple disease conditions, highlighting priorities for future investigation. • A conserved metabolic core coexists with population-specific functions, while acculturation is associated with reduced microbial diversity and increased disease-associated taxa.

Highlights • This review provides a mechanistic classification of bacterial neurotoxins. • Neurotoxins are discussed as modulators of neural and neuroimmune networks. • Emerging links between bacterial neurotoxins and the gut–brain axis are highlighted. • The role of neurotoxins in neurodegenerative disorders is critically evaluated. • Engineered neurotoxin platforms show promise for targeted neural therapeutics. • Current translational opportunities and limitations in precision neurology are reviewed.

Highlights • Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency aggravates offspring obesity • Vitamin B12 deficiency reduces B. pseudolongum in dams and offspring • Loss of B. pseudolongum during lactation worsens obesity in offspring • Restoring B. pseudolongum or acetate alleviates this obesity via Ffar2-Ehhadh

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.

Highlights • C. albicans Th17 cells are restricted to a few proteins contained in fungal EVs • The oral mucosa is a major reservoir of Th17 cells, dominated by C. albicans reactivity • C. albicans -reactive Th17 cells are shared between oral and gut tissues • Homeostatic C. albicans Th17 cells adapt pathogenic traits in Crohn’s disease

Highlights • Single-cell Raman spectroscopy coupled with D 2 O labeling was first applied to Vibrio splendidus persisters. • V. splendidus persisters are metabolically active rather than fully dormant. • Persisters show remodeled cellular components with decreased nucleic acids and increased lipids and polysaccharides. • Vitamin C inhibits persisters by suppressing the stringent response, providing a green anti-persister approach. Abstract Persister cells, a multidrug-tolerant bacterial subpopulation, pose challenges to disease control, with research hindered by technical limitations. In this study, single-cell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS) combined with heavy water (D 2 O) labeling was employed to explore the metabolic activity and compositional changes of Vibrio splendidus persisters. Raman analysis revealed distinct biochemical profiles between persisters and normal cells: persisters reduced nucleic acid-related band intensity but increased lipid and polysaccharide-related bands. Usi...

Highlights • Sublethal oxytetracycline and CuCl 2 elevated per-cell 18S rDNA/rRNA copy numbers, disrupting allometric scaling with cell volume in two ciliated protists. • Oxytetracycline selectively increased rRNA: rDNA ratios, revealing stressor-specific ribosomal regulation. • Both stressors induced persistent intragenomic polymorphisms of 18S rRNA gene. • Pollutant-induced ASV inflation may bias microbial diversity estimates.

Highlights • Bedtime probiotic intake retains 100,000x more bacteria than daytime intake. • Oral-origin L. reuteri strain colonizes better than the non-oral isolate. • Probiotic persistence varies widely interindividually, some individuals retain strains 7+ days. • Supragingival plaque shows highest proportional probiotic abundance by site. • Higher probiotic levels correlate with greater pocket depth reduction in periodontitis.

Highlights • The global regulator ppGpp plays a central role in controlling AIEC virulence. • Loss of ppGpp impairs virulence across in vitro and in vivo infection models. • Two candidate biomarkers with discriminatory potential for AIEC identification were defined.

People who live together share more oral and gut microbes with each other than with other people in their communities, according to a study published June 15, 2026, in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue . This was true regardless of the cohabitants’ relationships—siblings, parents, and offspring all shared similar numbers of microbial strains, and romantic partners shared even more oral (but not gut) microbes with each other, likely due to kissing. The research, covered in NPR, Gizmodo , and IFLScience , also found a link between more transmissible microbes and health, particularly type 2 diabetes. The findings could help design more targeted therapies for improving people’s microbiomes.   

Abstract Pit mud (PM) microbiota play a vital role in Baijiu flavor formation, yet its ecological and functional succession during maturation remains incompletely elucidated. Here, physicochemical profiling, amplicon sequencing, and metagenomics were integrated to investigate 5-, 15-, and 30-year PM of Sichuan Tang Dynasty Laojiao cellars. Bacteria dominated the community (82.59%), followed by Archaea (16.99%), with Lactobacillus acetotolerans, Ruminococcaceae CPB6, and Methanobacterium paludis as major species. Discrepancies between sequencing methods were reflected in fungal taxa which had low-abundance. The 15-year PM exhibited distinct community and functional features, indicating a critical transitional stage. Functional analysis revealed that fermentation-relevant functions were mainly contributed by 7 key genera and 5 species. Physicochemical properties changed with pit age, characterized by increased moisture as well as decreased acidity and humic substance levels. Moisture,...