David Ojcius – Microbiology Research News and Articles

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