Volume 2 Issue 11, November 2017

The Uncultivated Bacteria and Archaea dataset is a foundational collection of 7,903 genomes from uncultivated microorganisms. It highlights how microbial diversity is readily recovered using current tools and existing metagenomic datasets to help piece together the tree of life.

Two studies identify circulating monocytes as the primary cellular target of Zika virus infection in human blood. Monocytes are an ideal target as they have the potential to be used as a Trojan horse to infiltrate immune-sheltered tissues, including placenta, testes and the brain, to spread Zika virus.

The main targets of Zika virus infection in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells are monocytes, particularly CD14⁺CD16⁺ monocytes, which are expanded in Zika patients and in in vitro-infected samples.

Quorum-sensing-mediated interactions between Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei promote the differentiation of T. brucei into transmissible ‘stumpy forms’, suggesting that cross-species interactions during co-infections modulate disease dynamics.

Lys^M, the lysis protein of the Escherichia coli levivirus M, represents a new ‘protein antibiotic’ that interferes with the synthesis of peptidoglycan by inhibiting lipid II flipping.

Infection of the alga Emiliania huxleyi with its virus EhV results in the increased release of extracellular vesicles that impact viral decay and infection, suggesting that EhV exploits these extracellular vesicles for efficient viral infection during algal blooms.

Streptococcal para-amino benzoic acid enhances Porphyromonas gingivalis colonization while reducing virulence during polymicrobial oral infection.

Recombinant proteins based on APOL1 and APOL3 can kill pathogenic Trypanosoma brucei subspecies, including a variant (rPpMUT) that is effective against T.b. gambiense infection in mice, suggesting that it may serve as a therapy against sleeping sickness.

The structure of the extended sheath–tube complex of the type VI secretion system from Vibrio cholerae elucidates the molecular mechanisms by which conformational changes in the sheath enable the inner tube to penetrate target cells.The structure of the extended sheath–tube complex of the type VI secretion system from Vibrio cholerae elucidates the molecular mechanisms by which conformational changes in the sheath enable the inner tube to penetrate target cells.

CD81 is shown to interact with SAMHD1 and lead to its proteasomal degradation, thereby impacting dNTP availability and enhancing HIV-1 reverse transcription in primary human T cells.

The structures of a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) from Trypanosoma brucei suggest that VSGs adopt different conformations to respond to obstacles present in the cell membrane, enabling them to maintain a protective coat at all times.

The recovery of 7,903 bacterial and archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes increases the phylogenetic diversity represented by public genome repositories and provides the first representatives from 20 candidate phyla.

TRIM23 is identified as an essential regulator of virus-induced autophagy that mediates restriction to several RNA and DNA viruses. K27-mediated ubiquitylation activates TRIM23 GTPase activity, triggering its relocalization and selective autophagy.

Both African and epidemic strains of Zika virus are shown to target CD14⁺ monocytes, which are more susceptible in pregnant women, but African strains are associated with inflammatory responses, and epidemic strains with immunotolerance.