Bacteria have a variety of mechanisms for limiting predation by phages. SpbK is a Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing antiphage defence protein from Bacillus subtilis that provides protection against the temperate phage SPβ via abortive infection. Here we structurally characterise Sp …

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in humans. However, treatment options are limited due to the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant isolates i...

Rapid turnover of glmS mRNA in Bacillus subtilis by 5′-3’ exoribonuclease RNase J is essential for feedback regulation of glucosamine-6-phosphate (Glc…

The Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) and the Faculty of Biosciences invite applications for a   Tenure Track Professors...

Almost all proteins are inserted or translocated across membranes by the universally conserved Sec translocon. Despite its central role, experimental access to Sec function has remained limited. Here,...

Among the simplest organisms known to age, Escherichia coli bacteria suffer a functional decline as misfolded proteins accumulate into aggregates retained by the mother cell upon division. This mechanism places the loss of proteostasis as a conserved hallmark of aging. However, subsequent studies found no deleterious effects of harboring aggregates. By quantifying single-cell fitness and damage dynamics, we found that it is not the mere presence of an aggregate that drives a fitness decline, but the intracellular space it occupies. Yet, aging cells undergo a gradual enlargement that could allow them to sustain stable growth despite harboring intracellular damage. Cell enlargement thus emerges as another cross-domain aging phenotype, but with curiously opposite effects: protective in bacteria, whereas generally deleterious in eukaryotes. Our findings, therefore, offer a connection between damage dynamics, aging, and cell size regulation at the single-cell level, while tracing new parallels between bacterial and eukaryotic aging.

Consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) can cause severe listeriosis, a leading foodborne illness with a 20% fatality rate. Most cases require hospitalization, and 25% of pregnanc...

Under iron-limited conditions, FsrA base-pairs with the intergenic region between epeX and epeE, enhancing epeE translation and triggering EPE production. Toxin-mediated cell lysis releases nutrients...

The discovery of quorum-sensing responsive linear plasmid phages has transformed understanding of phage-bacterial interactions by demonstrating inter-domain chemical communication. To date, however, e...

How good is Bacillus subtilis as a model for the spore-forming pathogen Bacillus anthracis? Using high throughput genetics to identify B. anthracis sporulation genes and cytological analysis of the mu...

Biofilms are critical for the environmental persistence, survival, and infectivity of Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. Here, we fin...

A 2000 study that concluded the well-known herbicide glyphosate was safe, widely cited since then, has just been officially disavowed by the journal that published it. The scientists are suspected of ...

Restriction-modification (R-M) systems are one of the most widespread and, due to their often plasmid-based nature, transmittable anti-phage systems bacteria have. The Cfr BI R-M system studied here c...

Author summary Kombucha is a popular fermented tea that has been purported to have many human health benefits, including protection against metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity. These health b...

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of both community and hospital-acquired infection worldwide. In addition, S. aureus is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics, which make the treatment of bacteremia, infective endocarditis, and other invasive diseases more challenging. It is essential to obtain a basic understanding of how S. aureus survives in a variety of host niches, including those niches where S. aureus is dependent upon amino acid catabolism. We hypothesize that arginine acquisition is critical for S. aureus pathogenesis; therefore, identifying these transporters is essential for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Author summary Bacteria frequently form communities of cells called biofilms. These are large conglomerates of microbes that use self-produced polymers to bind together. Biofilms are very dense and nu...

Abstract. Bacterial flagella are known for facilitating motility to support nutrient acquisition and predator evasion, but can also serve as receptors for