MIT researchers found that a protein called intelectin-2 has broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria found in the GI tract. Additionally, intelectin-2 can crosslink molecules that make up mucus, helping to strengthen the mucus barrier.

Disruption of host cell barriers is a fundamental strategy enabling pathogens to establish a paracellular infection. Here, using dual RNA-Seq, we determine the in vivo host-pathogen transcriptomic landscape upon infection by the extracellular pathogen Leptospira interrogans and uncover a mechanism of cell–cell junction disruption. We demonstrate that, upon infection, an increase in intracellular calcium triggers tight junction destabilization, by activating the calmodulin and myosin light chain kinase signalization. We identify two bacterial effectors of the Virulence-Modifying (VM) proteins family, structurally related to toxin-like proteins, that promote modulation of calcium homeostasis and disruption of cell–cell junctions, thereby allowing Leptospira translocation across epithelium barriers, tissue colonization and pathogenicity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that at least one of these VM proteins is secreted and associates with host cells. Altogether, these findings reveal a unique strategy by which an extracellular pathogen secretes toxin-like proteins to exploit host calcium signaling for breaching epithelial barriers. Here, the authors use in vivo dual RNA sequencing to determine the host-pathogen transcriptomic landscape upon infection by Leptospira interrogans, revealing alterations in pathways associated with paracellular permeability, like cell–cell junctions.

Dimorphic organisms switch between two distinct life forms, but how a single genome controls the genetic program for both states is unclear. The study identifies hundreds of convergently evolved gene ...

The longevity of leaves determines the overall duration of photosynthesis for plants. This study suggests that climate change drives leaf longevity convergence toward intermediate ranges, which, by al...

Experimental evolution enables evaluation of the relative roles of chance and necessity in evolution. This study compiles transcriptomic data from experimental evolution of a prokaryotic and five euka...

Forests are essential for both climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation, yet how to balance these goals in managed forests remains unclear. Here, using a Europe-wide dataset, the author...

This study finds that plastic mulch substantially increases crop yields but also contaminates soils and pollutes the environment. The authors propose biodegradable films, AI-driven farming, and policy...

Recent MPXV outbreaks underscore the need for better vaccines and treatments. Here, the authors isolate and structurally characterize potent antibodies interacting with A28 that they identify as a key viral surface protein essential for viral entry and that induces strong, protective antibody response in mice.

Intelectin-2 defends mucosal interfaces by crosslinking mucus and blocking microbial growth. This study reveals that mouse and human intelectin-2 recognizes galactose-rich glycans to bind and target diverse bacteria—uncovering a potent, dual-action lectin that shapes host–microbe balance.

Satellite records reveal that Southern Ocean phytoplankton responds in contrasting ways to marine heatwaves and cold spells. These opposing impacts vary sharply by region, exposing distinct ecological...

Intelectin-2 defends mucosal interfaces by crosslinking mucus and blocking microbial growth. This study reveals that mouse and human intelectin-2 recognizes galactose-rich glycans to bind and target diverse bacteria—uncovering a potent, dual-action lectin that shapes host–microbe balance.

This study presents PRIMER, a coordinate-based diffusion model, that fuses multiple imperfect precipitation records into a unified prior, enabling Bayesian inference like downscaling, bias correction,...

Intelectin-2 defends mucosal interfaces by crosslinking mucus and blocking microbial growth. This study reveals that mouse and human intelectin-2 recognizes galactose-rich glycans to bind and target d...

Observations and climate model simulations suggest the global signal of enhanced equatorial warming has emerged in the Atlantic since the 1950s due to a slowdown of equatorial easterly primarily drive...

Recent MPXV outbreaks underscore the need for better vaccines and treatments. Here, the authors isolate and structurally characterize potent antibodies interacting with A28 that they identify as a key viral surface protein essential for viral entry and that induces strong, protective antibody response in mice.

The study identifies a springtime climate mode, the Tropical-leaning Atlantic Oscillation, which influences typhoon tracks in the Northwest Pacific, potentially shifting them poleward, toward high-lat...

Neglected tropical diseases are ancient maladies that continue to disproportionately affect more than one billion of the world’s poorest people. In 2021, as part of its strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Health Organization renewed its commitment to end their neglect by 2030. On World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026, we discuss the need for an integrated approach to overcome the “last mile” barriers to achieving their eradication and elimination.

In Neisseria meningitidis, the filamentous phage MDA is associated with biofilm formation during epithelium colonisation. Here, the authors investigate the relationship between phage MDA infection and...