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ReviewDoes Gender Bias Still Affect Women in Science?The percentage of women employed in professional scientific positions has been low but is increasing over time. The U.S. National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have both implemented programs to improve women’s participation in science, and many universities and companies have diversity and equity programs.
ReviewStructural Biology of the Enterovirus Replication-Linked 5′-Cloverleaf RNA and Associated Virus ProteinsAlthough enteroviruses are associated with a wide variety of diseases and conditions, their mode of replication is well conserved. Their genome is carried as a single, positive-sense RNA strand. At the 5′ end of the strand is an approximately 90-nucleotide self-complementary region called the 5′ cloverleaf, or the oriL. This noncoding region serves as a platform upon which host and virus proteins, including the 3B, 3C, and 3D virus...
ReviewGut Microbiota and Colonization Resistance against Bacterial Enteric InfectionThe gut microbiome is critical in providing resistance against colonization by exogenous microorganisms. The mechanisms via which the gut microbiota provide colonization resistance (CR) have not been fully elucidated, but they include secretion of antimicrobial products, nutrient competition, support of gut barrier integrity, and bacteriophage deployment.
ReviewSalmonella versus the MicrobiomeA balanced gut microbiota contributes to health, but the mechanisms maintaining homeostasis remain elusive. Microbiota assembly during infancy is governed by competition between species and by environmental factors, termed habitat filters, that determine the range of successful traits within the microbial community.
ReviewRegulation of Bacterial Gene Expression by Transcription AttenuationA wide variety of mechanisms that control gene expression in bacteria are based on conditional transcription termination. Generally, in these mechanisms, a transcription terminator is located between a promoter and a downstream gene(s), and the efficiency of the terminator is controlled by a regulatory effector that can be a metabolite, protein, or RNA.
ReviewMolecular Mechanisms of Conidial Germination in Aspergillus spp.Aspergilli produce conidia for reproduction or to survive hostile conditions, and they are highly effective in the distribution of conidia through the environment. In immunocompromised individuals, inhaled conidia can germinate inside the respiratory tract, which may result in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The management of invasive aspergillosis has become more complex, with new risk groups being identified and the emergence of...
ReviewGlobal Organization and Proposed Megataxonomy of the Virus WorldViruses and mobile genetic elements are molecular parasites or symbionts that coevolve with nearly all forms of cellular life. The route of virus replication and protein expression is determined by the viral genome type. Comparison of these routes led to the classification of viruses into seven “Baltimore classes” (BCs) that define the major features of virus reproduction. However, recent phylogenomic studies identified multiple...
ReviewPharmacologically Aware Phage Therapy: Pharmacodynamic and Pharmacokinetic Obstacles to Phage Antibacterial Action in Animal and Human BodiesThe use of viruses infecting bacteria (bacteriophages or phages) to treat bacterial infections has been ongoing clinically for approximately 100 years. Despite that long history, the growing international crisis of resistance to standard antibiotics, abundant anecdotal evidence of efficacy, and one successful modern clinical trial of efficacy, this phage therapy is not yet a mainstream approach in medicine.
ReviewPseudomonas aeruginosa as a Model To Study Chemosensory Pathway SignalingBacteria have evolved a variety of signal transduction mechanisms that generate different outputs in response to external stimuli. Chemosensory pathways are widespread in bacteria and are among the most complex signaling mechanisms, requiring the participation of at least six proteins.
ReviewMore than a Pore: Nonlytic Antimicrobial Functions of Complement and Bacterial Strategies for EvasionThe complement system is an evolutionarily ancient defense mechanism against foreign substances. Consisting of three proteolytic activation pathways, complement converges on a common effector cascade terminating in the formation of a lytic pore on the target surface.