Journal: Current Opinion in Microbiology

Abbreviation

Curr. opin. microbiol.

Publisher

Current Biology

Journal Volumes

ISSN

1369-5274
1879-0364

Description

Filters

2018 - 201922020 - 20235
Reset filters

Search Results

Publications 1 - 7 of 7
  • Host-Microbe Interactions: Bacteria & Viruses
    Item type: Journal Issue
    (2021)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
  • Editorial overview: Current Opinion in Microbiology 2018 Special issue ‘Microbial systems biology, vol. 45’
    Item type: Other Journal Item
    Hwa, Terry; Sauer, Uwe (2018)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
  • A perfect fit: Bacteriophage receptor-binding proteins for diagnostic and therapeutic applications
    Item type: Review Article
    Klumpp, Jochen; Dunne, Matthew; Loessner, Martin (2023)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
    Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entity on earth, acting as the predators and evolutionary drivers of bacteria. Owing to their inherent ability to specifically infect and kill bacteria, phages and their encoded endolysins and receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) have enormous potential for development into precision antimicrobials for treatment of bacterial infections and microbial disbalances; or as biocontrol agents to tackle bacterial contaminations during various biotechnological processes. The extraordinary binding specificity of phages and RBPs can be exploited in various areas of bacterial diagnostics and monitoring, from food production to health care. We review and describe the distinctive features of phage RBPs, explain why they are attractive candidates for use as therapeutics and in diagnostics, discuss recent applications using RBPs, and finally provide our perspective on how synthetic technology and artificial intelligence-driven approaches will revolutionize how we use these tools in the future.
  • Toothpicks, logic, and next-generation sequencing: systematic investigation of bacteriophage-host interactions
    Item type: Review Article
    Shaidullina, Aisylu; Harms, Alexander (2022)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
    Bacteriophages are abundant and diverse predators that drive community dynamics in many ecosystems and hold great potential for biotechnology and as therapeutics for bacterial infections. Previous research has largely explored phage-host interactions one-by-one, which limited our ability to observe phenotypic patterns, to uncover their genetic basis, and to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms. However, the famous ‘toothpicks and logic’ were recently joined by large-scale sequencing of phage genomes and bacterial genome-wide screens that enable us to systematically investigate phage-host interactions. In this article, we highlight recent breakthroughs from the molecular basis of phage host range and receptor recognition over new insights into bacterial immunity to the serendipitous discovery of a new bacterial surface glycan. Future work will enable the understanding, prediction, and engineering of more complicated phage traits for new applications and extend the scope of these studies from simple test tube experiments to natural communities of phages and hosts.
  • Special Issue "Antimicrobials * Microbial Systems Biology"
    Item type: Journal Issue
    (2018)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
  • Resolving metabolic interaction mechanisms in plant microbiomes
    Item type: Review Article
    Pacheco, Alan R.; Vorholt, Julia A. (2023)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
    Metabolic interactions are fundamental to the assembly and functioning of microbiomes, including those of plants. However, disentangling the molecular basis of these interactions and their specific roles remains a major challenge. Here, we review recent applications of experimental and computational methods toward the elucidation of metabolic interactions in plant-associated microbiomes. We highlight studies that span various scales of taxonomic and environmental complexity, including those that test interaction outcomes in vitro and in planta by deconstructing microbial communities. We also discuss how the continued integration of multiple methods can further reveal the general ecological characteristics of plant microbiomes, as well as provide strategies for applications in areas such as improved plant protection, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture.
  • Studying antibiotic persistence in vivo using the model organism Salmonella Typhimurium
    Item type: Review Article
    Newson, Joshua; Gaissmaier, Marla S.; McHugh, Sarah C.; et al. (2022)
    Current Opinion in Microbiology
    Antibiotic persistence permits a subpopulation of susceptible bacteria to survive lethal concentrations of bactericidal antibiotics. This prolongs antibiotic therapy, promotes the evolution of antibiotic-resistant pathogen strains and can select for pathogen virulence within infected hosts. Here, we review the literature exploring antibiotic persistence in vivo, and describe the consequences of recalcitrant subpopulations, with a focus on studies using the model pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium. In vitro studies have established a concise set of features distinguishing true persisters from other forms of bacterial recalcitrance to bactericidal antibiotics. We discuss how animal infection models are useful for exploring these features in vivo, and describe how technical challenges can sometimes prevent the conclusive identification of true antibiotic persistence within infected hosts. We propose using two complementary working definitions for studying antibiotic persistence in vivo: the strict definition for studying the mechanisms of persister formation, and an operative definition for functional studies assessing the links between invasive virulence and persistence as well as the consequences for horizontal gene transfer, or the emergence of antibiotic-resistant mutants. This operative definition will enable further study of how antibiotic persisters arise in vivo, and of how surviving populations contribute to diverse downstream effects such as pathogen transmission, horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of virulence and antibiotic resistance. Ultimately, such studies will help to improve therapeutic control of antibiotic- recalcitrant populations.
Publications 1 - 7 of 7