Journal: FEMS Microbiology Letters

Abbreviation

FEMS Microbiol Lett

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Journal Volumes

ISSN

0378-1097
1574-6968
0168-6496
0920-8534
0168-6445

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Publications 1 - 10 of 10
  • MEEhubs2024: A hub-based conference on microbial ecology and evolution fostering sustainability
    Item type: Journal Article
    Wenger, Ariane; Bakkeren, Erik; Granato, Elisa; et al. (2025)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    Scientific conferences are essential to academic exchange. However, related air travel contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, while expensive registration and travel costs limit the participation of early career researchers and those from low-income countries. Virtual conferences offer promising solutions for reducing emissions and enhancing accessibility and inclusivity but often limit networking and personal interaction. Hybrid multi-hub conferences, which combine virtually connected in-person venues with individual virtual participation, combine the benefits of both conference formats. Thus, we present and discuss MEEhubs2024, a multi-hub conference on microbial ecology and evolution held in January 2024. During this 3-day conference, attendees participated virtually or at one of six hubs in Europe and North America. We analyzed the participants' and organizers' feedback to create a template and provide insights into the scientific community's adoption of this new conference format, which was positively evaluated by most participants. Because technical, logistical, and structural challenges remain, including limited opportunities to interact and network across hubs and participation modes, we provide recommendations for improvement, such as hiring technical hosts and offering virtual-only social activities. Finally, we used the participants' feedback to reflect on conference expectations, highlighting research gaps and the need for organizers to define and communicate goals when organizing conferences.
  • C4-dicarboxylate metabolons: interaction of C4-dicarboxylate transporters of Escherichia coli with cytosolic enzymes
    Item type: Journal Article
    Schubert, Christopher; Kim, Nam Yeun; Unden, Gottfried; et al. (2022)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    Metabolons represent the structural organization of proteins for metabolic or regulatory pathways. Here, the interaction of fumarase FumB, aspartase AspA, and L-tartrate dehydratase TtdAB with the C4-dicarboxylate (C4-DC) transporters DcuA, DcuB, DcuC, and the L-tartrate transporter TtdT of Escherichia coli was tested by a bacterial two-hybrid (BACTH) assay in situ, or by co-chromatography using mSPINE (membrane Streptavidin protein interaction experiment). From the general C4-DC transporters, DcuB interacted with FumB and AspA, DcuA with AspA, whereas DcuC interacted with neither FumB nor AspA. Moreover, TtdT did not interact with TtdAB. The fumB-dcuB, the dcuA-aspA, and the ttdAB-ttdT genes encoding the respective proteins colocalize on the genome and each pair of genes forms cotranscripts, whereas the dcuC gene lies alone. The data suggest the formation of DcuB/FumB and DcuB/AspA metabolons for the uptake of L-malate, or L-aspartate, and their conversion to fumarate for fumarate respiration and excretion of the product succinate. The DcuA/AspA metabolon catalyzes uptake and conversion of L-aspartate to fumarate coupled to succinate excretion. The DcuA/AspA metabolon provides ammonia at the same time for nitrogen assimilation (ammonia shuttle). On the other hand, TtdT and TtdAB are not organized in a metabolon. Reasons for the formation (DcuA/AspA, DcuB/FumB, and DcuB/AspA) or nonformation (DcuC, TtdT, and TtdAB) of metabolons are discussed based on their metabolic roles.
  • Selection of proper reference genes for the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7002 using real-time quantitative PCR
    Item type: Journal Article
    Szekeres, Edina; Sicora, Cosmin; Dragoş, Nicolae; et al. (2014)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
  • Nitrite stress increases staphylococcal enterotoxin C transcription and triggers the SigB regulon
    Item type: Journal Article
    Etter, Danai; Büchel, Ramona; Patt, Tabea; et al. (2022)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    Staphylococcal food poisoning is a common food intoxication caused by staphylococcal enterotoxins. While growth of Staphylococcus aureus is not inhibited by the meat-curing agent nitrite, we hypothesize that nitrite has an influence on enterotoxin C (SEC) expression. We investigated the influence of 150 mg/l nitrite on SEC expression at mRNA and protein level in seven strains expressing different SEC variants. Additionally, regulatory knockout mutants (Δagr, ΔsarA, and ΔsigB) of high SEC producing strain SAI48 were investigated at mRNA level. Our findings suggest that nitrite effectively increases sec mRNA transcription, but the effects on SEC protein expression are less pronounced. While Δagr mutants exhibited lower sec mRNA transcription levels than wildtype strains, this response was not stress specific. ΔsigB mutants displayed a nitrite stress-specific response. Whole genome sequencing of the strains revealed a defective agr element in one strain (SAI3). In this strain, sec transcription and SEC protein synthesis was not affected by the mutation. Consequently, additional regulatory networks must be at play in SEC expression. Comparison of our findings about SEC with previous experiments on SEB and SED suggest that each SE can respond differently, and that the same stressor can trigger opposing responses in strains that express multiple toxins.
  • The role of multispecies social interactions in shaping Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity in the cystic fibrosis lung
    Item type: Review Article
    O’Brien, Siobhán; Fothergill, Joanne L. (2017)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major pathogen in the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, it is now recognised that a diverse microbial community exists in the airways comprising aerobic and anaerobic bacteria as well as fungi and viruses. This rich soup of microorganisms provides ample opportunity for interspecies interactions, particularly when considering secreted compounds. Here, we discuss how P. aeruginosa-secreted products can have community-wide effects, with the potential to ultimately shape microbial community dynamics within the lung. We focus on three well-studied traits associated with worsening clinical outcome in CF: phenazines, siderophores and biofilm formation, and discuss how secretions can shape interactions between P. aeruginosa and other commonly encountered members of the lung microbiome: Staphylococcus aureus, the Burkholderia cepacia complex, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. These interactions may shape the evolutionary trajectory of P. aeruginosa while providing new opportunities for therapeutic exploitation of the CF lung microbiome.
  • Cysteine biosynthesis in Lactobacillus Casei: Identification and characterization of a serine acetyltransferase
    Item type: Journal Article
    Bogicevic, Biljana; Berthoud, Hélène; Portmann, Reto; et al. (2016)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    In bacteria, cysteine can be synthesized from serine by two steps involving an L-serine O-acetyltransferase (SAT) and a cysteine synthase (CysK). While CysK is found in the publicly available annotated genome from Lactobacillus casei ATCC 334, a gene encoding SAT (cysE) is missing. In this study, we found that various strains of L. casei grew in a chemically defined medium containing sulfide as the sole sulfur source, indicating the presence of a serine O-acetyltransferase. The gene lying upstream of cysK is predicted to encode a homoserine trans-succinylase (metA). To study the function of this gene, it was cloned from L. casei FAM18110. The purified, recombinant protein did not acylate L-homoserine in vitro. Instead, it catalyzed the formation of O-acetyl serine from L-serine and acetyl-CoA. Furthermore, the plasmid expressing the L. casei gene complemented an Escherichia coli cysE mutant strain but not an E. coli metA mutant. This clearly demonstrated that the gene annotated as metA in fact encodes the SAT function and should be annotated as cysE.
  • Characterization of the superoxide dismutase gene and its upstream region from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Marburg
    Item type: Journal Article
    Meile, Leo; Fischer, Kathrin; Leisinger, Thomas (1995)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
  • Analysis of genes involved in glycogen degradation in Escherichia coli
    Item type: Journal Article
    Strydom, Lindi; Jewell, Jonathan; Meier, Michael A.; et al. (2017)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
    Escherichia coli accumulate or degrade glycogen depending on environmental carbon supply. Glycogen phosphorylase (GlgP) and glycogen debranching enzyme (GlgX) are known to act on the glycogen polymer, while maltodextrin phosphorylase (MalP) is thought to remove maltodextrins released by GlgX. To examine the roles of these enzymes in more detail, single, double and triple mutants lacking all their activities were produced. GlgX and GlgP were shown to act directly on the glycogen polymer, while MalP most likely catabolised soluble malto-oligosaccharides. Interestingly, analysis of a triple mutant lacking all three enzymes indicates the presence of another enzyme that can release maltodextrins from glycogen.
  • Methanogen communities in stools of humans of different age and health status and co-occurrence with bacteria
    Item type: Journal Article
    Vanderhaeghen, Sonja; Lacroix, Christophe; Schwab, Clarissa (2015)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
  • Evidence for a defective prophage on the chromosome of Methanobacterium wolfei
    Item type: Journal Article
    Stettler, Rolf; Thurner, Claudia; Stax, Dietmar; et al. (1995)
    FEMS Microbiology Letters
Publications 1 - 10 of 10