Cell Host & Microbe

Check out this really exciting study in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social looking at A. baumannii gut colonization from the @laurenpalmer.bsky.social lab!! The work was co-led by the amazing @xiaomeiren.bsky.social and @rmasonclark.bsky.social!!

#IDSky

Amino acid competition shapes Acinetobacter baumannii gut carriage Ren and Clark et al. show that Acinetobacter baumannii uses ornithine to compete with the resident microbiota and persist in the gut. Additional evidence demonstrates that amino acid supplementation a...

Amino acid competition shapes A. baumannii gut carriage

Acinetobacter baumannii uses ornithine to compete w/ microbiota & persist in gut. Amino acid supplementation & differences in diet promote A. baumannii gut colonization in mice & humans
@laurenpalmer.bsky.social‬
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Congrats to postdoc Zhe Zhou on her paper out today in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social showing that gut bacteria cross-feed a common dietary antioxidant to produce energy under anaerobic conditions. Thanks to collaborators Angela Jiang and Xiaofang Jiang at NIH.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Metagenomic selections reveal diverse antiphage defenses in human and environmental microbiomes Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al. use functional metagenomics to identify hundreds of sequences from diverse environmental bacteria that block phage infection when expressed in E. coli. Their discoveries inc...

Diverse antiphage defenses:

Functional metagenomics reveals hundreds of sequences from soil & human microbiomes that block phage--including modification-dependent nucleases, outer membrane proteins that inhibit phage adsorption, and genes of unknown function
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Congratulations, @luis840alberto.bsky.social and @kvnforsberg.bsky.social, on your recent publication in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social!

Restoration of the human skin microbiome following immune recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Che et al. show that immune deficiency in DOCK8 patients disrupts skin microbial balance, driving eukaryotic viral predominance and bacterial shifts. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation restores i...

Restoration of skin microbiome post HSCT

Patients w/DOCK8 deficiency have disrupted skin microbial balance, w/eukaryotic viral predominance & bacterial shifts. HSCT restores immunity, reducing pathogenic viruses, clearing HPV & decreasing S. aureus
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

The prototypic crAssphage is a linear phage-plasmid Schmidtke et al. demonstrate that C. communis, a ubiquitous human gut phage that evades conventional plaque-based isolation, predominately replicates as a low-copy linear phage-plasmid with a broad ho...

The prototypic crAssphage is a linear phage-plasmid

New work demonstrates that C. communis, a ubiquitous human gut phage that evades conventional plaque-based isolation, predominately replicates as a low-copy linear phage-plasmid w/ broad host range
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Exciting study with both phage gene essentiality maps and mutant analysis for many recently described phage defense systems. Especially interesting results for phage proteins that induce RADAR dATP>dITP conversion!

Systematic, high-throughput characterization of bacteriophage gene essentiality on diverse hosts Chen et al. report PhageMaP, a high-throughput approach to generate and characterize genome-wide loss-of-function phage libraries. PhageMaP systematically interrogates conditional gene essentiality, p...

Characterizing phage gene essentiality with PhageMaP:

• High-throughput approach to generate genome-wide loss-of-function phage libraries.
• Interrogates gene essentiality w/insights into phage genome organization, host antiviral defense & gene function
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Collection: Plants!!!

Browse our collection of recent reviews and articles on how microbes influence plant health, acting positively through beneficial interactions or negatively by causing disease.

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Collection: Bugs as Drugs.
Enjoy our collection of recent reviews and articles exploring the impact of microbes on therapeutic efficacy as well as advancing capabilities to utilize microbes as therapeutics or in microbiome modulation
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Fungal cues, fibrotic consequences: Commensal sensing by alveolar macrophages promotes pulmonary fibrosis In a recent issue of Immunity, Qiu et al. uncover a pivotal role for commensal fungi in promoting lung fibrosis, showing that their interaction with alveolar macrophages triggers a profibrotic transcr...

Fungal cues, fibrotic consequences:

Highlight of @cp-immunity.bsky.social work uncovering role for commensal fungi in lung fibrosis, showing that their interaction w/alveolar macrophages triggers profibrotic transcriptional program through Dectin-1-Raf1 signaling axis
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

How hosts accurately command bacteria for gut health Amid the vast “ocean” of gut microbes, how hosts distinguish and respond to specific symbionts remains elusive. In a recent issue of Nature, Yang et al. show that host APOL proteins selectively engage...

How hosts accurately command bacteria for gut health:

Highlight of @nature.com‬ work revealing how hosts distinguish & respond to specific symbionts. Host APOL proteins engage Bacteroidales to trigger OMV release, which sustains gut immune homeostasis
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

The anti-DS proteins just keep coming. Bdi1/2 particularly intriguing given the broad specificity. TadIII-1 is more peptide than protein. Fascinating stuff.

Bacteriophage genomes encode both broad and specific counter-defense repertoires to overcome bacterial defense systems Costa, van den Berg, Esser, et al. identify two broad and three specific anti-defense genes by examining variable regions of Pseudomonas phage genomes. These inhibitors neutralize diverse bacterial im...

Phage counter-defense repertoires:

New work IDs broad & specific anti-defense genes in variable regions of Pseudomonas phage genomes. Inhibitors neutralize diverse bacterial immune systems, highlighting how phages evolve broad & specific strategies
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Waste as an antibacterial weapon Intracellular pathogens neutralize and evade macrophage-intrinsic host defenses. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Anaya-Sanchez et al. show that methylglyoxal, a metabolic byproduct of glycolysis...

Waste as an antibacterial weapon:

Elgrail & Glickman highlight work showing methylglyoxal, a metabolic byproduct of glycolysis, is part of macrophage arsenal limiting L. monocytogenes & MTb but is countered by pathogen methylglyoxal detoxification enzymes
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Methylglyoxal is an antibacterial effector produced by macrophages during infection Infected macrophages that transition to aerobic glycolysis produce the reactive aldehyde methylglyoxal. In this study, Anaya-Sanchez et al. use both host and bacterial genetics to show that methylglyo...

Methylglyoxal: antibacterial effector

Methylglyoxal produced by infected macrophages upon transition to aerobic glycolysis acts as an innate immune antimicrobial effector that bacteria must detoxify for virulence and to prevent mutations
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Epithelial cells provide immunocompetence to the early embryo for bacterial clearance Roncero-Carol et al. show that early embryos eliminate bacteria via phagocytosis by epithelial cells. Quantitative live imaging across scales in zebrafish embryos reveals an epithelial immune program ...

Innate defense at onset of development:

Embryos eliminate bacteria via phagocytosis by epithelial cells. Zebrafish embryos engulf bacteria via zippering protrusions, inducing program crucial for development. Phagocytosis conserved in mouse & human embryos
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Lactate production by tumor-resident Staphylococcus promotes metastatic colonization in lung adenocarcinoma Yu et al. demonstrate that Staphylococcus is selectively enriched in metastatic lung tumor lesions. Staphylococcus nepalensis and S. capitis secrete lactate to promote the metastatic potential of tumo...

Staphylococcus promotes metastasis:

· Staphylococcus enriched in metastatic lung tumor lesions
· S. nepalensis & S. capitisl-secreted lactate promotes metastatic potential via MCT1-mediated pseudohypoxia signaling
· MCT1 inhibition abolishes metastasis
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Upper vs. lower airways: Microbes shape the local milieu In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Wong et al. investigate the contribution of the microbiome to airway metabolism, revealing differential microbial pathways and metabolites between the upper and l...

Upper vs. lower airways: Microbes shape the local milieu

Highlight of work on microbiome contribution to airway metabolism in upper vs lower airways. Oral commensals contribute to metabolic milieu w/P. melaninogenica synthesizing inosine & glutamate in lower airways

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Microbial contribution to metabolic niche formation varies across the respiratory tract Wong et al. show that microbial activity varies along the respiratory tract, influencing metabolite concentrations and contributing to niche construction in the lower airways. The lung microbiome dire...

Lung microbes define metabolic niche:

Microbial activity varies along respiratory tract, influencing metabolites & contributing to niche construction in lower airways. Lung microbiome directly influences metabolic pathways w/immunomodulatory effects.

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Theory of host-microbe symbioses: Challenges and opportunities Growing insight into microbial symbioses highlights the need to model these systems mathematically. We discuss three areas requiring theoretical advancement: nested ecology within a host or holobiont,...

Theory of host-microbe symbioses: Challenges & opportunities

Discussion on mathematical modeling of microbial symbioses with 3 noted areas requiring advancement: nested ecology w/in host or holobiont, holobiont population dynamics & symbiont-mediated speciation
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Bugged before birth?: How maternal microbes reprogram offspring immunity Early-life microbial exposures can have long-lasting health impacts. In a recent Cell paper, Stevens et al. show that maternal antibiotic treatment induces dysbiosis and impairs offspring immunity to ...

Bugged before birth? How maternal microbes reprogram offspring immunity

Preview of @cp-cell.bsky.social‬ paper showing maternal antibiotic treatment induces dysbiosis & impairs offspring immunity to influenza. CD8 Tcell dysfunction reversed w/Bifidobacterium metabolite
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Theory of host-microbe symbioses: Challenges and opportunities Growing insight into microbial symbioses highlights the need to model these systems mathematically. We discuss three areas requiring theoretical advan…

🧬 Big ideas from @symbionticism.bsky.social & colleagues!

New @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social forum article maps out challenges & opportunities for advancing theory of host–microbe symbioses.

Full read 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#Microbiome #Holobiont #OneHealth

Great timing a couple of weeks ago where I got to present our work on the discovery of new phage DNA modifications and their implications for phage defence at #EESMicrobiology one hour after the paper came out in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social! Fantastic conference!

Metatranscriptomics catches gut microbes in the act In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Flores Ramos et al. employ metatranscriptomics to uncover diurnal microbial functional shifts in the gut microbiome driven by time-restricted feeding. Their work ...

Metatranscriptomics catches gut microbes in the act:

Preview of work employing metatranscriptomics to uncover diurnal microbial functional shifts in gut microbiome driven by time-restricted feeding,
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Metatranscriptomics uncovers diurnal functional shifts in bacterial transgenes with profound metabolic effects Flores Ramos et al. use metatranscriptomics to reveal diurnal functional shifts in microbes under time-restricted feeding, identifying a Dubosiella newyorkensis bile salt hydrolase (DnBSH1) with time-...

Featured Article: Leveraging diurnal shifts in bacterial transgenes:

Time-restricted feeding causes diurnal functional shifts in microbes. D. newyorkensis BSH1 exhibits diurnal expression. DnBSH1-E. coli improves glucose metabolism&reduces body fat in mice
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Theory of host-microbe symbioses: Challenges and opportunities @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social @symbionticism.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Fungal cues, fibrotic consequences: Commensal sensing by alveolar macrophages promotes pulmonary fibrosis In a recent issue of Immunity, Qiu et al. uncover a pivotal role for commensal fungi in promoting lung fibrosis, showing that their interaction with alveolar macrophages triggers a profibrotic transcr...

Fungal cues, fibrotic consequences: Commensal sensing by alveolar macrophages promotes pulmonary fibrosis @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social preview
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
on @cp-immunity.bsky.social
www.cell.com/immunity/ful...

A Vibrio-specific T6SS effector reshapes microbial competition by disrupting Vibrio bioenergetics Liu et al. report that a Vibrio-specific T6SS effector, TseVs, selectively disrupts Vibrio bioenergetics while sparing non-target microbes via an immunity-independent mechanism. This work reveals how ...

Featured Article: Vibrio T6SS effector joins the competition

Vibrio-specific T6SS effector, TseVs, selectively disrupts Vibrio bioenergetics while sparing non-target microbes via an immunity-independent mechanism.

www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...