Temperate phages integrate multiple information sources to regulate lysis-lysogeny transitions. SPbeta-like phages use arbitrium signaling and DNA dam…

Abstract. Proline is a paradox in biology—integral to protein structure and functionality, yet exceptionally challenging during translation. This review ex

Phage genome engineering methods accelerate the study of phage biology, the discovery of new functions, and the development of innovative genetic engineering tools. Here, we present QuickPhage, a rapi...

In this issue of Structure, Yu et al. show that the Bacillus subtilis ytr operon encodes two distinct ABC transporters. The authors present the cryo-EM structures of YtrEF in the apo and ADP-vanadate-...

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing threat to global health, contributing to an estimated 4.95 million deaths in 2019 (1). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the most persistent and clinically challenging pathogens, causing infections ranging from bacteremia and pneumonia to osteomyelitis and endocarditis in both healthcare and community settings. MRSA’s ability to evade multiple antibiotic classes, particularly β-lactams, has made it a priority pathogen for new treatment strategies.

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular human pathogen capable of invading non-phagocytic host cells, replicating within their cytosol, and spreading directly from cell to cell. These pr...

UNIVERSITY OF REGENSBURG   The Faculty of Biology and Pre-Clinical Medicine invites applications for a   Professurship (W2) in Microbiology   To be...

Bacteria have a variety of mechanisms for limiting predation by phages. SpbK is a Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing antiphage defence protein from Bacillus subtilis that provides protection against the temperate phage SPβ via abortive infection. Here we structurally characterise Sp …

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in humans. However, treatment options are limited due to the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant isolates i...

Rapid turnover of glmS mRNA in Bacillus subtilis by 5′-3’ exoribonuclease RNase J is essential for feedback regulation of glucosamine-6-phosphate (Glc…

The Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) and the Faculty of Biosciences invite applications for a   Tenure Track Professors...

Almost all proteins are inserted or translocated across membranes by the universally conserved Sec translocon. Despite its central role, experimental access to Sec function has remained limited. Here,...

Among the simplest organisms known to age, Escherichia coli bacteria suffer a functional decline as misfolded proteins accumulate into aggregates retained by the mother cell upon division. This mechanism places the loss of proteostasis as a conserved hallmark of aging. However, subsequent studies found no deleterious effects of harboring aggregates. By quantifying single-cell fitness and damage dynamics, we found that it is not the mere presence of an aggregate that drives a fitness decline, but the intracellular space it occupies. Yet, aging cells undergo a gradual enlargement that could allow them to sustain stable growth despite harboring intracellular damage. Cell enlargement thus emerges as another cross-domain aging phenotype, but with curiously opposite effects: protective in bacteria, whereas generally deleterious in eukaryotes. Our findings, therefore, offer a connection between damage dynamics, aging, and cell size regulation at the single-cell level, while tracing new parallels between bacterial and eukaryotic aging.