VAD is a Viral AlphaFold Database of protein monomers and homodimers from viruses infecting hosts across the tree of life.

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and their modifications are central to bacterial translation and physiology, yet their roles in stress adaptation remain underexplored. While extensively studied in eukaryotes, a...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) assimilation by the enzyme Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase (Rubisco) underpins biomass accumulation in photosy...

Human nasal microbiota often includes highly pathogenic members, many of which are antimicrobial resistance threats, e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and drug-resistant Streptococcus ...

We report the isolation and genomic sequencing of nine Actinomycetota obtained from both cave biofilms and trogloxenic Ceuthophilus (cave crickets). Strains were isolated from samples via actinomycetota-selective media and sequenced using nanopore sequencing. Provisional taxonomic inference of strains was performed by whole genome phylogenetic analysis, revealing a broad range of genera, with most strains clustering with known genera with digital DNA-DNA hybridization values less than 70%, and one strain not clustering with known genera. An analysis of secondary metabolism reveals the quantity and diversity of secondary metabolism in cave Actinomycetota. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88, CA226833

Here the authors leverage a crossfeeding, engineered microbial community to demonstrate that strain abundance cycles are robust across environmental conditions. They pair this with a nonlinear dynamic model to elucidate population cycles.

Data reveal how the global challenge to reduce deaths and infections from drug-resistant bacteria is not going according to plan.

Biology is hard. Yes, even for AI.

The laboratory contaminant strain Noodlococcus was named for its coccoid cells and unusual colony morphology, which resembled a pile of noodles. Along with laboratory characterisation and electron mic...

Transcription attenuation fine-tunes biosynthetic gene expression in bacteria via premature termination upon metabolic signals. In transcription initiation-controlled bacterial systems, promoter architecture and transcription factor binding sets the size of transcriptional bursts at σ70 promoters, while distal enhancer elements and associated transcriptional activators modulate burst frequency at σ54 promoters. Using the tryptophan biosynthesis operon as a model, we show that transcription attenuation, acting post-initiation and alongside transcriptional repression, simultaneously modulates both burst size and frequency from a σ70 promoter. This challenges the view that frequency modulation requires distal enhancer input and reveals that post-initiation mechanisms can shape divergent transcriptional bursting. We also uncover that bacteria use cross-feeding as a previously unrecognised strategy for controlling cell-to-cell variation in gene expression, with implications for metabolic coordination among cells. These findings redefine transcription dynamics within cell populations and suggest new principles by which bacteria regulate gene expression to adapt to environmental change. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Leverhulme Trust, RPG-2021-050 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, BB/W019698/1

Bactopia v4 Yo! Well, it is about that time! I am planning to release version 4 of Bactopia in the near future. With this version, Bactopia will introduce new and exciting things, but at the same t...

Only a fraction of bacterial genomes encode CRISPR-Cas systems but the selective causes of this variation are unexplained. How naturally virulent bacteriophages (phages) select for CRISPR immunity has...

Abstract. Phage-derived bacteriocins, also referred to as tailocins, are structures encoded by bacterial genomes and deployed into the extracellular enviro

For the first time, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is formally including all microbial life in its framework by establishing a Microbial Conservation Specialist Group, which includ...

In this Perspective, Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps.