Nature Reviews Microbiology contents January 2012 Volume 10 Number 1 pp 1-78

TABLE OF CONTENTS
January 2012 Volume 10 Number 1
Impact Factor 20.686 * Subscribe to Nature Reviews Microbiology Recommend to your library Sign up to Twitter for updates from Nature Reviews Microbiology	In this issue Research Highlights News and Analysis Progress Reviews Correspondence Also this month  Featured article: Should we stay or should we go: mechanisms and ecological consequences for biofilm dispersal Diane McDougald, Scott A. Rice, Nicolas Barraud, Peter D. Steinberg & Staffan Kjelleberg
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Editorial: NRMicro: 100 not out! p1 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2728 Abstract | Full Text | PDF
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Top Antimicrobials: Promoting tolerance p2 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2721 Two papers provide insight into the roles of the stringent response and H2S in mediating antibiotic tolerance in genetically susceptible bacteria. PDF Parasitology: Basigin opens the door to malaria p3 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2715 The erythrocyte surface protein basigin is identified as the receptor for Rh5 using a large-scale screen, and probably mediates invasion of all Plasmodium falciparum strains. PDF Microbiome: Tipping the balance p3 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2723 P. gingivalis can be viewed as a keystone pathogen owing to its disproportionately large impact on a microbial community relative to its abundance. PDF Symbiosis: Sheltered bacteria lose their senses p4 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2718 Sodalis glossinidius has adapted the PhoPQ two-component system to establish and maintain symbiosis with its tsetse fly host. PDF Immune evasion: Size does matter p4 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2719 Long-chained S. pneumoniae is more susceptible to complement-mediated killing. PDF Bacterial evolution: Parallel lives p5 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2722 A new study published in Nature Genetics reveals the parallel adaptive evolution of a bacterial pathogen during infection of humans and identifies new candidate pathogenicity genes. PDF IN BRIEF Virology: Tetherin lets HCMV in | Microbiome: The benefits of being sociable | Antimicrobials: Why zinc is bad for bacteria PDF Microbiology JOBS of the week Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Microbiology Victoria University of Wellington Assistant Professor: Molecular Biology of Marine Phototrophic Microbes IMET, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Postdoctoral Research Associate in Virology University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Program Manager National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense Study of the action of natural compounds that can interfere with infectious and neurodegenerative processes: modulation of intracellular redox-sensitive pathways dip di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive More Science jobs from Microbiology EVENT Innate Immunity: Sensing the Microbes and Damage Signals (Q7) joint with The Microbiome (Q8) 04.-09.03.12 Colorado, US More science events from
NEWS AND ANALYSIS		Top
GENOME WATCH The battle of the SNPs Tim Downing p6 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2716 This month's Genome Watch highlights new perspectives on polygenic adaptation and its consequences for fitness in microbial populations. PDF
DISEASE WATCH In the news p7 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2727 Our monthly round up of infectious diseases news, which this month includes the origin and spread of an amphibian assassin, turning the tide against HIV, and chicken pox-infected lollipops. PDF
PROGRESS		Top
Nucleoid occlusion and bacterial cell division Ling Juan Wu & Jeff Errington p8 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2671 Bacteria need to find the middle of the cell and prevent the formation of a division septum that bisects the chromosome. The nucleoid occlusion system, mediated by Noc in Bacillus subtilis and SlmA in Escherichia coli, connects septum formation with chromosome segregation to optimize cell division. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
REVIEWS		Top
Extreme genome reduction in symbiotic bacteria John P. McCutcheon & Nancy A. Moran p13 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2670 When a bacterium transitions from a free-living to a symbiotic lifestyle, the pressure to maintain certain genes decreases and the lack of genetic exchange allows deleterious mutations to accumulate. Here, McCutcheon and Moran describe the extraordinarily small genomes of several recently characterized symbionts and discuss the processes that allowed these genomes to shrink. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
The myriad roles of cyclic AMP in microbial pathogens: from signal to sword Kathleen A. McDonough & Ana Rodriguez p27 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2688 The nucleotide cyclic AMP is used by many organisms as a second messenger in signal transduction pathways to sense environmental changes. In this Review, McDonough and Rodriguez discuss the many roles of cAMP in bacterial and eukaryotic pathogens, from the regulation of virulence to the manipulation of host defences. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Should we stay or should we go: mechanisms and ecological consequences for biofilm dispersal Diane McDougald, Scott A. Rice, Nicolas Barraud, Peter D. Steinberg & Staffan Kjelleberg p39 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2695 Dispersal is an essential stage in the 'life cycle' of many bacterial biofilms and is carefully regulated. McDougald et al. describe the factors that control this step, and place this process in an ecological context with a comparison to analogous eukaryotic life cycles. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Conventional and unconventional mechanisms for capping viral mRNA Etienne Decroly, François Ferron, Julien Lescar & Bruno Canard p51 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2675 Capping the 5′ end of eukaryotic mRNAs with a 7-methylguanosine moiety enables efficient splicing, nuclear export and translation of mRNAs, and also limits their degradation by cellular exonucleases. Here, Canard and colleagues describe how viruses synthesize their own mRNA cap structures or steal them from host mRNAs, allowing efficient synthesis of viral proteins and avoidance of host innate immune responses. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
Emerging molecular insights into the interaction between probiotics and the host intestinal mucosa Peter A. Bron, Peter van Baarlen & Michiel Kleerebezem p66 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2690 The genomics era has provided the opportunity for detailed investigations into the effects of the gut microbiota on the host mucosa. Bron, van Baarlen and Kleerebezem describe the features of probiotic bacteria that affect the mucosal immune system, and discuss the effect of the molecular characteristics of the host's mucosa on the response to these bacteria. Abstract | Full Text | PDF
CORRESPONDENCE		Top
Correspondence: Sputnik and Mavirus: more than just satellite viruses Matthias G. Fischer p78 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2676-c1 Full Text | PDF
Correspondence: Sputnik and Mavirus: not more than satellite viruses Mart Krupovic & Virginija Cvirkaite-Krupovic p78 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2676-c2 Full Text | PDF
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