Molecular Biology and Physiology
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHeterotroph Interactions Alter Prochlorococcus Transcriptome Dynamics during Extended Periods of DarknessProchlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism on the planet. These cells play a central role in the physiology of surrounding heterotrophs by supplying them with fixed organic carbon. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that interactions with heterotrophs can affect autotrophs as well. Here we show that such interactions have a marked impact on the response of Prochlorococcus to the stress of...
Special Issue Perspective | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyEngineering Complexity in Bacterial Regulatory Circuits for Biotechnological ApplicationsEngineering microbial systems allows the generation of new technologies having significant impact in the biotechnological industry and on human health. In the past few years, several synthetic biology approaches have been implemented in bacteria to allow precise engineering of novel regulatory circuits for several applications.
Special Issue Perspective | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyConsidering the Lives of Microbes in Microbial CommunitiesOver the last decades, sequencing technologies have transformed our ability to investigate the composition and functional capacity of microbial communities. Even so, critical questions remain about these complex systems that cannot be addressed by the bulk, community-averaged data typically provided by sequencing methods.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyInferring the Minimal Genome of Mesoplasma florum by Comparative Genomics and Transposon MutagenesisThe last years have witnessed the development of whole-genome cloning and transplantation methods and the complete synthesis of entire chromosomes. Recently, the first minimal cell, Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn3.0, was created. Despite these milestone achievements, several questions remain to be answered. For example, is the composition of minimal genomes virtually...
Special Issue Perspective | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Tripod for Bacterial Natural Product Discovery: Genome Mining, Silent Pathway Induction, and Mass Spectrometry-Based Molecular NetworkingNatural products are the richest source of chemical compounds for drug discovery. Particularly, bacterial secondary metabolites are in the spotlight due to advances in genome sequencing and mining, as well as for the potential of biosynthetic pathway manipulation to awake silent (cryptic) gene clusters under laboratory cultivation.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenomewide Transcriptional Responses of Iron-Starved Chlamydia trachomatis Reveal Prioritization of Metabolic Precursor Synthesis over Protein TranslationBy utilizing an experimental approach that monitors the immediate global response of Chlamydia trachomatis to iron starvation, clues to long-standing issues in Chlamydia biology are revealed, including how Chlamydia adapts to this stress. We determined that this pathogen initiates a transcriptional program that prioritizes replenishment of nutrient...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAltered Distribution of RNA Polymerase Lacking the Omega Subunit within the Prophages along the Escherichia coli K-12 GenomeThe 91-amino-acid-residue small-subunit omega (the rpoZ gene product) of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase plays a structural role in the formation of RNA polymerase (RNAP) as a chaperone in folding the largest subunit (β′, of 1,407 residues in length), but except for binding of the stringent signal ppGpp, little is known of its role in the control of RNAP...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyTranscriptome Profiling Reveals Interplay of Multifaceted Stress Response in Escherichia coli on Exposure to Glutathione and CiprofloxacinThe emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains have serious medical and clinical consequences. In addition, the rate of discovery of new therapeutic antibiotics has been inadequate in last few decades. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin represent a precious therapeutic resource in the fight against bacterial pathogens. However, these antibiotics have been gradually losing their appeal due to the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAnalysis of the Genes Involved in Thiocyanate Oxidation during Growth in Continuous Culture of the Haloalkaliphilic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacterium Thioalkalivibrio thiocyanoxidans ARh 2T Using TranscriptomicsThiocyanate is a moderately toxic and chemically stable sulfur compound that is produced by both natural and industrial processes. Despite its significance as a pollutant, knowledge of the microbial degradation of thiocyanate is very limited. Therefore, investigation of thiocyanate oxidation in haloalkaliphiles such as the genus Thioalkalivibrio may lead to improved biotechnological applications in wastewater remediation.
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Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLarge-Scale Bioinformatics Analysis of Bacillus Genomes Uncovers Conserved Roles of Natural Products in Bacterial PhysiologyBacilli are capable of producing a diverse array of specialized metabolites, many of which have gained attention for their roles as signals that affect bacterial physiology and development. Up to this point, however, the Bacillus genus’s metabolic capacity has been underexplored. We undertook a deep genomic analysis of 1,566 Bacillus genomes to understand the full spectrum of metabolites that this bacterial...