Latest Articles
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceAntimicrobial Chemicals Associate with Microbial Function and Antibiotic Resistance IndoorsThe ubiquitous use of antimicrobial chemicals may have undesired consequences, particularly on microbes in buildings. This study shows that the taxonomy and function of microbes in indoor dust are strongly associated with antimicrobial chemicals—more so than any other feature of the buildings. Moreover, we identified links between antimicrobial chemical concentrations in dust and culturable bacteria that are cross-resistant to three...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAnalysis of Whole-Genome Sequences for the Prediction of Penicillin Resistance and β-Lactamase Activity in Bacillus anthracisDetermination of antimicrobial susceptibility of B. anthracis is essential for the appropriate distribution of antimicrobial agents for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and treatment of anthrax. Analysis of WGS data allows for the rapid detection of mutations in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in an isolate, but the presence of a mutation in an AMR gene does not...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceUsing Core Genome Alignments To Assign Bacterial SpeciesWith the increasing availability of genome sequences, we sought to develop and apply a robust, portable, and high-resolution method for the assignment of genera and species designations that can recapitulate classically defined taxonomic designations. Using cutoffs derived from the lengths and sequence identities of core genome alignments along with phylogenetic analyses, we sought to evaluate or reevaluate genus- and species-level...
Resource Report | Host-Microbe BiologyNew Insights into Human Nostril Microbiome from the Expanded Human Oral Microbiome Database (eHOMD): a Resource for the Microbiome of the Human Aerodigestive TractThe eHOMD (http://www.ehomd.org) is a valuable resource for researchers, from basic to clinical, who study the microbiomes and the individual microbes in body sites in the human aerodigestive tract, which includes the nasal passages, sinuses, throat, esophagus, and mouth, and the lower respiratory tract, in health and disease. The eHOMD is an actively curated, web-based, open-access resource. eHOMD...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyGenome-Wide Analysis of Transcriptional Changes and Genes That Contribute to Fitness during Degradation of the Anthropogenic Pollutant Pentachlorophenol by Sphingobium chlorophenolicumPhenolic compounds such as pentachlorophenol (PCP), triclosan, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) represent a common class of anthropogenic biocides. Despite the novelty of these compounds, many can be degraded by microbes isolated from contaminated sites. However, degradation of this class of chemicals often generates toxic intermediates, which may contribute to their recalcitrance to biodegradation. We have addressed the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLabel-Free Quantitative Proteomics of Lysine Acetylome Identifies Substrates of Gcn5 in Magnaporthe oryzae Autophagy and Epigenetic RegulationGcn5 is a histone acetyltransferase that was previously shown to regulate phototropic and starvation-induced autophagy in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, likely via modification on autophagy protein Atg7. In this study, we identified more potential substrates of Gcn5-mediated acetylation by quantitative and comparative acetylome analyses. By epifluorescence...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyQualitative and Quantitative DNA- and RNA-Based Analysis of the Bacterial Stomach Microbiota in Humans, Mice, and GerbilsClinical stomach interventions, such as acid inhibition or bypass surgery, have been linked to fecal microbiota alterations. We demonstrate that the stomach microbiota largely overlaps those of adjacent gastrointestinal locations and identify gradual decreases and increases in the relative abundances of specific bacteria within the stomach, suggesting selective enrichment and depletion. Moreover, similarities between stomach and...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary Sciencek-mer Similarity, Networks of Microbial Genomes, and Taxonomic RankGenome evolution of microbes involves parent-to-offspring descent, and lateral genetic transfer that convolutes the phylogenomic signal. This study investigated phylogenomic signals among thousands of microbial genomes based on short subsequences without using multiple-sequence alignment. The signal from ribosomal RNAs is strong across all taxa, and the signal of plasmids is strong only in closely related groups, particularly ...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceProteomic Dissection of the Cellulolytic Machineries Used by Soil-Dwelling BacteroidetesCellulose is the most abundant renewable polymer on earth, but its recalcitrance limits highly efficient conversion methods for energy-related and material applications. Though microbial cellulose conversion has been studied for decades, recent advances showcased that large knowledge gaps still exist. Bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidetes are regarded as highly efficient carbohydrate metabolizers, but most species are limited to...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMetatranscriptomic and Thermodynamic Insights into Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Production Using an Anaerobic MicrobiomeMixed communities of microbes play important roles in health, the environment, agriculture, and biotechnology. While tapping the combined activities of organisms within microbiomes may allow the utilization of a wider range of substrates in preference to the use of pure cultures for biomanufacturing, harnessing the metabolism of these mixed cultures remains a major challenge. Here, we predicted metabolic functions of bacteria in a...