06/17/2019
Research Article
A flagellum renders bacteria motile, but Alex Steimle, Sarah Menz, Julia-Stefanie Frick and co-workers reveal another property important for symbiosis: the hypervariable region of Escherichia coli flagellin strongly determines activation of TLR5, mediating benefits for the host such as protection against colitis.
Image credit: Flickr user NIAID
Current Issue May 2019
06/19/2019
Research Article
Sunita Gulati, Frank Beurskens, Sanjay Ram and colleagues find that a chimeric antibody that contains a "complement-enhancing" mutation in Fc (so-called HexaBody technology) shows increased bactericidal activity compared to antibody bearing wild-type Fc and may represent a promising immunotherapeutic approach against multidrug-resistant gonorrhea.
Image credit: pbio.1002344
06/18/2019
Short Reports
Flocking costs may have been underestimated by an order of magnitude: a study of homing pigeons by Lucy Taylor, Steven Portugal and co-authors shows that they flap 20% faster when flying in pairs relative to flying solo to keep their heads steady and reap the ultimate benefits of flocking.
Image credit: Lucy Taylor
06/18/2019
Research Article
A study of simulated night shifts in humans by Laura Kervezee, Nicolas Cermakian and Diane Boivin shows that 24-hour rhythms in plasma metabolites are primarily influenced by behavioural cycles rather than the endogenous clock; in addition, a large degree of variability between individuals suggests the existence of individual metabolomic signatures of circadian misalignment.
Image credit: Flickr user José
06/17/2019
Research Article
Joseph Francica, Robert Seder and co-authors find that synthetic polymer-based nanoparticles effectively deliver HIV Env glycopeptide immunogens to lymph nodes and stimulate B cell lineages with characteristics resembling broadly neutralizing antibodies, in nonhuman primates.
Image credit: pbio.3000328
06/18/2019
Research Article
Prolonged exposure to loud noises causes neuronal hyperexcitability and increases the risk of tinnitus. Weihua Wang, Shaowen Bao and co-workers reveal that this type of tinnitus is mediated by noise-induced neuroinflammation; blockade of neuroinflammatory responses prevents noise-induced neuronal excitation/inhibition imbalance and tinnitus.
Image credit: Flickr user Naika Lieva
06/14/2019
Methods and Resources
Consensus clustering of protein-protein interaction networks provides insights into the assembly mechanism of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) virions and structure-function relationships underlying herpesvirus infection.
Image credit: pbio.3000316
06/19/2019
Research Article
A study of microbiome compositions from host species across the tree of life reveals them to be consistent with neutral expectations, suggesting that after colonization, neutral processes and dispersal play a role in shaping communities.
Image credit: pbio.3000298
06/18/2019
Research Article
Extracellular N-linked glycans (and neurexin 1β) are key modulators of neuronal uptake of N-terminally acetylated α-Synuclein, emphasising the potential therapeutic value of α-Synuclein-glycan interactions.
Image credit: pbio.3000318
06/14/2019
Research Article
A detailed mechanistic study of malaria parasite actins reveals at the atomic level how they polymerize, hydrolyze ATP, and are fragmented to keep actin filament lengths short enough for parasite survival.
Image credit: pbio.3000315
Raquel Lieberman discusses her work on the protein myocilin, implicated in glaucoma, but whose normal function remains unclear after over 20 years.
Susanna Bidgood explores the future of using poxviruses as versatile tools for cell biology research.
Rachel Harding proposes that open notebooks present an opportunity for researchers to showcase their work and rapidly advance science in their field
On the eve of the UN General Assembly meeting on TB, Christoph Grundner urged the need to consider basic research as an essential component of any future anti-TB strategy.
Norman Pace remembers the early days of what became known as "metagenomics," as experienced by the author during his development as a scientist.
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia in Krakow, Poland.
June 11-16, 2019
Meet Senior Editor Lauren Richardson in Princeton, NJ.
June 11-13, 2019
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