October 14, 2021
Image credit: Flickr user USFWS Mountain Prairie
10/13/2021
Research Article
Derived from phages of the gut microbiome, Kevin Forsberg, Harmit Malik and co-authors describe a CRISPR-Cas9 inhibitor with an unexpected mechanism; instead of binding Cas9 itself, this “anti-CRISPR” relaxes plasmid DNA and enables Cas9 evasion, suggesting that DNA topology is an underappreciated battleground in phage-bacterial conflicts.
Image credit: pbio.3001428
Current Issue September 2021
10/13/2021
Research Article
Carrying a plasmid is burdensome, but why? James Hall, Michael Brockhurst and co-workers show that specific gene interactions (rather than general properties of plasmids such as their size) are principally responsible for the fitness costs that plasmids impose. The propensity of such conflicts to be resolved by single compensatory mutations may help to explain why plasmids are so widespread.
Image credit: Edward Ross
10/12/2021
Research Article
Bacteriophages represent a promising avenue to overcome the current antibiotic resistance crisis, but what about phage resistance? Erin Attrill, Stefano Pagliara and colleagues show that in the presence of spatial refuges, genetic resistance to phage is less of a problem than commonly assumed, but that eradicating bacterial pathogens from structured environments may require combined phage-antibiotic therapies.
Image credit: pbio.3001406
10/11/2021
Research Article
The packaging of the SARS-CoV-2 genome is mediated by the nucleocapsid (N) protein; Amanda Jack, Ahmet Yildiz and co-workers show that the N protein forms liquid condensates with viral genomic RNA and identify small molecules that alter these condensates.
Image credit: pbio.3001425
10/11/2021
Research Article
Animals modulate sensory processing in concert with motor actions. A study of the corollary discharge in zebrafish by Dimitri Skandalis, Elias Lunsford and James Liao reveals that it modulates the sensitivity of the lateral line during swimming to prevent sensor adaptation and maintain the high-quality feedback necessary for kinematic control.
Image credit: pbio.3001420
10/11/2021
Research Article
Mohsen Alavash, Sarah Tune and Jonas Obleser investigate how intrinsic neural oscillations, acting in concert, tune into attentive listening. Using EEG signals collected from people in a dual-talker listening task, the authors find that network connectivity of frontoparietal beta and posterior alpha oscillations is regulated according to the listener's goal.
Image credit: pbio.3001410
10/11/2021
Short Reports
The intestine is lined with isolated lymphoid follicles that facilitate sampling of luminal antigens to elicit immune responses. This study identifies spatially localized cellular states in intestinal follicles and their associated epithelium.
Image credit: pbio.3001214
10/07/2021
Perspective
John Scanlon argues that as we struggle to combat climate change, with the potential loss of a million species and increasing exposure to thousands of new viruses that could spill over from wildlife to humans, it is time to change course.
Image credit: Unsplash user NY Public Library
10/07/2021
Essay
Despite the major contributions of computational biology, those attempting to bridge the interdisciplinary gap often languish in career advancement, publication, and grant review. Here, sixteen computational biologists around the globe focus on solutions.
Image credit: pbio.3001419
10/07/2021
Meta-Research Article
A survey of 419,680 peer-reviewed papers in 16 languages reveals that non-English-language studies can expand geographical and taxonomic coverage of data regarding biodiversity conservation interventions.
Image credit: Pieter Bruegel
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.
October 18-20
Meet senior editor Roli Roberts
October 26-29
Meet associate editor Luke Smith
November 2-4
Meet senior editor Roli Roberts
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