sitting on these for a while

The ecology and biotechnology of sulphate-reducing bacteria

Nature reviews microbiology 2008

Muyzer and Stams

Sulphate-reducing bacteria can use sulphate as a terminal electron acceptor (sulphate acts as an oxidant and gets reduced). SRBs are anoxic and impact the sulphur cycle which can impact the carbon cycle. It’s important in the corrosion of heavy metals in pipes but also it could be used in biotechnology. another interesting facet of their biotechnology is that they have to be cocultured at times to create slightly anoxic microenvironments in which they can thrive, so they’re interesting from the perspective of the metabolic web they establish.

Host cell processes that influence the intracellular survival of Legionella pneumophila

Cellular Microbiology 2008

Shin and Roy

L. pneumophila has processes that allow it to survive and replicate within protozoa, which also allow it to do so in macrophages within specific vacuoles. It uses a type four secretion system to move bacterial effectors into the cell. The effects of this are changes in host cell processes, such as the altering the trafficking of the phagosome and mediating its conversion into an ER-derived organelle permissive for the bacteria. The effector proteins in the highly plastic genome contain many eukaryotic protein motifs, which are well conserved among eukaryotes, which explains the ease by which LP can affect humans. DOT/ICM genes are the famous ones in this. Host factors are recruited to the LCV and disrupt vesicle traffic. LP can also affect apoptosis pathways to its benefit, in order to allow for more replication. Eukaryotes have developed skills that allow them to fight back

Bacterial-modulated signaling pathways in gut homeostasis

Perspective in STKE

Lee 2008

Commensal bugs in the gut are known to affect innate immunity and development. In order to avoid excess inflammation, some bugs have developed ways to modulate host intracellular signaling pathways. Bacteria induced ROS which inhibit cullin-1dependent protein degradation which stabilizes IKB, a negative regulator of inflammation. NFKB modulation seems to be a big strategy by which commensals reduce gut inflammation. Bacteria have also developed ways to stabilize another regulator B catenin (stopping the degradation machinery prevents B catenin ubiquitination). Interesting to start thinking about these interactions we have with ~500 prokaryotic species comprising 10^14 bugs.