Spotlight
Minireviews
Minireview | SpotlightVirus Isoelectric Point Estimation: Theories and MethodsMuch of virus fate, both in the environment and in physical/chemical treatment, is dependent on electrostatic interactions. Developing an accurate means of predicting virion isoelectric point (pI) would help to understand and anticipate virus fate and transport, especially for viruses that are not readily propagated in the lab.
MinireviewCryptosporidium-Biofilm Interactions: a ReviewBiofilms are increasingly implicated as playing a major role in waterborne cryptosporidiosis. This review aims to synthesize all currently available data on interactions between Cryptosporidium oocysts and biofilms.
Biodegradation
![Severe Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Oil Field Produced Water Can Be Linked to Methanogenic Archaea Containing a Special Type of [NiFe] Hydrogenase](https://aem.asm.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/externals/fba3e0be937c5aa23251fb4c17ad8ad3.jpg?itok=vlbOrktT)
Editor's Pick Biodegradation | SpotlightSevere Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Oil Field Produced Water Can Be Linked to Methanogenic Archaea Containing a Special Type of [NiFe] HydrogenaseMicroorganisms can deteriorate built environments, which is particularly problematic in the case of pipelines transporting hydrocarbons to industrial end users. MIC is notoriously difficult to detect and monitor and, as a consequence, is a particularly difficult corrosion mechanism to manage.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology | SpotlightIndustrially Applicable De Novo Lager Yeast Hybrids with a Unique Genomic Architecture: Creation and CharacterizationAll lager beer is produced using two related lager yeast types: group I and group II, which are highly similar, resulting in a lack of strain diversity for lager beer production. To date, approaches for generating new lager yeasts have generated strains possessing undesirable brewing characteristics which render them commercially inviable.
Environmental Microbiology
Environmental MicrobiologyAirborne Disinfection by Dry Fogging Efficiently Inactivates Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Mycobacteria, and Bacterial Spores and Shows Limitations of Commercial Spore CarriersAirborne disinfection is not only of crucial importance for the safe operation of laboratories and animal rooms where infectious agents are handled but also can be used in public health emergencies such as the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. We show that dry fogging an aerosolized mixture of peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (aPAA-HP) is highly microbicidal, efficient, fast, robust,...
Environmental MicrobiologyVisualizing and Isolating Iron-Reducing Microorganisms at the Single-Cell LevelVisualization and isolation of FeRM from samples containing multiple species are commonly needed by researchers from different disciplines, such as environmental microbiology, environmental sciences, and geochemistry. However, no available method has been reported.
Environmental MicrobiologyViral Lysis Alters the Optical Properties and Biological Availability of Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Prochlorococcus PicocyanobacteriaThe unicellular picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the numerically dominant phytoplankton in the oligotrophic ocean, contributing to the vast majority of marine primary production. Prochlorococcus releases a significant fraction of fixed organic matter into the surrounding environment and supports a vital portion of heterotrophic bacterial activity. Viral lysis is an important biomass loss process of ...
Environmental MicrobiologyDifferential Effects of Homologous Transcriptional Regulators NicR2A, NicR2B1, and NicR2B2 and Endogenous Ectopic Strong Promoters on Nicotine Metabolism in Pseudomonas sp. Strain JY-Q...This study evaluated the differential effects of homologous NicR2A and NicR2Bs and endogenous ectopic strong promoters on nicotine metabolism in Pseudomonas sp. strain JY-Q. Based on our differential analysis, a feasible strategy is presented to modify wild-type (WT) strain JY-Q by removing repressing regulatory proteins NicR2A and NicR2Bs and replacing the target promoter with strong endogenous ectopic promoters.
Enzymology and Protein Engineering
Enzymology and Protein EngineeringMultimodularity of a GH10 Xylanase Found in the Termite Gut MetagenomeXylan is the major hemicellulosic polysaccharide in cereals and contributes to the recalcitrance of the plant cell wall toward degradation. Bacteroidetes, one of the main phyla in rumen and human gut microbiota, have been shown to encode polysaccharide utilization loci dedicated to the degradation of xylan. Here, we present the biochemical characterization of a xylanase encoded by a bacteroidetes strain isolated from the...
Enzymology and Protein EngineeringAspergillus oryzae Rutinosidase: Biochemical and Structural InvestigationFlavonoid glycosides constitute a class of secondary metabolites widely distributed in nature. These compounds are involved in bitter taste or clouding in plant-based foods or beverages, respectively.
Food Microbiology
Food MicrobiologyTaxonomic and Functional Shifts in the Sprout Spent Irrigation Water Microbiome in Response to Salmonella Contamination of Alfalfa SeedsInteractions of human enteric pathogens like Salmonella with plants and plant microbiomes remain to be elucidated. The rapid development of next-generation sequencing technologies provides powerful tools enabling investigation of such interactions from broader and deeper perspectives.
Food MicrobiologyMoisture Content of Bacterial Cells Determines Thermal Resistance of Salmonella enterica Serotype Enteritidis PT 30This study established a logarithmic relationship between the thermal death time (D-value) of S. Enteritidis PT 30 and the moisture content (XW) of the bacterial cells by conducting thermal inactivation tests on freeze-dried S. Enteritidis PT 30.
Genetics and Molecular Biology
Genetics and Molecular BiologyAn Unconventional Melanin Biosynthesis Pathway in Ustilago maydisThe fungus Ustilago maydis represents one of the major threats to maize plants since it is responsible for corn smut disease, which generates considerable economical losses around the world. Therefore, contributing to a better understanding of the biochemistry of defense mechanisms used by U. maydis to protect itself against harsh environments, such as the...
Genetics and Molecular BiologyThe Small RNAs PA2952.1 and PrrH as Regulators of Virulence, Motility, and Iron Metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosaDue to the rising incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains and the difficulty of eliminating P. aeruginosa infections, it is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms that allow this bacterium to adapt to and thrive under a variety of conditions. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are one regulatory mechanism that allows bacteria to change the amount of protein...
Invertebrate Microbiology
Invertebrate Microbiology | SpotlightGrowth Dynamics and Antibiotic Elimination of Symbiotic Rickettsia buchneri in the Tick Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)This paper describes the growth of symbiotic Rickettsia buchneri within Ixodes scapularis through the life cycle of the tick and provides methods to eliminate R. buchneri from I. scapularis ticks.
Invertebrate MicrobiologyMixtures of Insect-Pathogenic Viruses in a Single Virion: towards the Development of Custom-Designed InsecticidesAlphabaculoviruses are used as biological insecticides and expression vectors in biotechnology and medical applications. We demonstrate that in caterpillars infected with particular mixtures of viruses, the genomes of different baculovirus species can be enveloped together within individual virions and occluded within proteinaceous occlusion bodies.
Microbial Ecology
Microbial EcologyA Whole-Cell Biosensor for Detection of 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)-Producing Bacteria from Grassland SoilThe interest in bacterial biocontrol agents as biosustainable alternatives to pesticides to increase crop yields has grown. To date, we have a broad knowledge of antimicrobial compounds, such as DAPG, produced by bacteria growing in the rhizosphere surrounding plant roots.
Microbial EcologyOrganohalide-Respiring Bacteria at the Heart of Anaerobic Metabolism in Arctic Wet Tundra SoilsOnce considered relevant only in contaminated sites, it is now recognized that biological chlorine cycling is widespread in natural environments. However, linkages between chlorine cycling and other ecosystem processes are not well established.
Microbial EcologyVibrio fischeri Amidase Activity Is Required for Normal Cell Division, Motility, and Symbiotic CompetencePeptidoglycan (PG) is a critical microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) that is sloughed by cells of V. fischeri during symbiotic colonization of squid. Specifically, this process induces significant remodeling of a specialized symbiotic light organ within the squid mantle cavity.
Microbial EcologyDynamic Gut Microbiome Changes in Response to Low-Iron ChallengeAll cells need iron. Both too much and too little iron lead to diseases and unwanted outcomes.
Microbial EcologyRecovery and Community Succession of the Zostera marina Rhizobiome after TransplantationSeagrasses are important coastal species that are declining globally, and transplantation can be used to combat these declines. However, the bacterial communities associated with seagrass rhizospheres and roots (the microbiome) are often disturbed or removed completely prior to transplantation.
Microbial Ecology | SpotlightManipulation of Saliva-Derived Microcosm Biofilms To Resemble Dysbiotic Subgingival MicrobiotaIn line with the new paradigm of the etiology of periodontitis, an inflammatory disorder initiated by dysbiotic subgingival microbiota, novel therapeutic strategies have been proposed targeting reversing dysbiosis and restoring host-compatible microbiota rather than eliminating the biofilms unselectively. Thus, appropriate laboratory models are required to evaluate the efficacy of potential microbiome modulators.
Physiology
PhysiologyBacterial-Like Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases Produce Cyclopeptides in the Zygomycetous Fungus Mortierella alpinaFungal natural compounds are industrially produced, with application in antibiotic treatment, cancer medications, and crop plant protection. Traditionally, higher fungi have been intensively investigated concerning their metabolic potential, but reidentification of already known compounds is frequently observed. Hence, alternative strategies to acquire novel bioactive molecules are required. We present the genus Mortierella as...
PhysiologyAn Unexpected Role for the Periplasmic Phosphatase PhoN in the Salvage of B6 Vitamers in Salmonella entericaNutrient salvage is a strategy used by species across domains of life to conserve energy. Many organisms are unable to synthesize all required metabolites de novo and must rely exclusively on salvage.
PhysiologyThe Entner-Doudoroff Pathway Is an Essential Metabolic Route for Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1CThe gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs possess a unique central metabolic architecture where methane and other reduced C1 carbon sources are assimilated through the ribulose monophosphate cycle. Although efforts have been made to better understand methanotrophic metabolism in these bacteria via experimental and computational approaches, many questions remain unanswered.
Plant Microbiology
Plant MicrobiologyThe Actin Cytoskeleton Mediates Transmission of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” by the Carrot PsyllidPlant diseases caused by vector-borne pathogens are responsible for tremendous losses and threaten some of the most important agricultural crops. A good example is the citrus greening disease, which is caused by bacteria of the genus Liberibacter and is transmitted by psyllids; it has devastated the citrus industry in the United States, China, and Brazil.
Public and Environmental Health Microbiology
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyPhylogenetic and Biogeographic Patterns of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains from North America Inferred from Whole-Genome Sequence DataVibrio parahaemolyticus is the most common cause of seafood-borne illness reported in the United States and is frequently associated with shellfish consumption. This study contributes to our knowledge of the biogeography and functional genomics of this species around North America.
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyAnalysis of Campylobacter jejuni Subtype Distribution in the Chicken Broiler Production Continuum: a Longitudinal Examination To Identify Primary Contamination PointsThe longitudinal examination of Campylobacter jejuni subtypes throughout the broiler production continuum is required to determine transmission mechanisms and to identify potential reservoirs and the foodborne risk posed. We showed that a limited number of C. jejuni subtypes are responsible for...
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyPairing of Parental Noroviruses with Unequal Competitiveness Provides a Clear Advantage for Emergence of Progeny RecombinantsNovel recombinants, generated from inter- and intraspecies recombination of norovirus lineages, often emerge and pose a threat to public health. However, the factors determining emergence of these particular recombinants from all possible combinations of parental lineages remain largely unknown.
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Applied and Environmental Microbiology® (AEM) publishes study results that make significant contributions to applied microbial research, basic microbial ecology research, and genetic and molecular investigations of microbial topics of practical value.
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Dr. Harold L. Drake, Editor in Chief