Engineered probiotics block arsenite absorption in the gastrointestinal tract

Preventing dietary exposure to toxic metals remains an unmet challenge. We engineered probiotics that sense and sequester arsenite in the gastrointestinal tract, reducing its systemic absorption and promoting its fecal elimination. This study establishes a programmable synthetic biology strategy for protecting against environmental toxicants.

dlvr.it

Viruses, Proviruses and Satellites from Asgard Archaea Enrichments Reveal Complex Microbial Interactions

Asgard archaea are the closest known relatives of eukaryotes and are central to models of eukaryogenesis involving archaeal bacterial symbiosis, yet the contribution of viruses remains unexplored. Her...

biorxiv.org

A brief introduction to the anvi'o software platform for microbial 'omics research

YouTube video by Meren Lab

youtube.com

Quantifying phage-host dynamics using droplet microfluidics - Nature Communications

Bacteriophages are key tools in molecular biology and promising agents against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here, the authors present a high-throughput droplet microfluidics platform that co-encapsu...

doi.org

Bacteriocins in archaea and archaeocins in bacteria

Archaea and bacteria routinely live side by side in microbial communities and must interact at least on occasion. Whether such cross-Domain interactions are dominated by mutual disregard, co-operation...

biorxiv.org

A jumbo cyanophage encodes the most comprehensive ribosomal protein set in the known virosphere

Abstract. It has been proposed that a defining distinction between viruses and cells lies in the absence or presence of ribosomal genes, respectively. Rece

academic.oup.com

A new family of rolling-circle replication endonucleases widespread in archaeal viruses and plasmids

Abstract. Archaea possess a remarkably diverse mobilome, but for many archaeal viruses and plasmids, even the basic processes, such as genome replication,

academic.oup.com

Redox distribution of Asgard archaea and co-occurring taxa in microbial mats from an early Proterozoic ecosystem analog

Eukaryotes originated from the symbiosis of an Asgard archaeon, the alphaproteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria, and possibly additional bacterial contributions. This transition occurred in redox-transition environments such as microbial mats or shallow sediments ~2 billion years ago, when atmospheric oxygen was far lower than today. We investigated Asgard-enriched microbial mats from the low-oxygen, sulfidic Catherine volcano lake (Afar region, Ethiopia), mimicking early Proterozoic conditions. 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding, metagenomics, and metagenome-assembled genome analyses across redox-stratified layers of in situ and mesocosm-maintained mats revealed that Asgardarchaeota thrived in the sulfate-reduction zone, mainly co-occurring with Desulfurobacterota-Myxococcota, among others. Lokiarchaeia and Thorarchaeia preferred anoxic layers. Within Heimdallarchaeia, Heimdallarchaeales were enriched in upper layers, correlating with oxygen-tolerant hydrogenase and sulfate-reduction genes, and Hodarchaeales, in anoxic layers, correlating with methanogenesis. Although reactive-oxygen-species defense mechanisms were widespread, Asgardarchaeota lacked aerobic respiration. These results support the idea that Asgard archaea engaged primarily in syntrophic interactions with sulfate-reducers under early-Earth-like conditions. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90, 101141745, 787904 Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR-23-CE02-0016-01, ANR-22-CE02-0012 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, https://ror.org/006wxqw41, GBMF9739

biorxiv.org

From Trading Genes to Crafting New Tricks: How Horizontal Gene Transfer Potentiates the Emergence of Novel Functions

ecoevorxiv.org

Evolutionary constraints on RNA polymerase gene positioning in the genome of fast-growing bacteria

Abstract. How gene order along chromosomes affects cellular homeostasis and genome evolution remains poorly understood. Bacterial chromosomes are organized

academic.oup.com

Plasmids promote antimicrobial resistance through insertion sequence-mediated gene inactivation - Nature Microbiology

Inactivation of chromosomal genes through plasmid-encoded IS elements is an extended mechanism of antimicrobial resistance evolution in bacteria.

nature.com

biorxiv.org

Chiral gliding: Right-handed navigation of filamentous cyanobacteria | PNAS

Cyanobacteria are the earliest known organisms that produced oxygen through photosynthesis, leading to the oxygen atmosphere that allowed the evolu...

pnas.org

Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life

Giant DNA viruses encode a cap-binding complex homologous to eIF4F, the defining translation-initiation complex of eukaryotes. The viral cap-binding complex is required for viral protein synthesis and...

cell.com