BR-bodies link RNA homeostasis to stress tolerance and intracellular fitness in Brucella

Bacterial gene expression depends on the coordinated regulation of RNA synthesis, processing, and decay. The conserved RNA degradosome scaffold, Ribonuclease E (RNase E), assembles into phase-separate...

biorxiv.org

Open call : MIMOL Junior Group Leader’s application for a Starting Grant - Microbiology and molecular medicine - UNIGE

unige.ch

Doctoral Researcher in Molecular Microbiology (m/f/d)

jobs.uni-jena.de

biorxiv.org

biorxiv.org

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Canonical transcription termination mechanisms explain a minority of operons in cyanobacteria | mSystems

Our understanding of bacterial transcription regulation is largely based on model organisms like Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, yet many of these mechanisms appear absent or divergent in cyanobacteria. These differences limit our fundamental understanding of gene regulation and the applied potential of cyanobacteria in sustainable biomanufacturing. To address this gap, we characterized transcription termination in the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. We resolve a longstanding question by showing that intrinsic termination alone cannot account for most termination events in this organism. Pervasive transcript ends lacking intrinsic terminator features and the absence of Rho suggest the existence of novel termination mechanism(s) and highlight a largely unexplored regulatory landscape. Simultaneously, our work expands the repertoire of functionally characterized cyanobacterial intrinsic terminators, offering a new toolkit to fine-tune gene expression using terminators of defined strengths. These findings pave the way for more predictable and powerful applications of cyanobacteria in green biotechnology.

journals.asm.org

Polyphosphate acts as an architectural regulator of carbon fixation and nucleoid structure in cyanobacteria

Polyphosphate (polyP) is a conserved inorganic polymer traditionally viewed as a stress-induced phosphate and energy reserve. In cyanobacteria, however, polyP granules are constitutively present and frequently observed in proximity to carboxysomes, the bacterial microcompartments that mediate CO2 fixation. Here we show that polyP functions as a spatially organized regulator of the photosynthetic cytoplasm in Synechococcus elongatus. PolyP granules localize to the nucleoid and are periodically arranged along the cell axis, independently of the McdAB carboxysome positioning system. Despite this independence, polyP and carboxysomes associate non-randomly, and this association is enhanced when active carboxysome positioning by the McdAB system is disrupted. Loss of polyP synthesis leads to nucleoid expansion, an increased number of smaller carboxysomes with high mobility, and severe defects in growth under ambient CO2. Perturbation of polyP turnover further reveals structural connections to both carboxysomes and thylakoid membranes. Together, these findings identify polyP as an architectural integrator that couples chromosome organization, metabolic compartmentalization, and photosynthetic fitness. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institute of General Medical Sciences, https://ror.org/04q48ey07, R01-GM144731, R35-GM152128 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

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Stress changes the material state of a bacterial biomolecular condensate and shifts its function from mRNA decay to storage - Nature Communications

Bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies are dynamic biomolecular condensates that play roles in RNA metabolism. Here, Ortiz-Rodríguez et al. show that, under stress, these condensates shift from a liquid s...

nature.com

Pioneering approach to bacterial cell biology & national leadership - Lasker Foundation

Lucy Shapiro

laskerfoundation.org

Scientist, advocate and entrepreneur Lucy Shapiro to receive Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award

Lucy Shapiro entered biology “like a bolt of lightning.” A groundbreaking scientist, mentor, drug developer and advocate for science communication is recognized for a lifetime of achievements.

med.stanford.edu

Formation of a membraneless compartment regulates bacterial virulence - Nature Communications

The RNA-binding protein CsrA switches from upregulation to downregulation of virulence genes in bacteria through unclear mechanisms. Here, the authors show that the switch between promoting and repres...

nature.com

Tissue-like multicellular development triggered by mechanical compression in archaea

The advent of clonal multicellularity is a critical evolutionary milestone, seen often in eukaryotes, rarely in bacteria, and only once in archaea. We show that uniaxial compression induces clonal mul...

science.org

A Bacterium in Bangladesh

Follow a single Escherichia coli cell on a remarkable journey during a cholera outbreak in Bangladesh. Learn about how E. coli and other microbes thrive or merely survive in diverse environments inclu...

lulu.com

Bacterial IF2’s N-terminal IDR drives cold-induced phase separation and promotes fitness during cold stress

Translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) plays an essential role in bacterial cells by delivering the fMet-tRNAfMet to the ribosome pre-initiation complex. IF2 is known to have an N-terminal disordered r...

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Cellular Function of a Biomolecular Condensate Is Determined by Its Ultrastructure

Biomolecular condensates play key roles in the spatiotemporal regulation of cellular processes. Yet, the relationship between atomic features and condensate function remains poorly understood. We stud...

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Stress Changes the Bacterial Biomolecular Condensate Material State and Shifts Function from mRNA Decay to Storage

Bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies (BR-bodies) are dynamic biomolecular condensates that play a pivotal role in RNA metabolism. We investigated how BR-bodies significantly influence mRNA fate by trans...

biorxiv.org

Stress Changes the Bacterial Biomolecular Condensate Material State and Shifts Function from mRNA Decay to Storage https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.12.623272v1

Bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies (BR-bodies) are dynamic biomolecular condensates that play a pivo

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Microbial reaction rate estimation using proteins and proteomes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.13.607198v1

Microbes transform their environments using diverse enzymatic reactions. However, it remains challen

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Formylation facilitates the reduction of oxidized initiator methionines https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.06.579201v1

Within a cell, protein-bound methionines can be oxidized by reactive oxygen species (ROS) or monooxy

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