Staphylococcus aureus Mnh1 cation–proton antiporter promotes phagocytic uptake and intracellular survival in human monocytes

While Staphylococcus aureus is predominantly an extracellular human commensal, it can also exhibit an intracellular lifestyle that enables its persistence within diverse host cell types, including mon...

biorxiv.org

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Abstract submission now closed but we now invite all poster presenters to upload their posters to our platform using the above link by July 31, 2026.

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#GenevaLovesData: Genève comme carrefour mondial des données

Pour Christophe Dessimoz, la cité internationale possède des atouts uniques.

lemanbleu.ch

Lab Manager - Molecular Immunology - Dunn School

Laboratory Manager/Senior Scientist position in the Molecular Mucosal Immunology group at Oxford

path.ox.ac.uk

Uncovering the mechanisms of clinically relevant altered antibiotic responses of Staphylococcus aureus under wound infection-mimetic conditions

Biophysics; Clinical microbiology; Microbiology; Molecular biology; Systems biology

cell.com

A Streptomyces megacluster encodes synergistic biotin-targeting antibiotics

Nature - In Streptomyces spp., a conserved biosynthetic gene megacluster produces an arsenal of distinct antimicrobials that converge on bacterial biotin biosynthesis as a naturally evolved...

rdcu.be

A broadly conserved gram-positive lipoprotein regulates cell elongation | PNAS

The cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) protects virtually all bacteria from osmotic lysis and specifies cell shape. Synthesis of this exoskeleton is carr...

pnas.org

In vivo genome-wide CRISPRi-Seq in Streptococcus pneumoniae reveals host-adaptive pathways essential for meningitis and identifies new therapeutic targets

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important human pathogen that causes invasive diseases and remains the leading cause of bacterial meningitis. However, the bacterial determinants required for survival w...

biorxiv.org

Epithelial innate immune sensing of pneumococci is inherently restricted to a small cellular minority across species and infection niches

Streptococcus pneumoniae colonises the nasopharynx asymptomatically yet causes life-threatening invasive disease. How it navigates early epithelial immune surveillance to cause disease remains unclear...

biorxiv.org

Repurposing a chromosome segregation ParB-CTPase fold into an ATPase toxin for contact-dependent growth inhibition in plant and animal pathogens

Bacterial competition drives the evolution of antibacterial mechanisms, yet how new activities arise remains poorly understood. A major route to innovation is the reuse of pre-existing genetic systems, whereby conserved protein modules are repurposed in new biological contexts to generate new capabilities. Here, we show that the ParB-CTPase fold, a conserved nucleotide-binding module best known for its role in chromosome segregation, can be functionally repurposed as an antibacterial toxin. We identify ToxB, a ParB-like domain embedded within the polymorphic toxin region of contact-dependent inhibition systems and show that it functions as a potent antibacterial effector. Structural and biochemical analyses reveal that ToxB retains the core architecture of the ParB-CTPase fold but lacks DNA-binding capability and preferentially binds ATP. This shift in nucleotide specificity underpins a distinct mode of action, in which ATP binding and hydrolysis trigger rapid nucleoid compaction, chromosome segregation defects, oxidative stress, cell chaining, and ultimately cell lysis. ToxB also exhibits toxic activity in plant cells, suggesting that it targets conserved cellular processes. Together, these findings provide direct experimental evidence that the ParB-NTPase fold is biologically versatile and can be repurposed for biological roles fundamentally distinct from its ancestral function in DNA segregation. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Wellcome Trust, https://ror.org/029chgv08, 221776/Z/2/Z, 227755/Z/23/Z Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, https://ror.org/00cwqg982, BB/X01097X/1 Diamond Light Source, MX32728

biorxiv.org

Integrated conjugative elements drive the formation of pandemic clones of Escherichia coli with hybrid chromosomes

Abstract. Pathogenic multidrug-resistant bacteria with hybrid chromosomes have emerged as a significant global healthcare threat. These include the pandemi

academic.oup.com

ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the ...

link.europa.eu

A two-component system signaling hub controls enterococcal membrane remodeling in response to daptomycin | PNAS

Daptomycin is a last resort antibiotic used to treat vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections, but daptomycin resistance (DAPR) arises quickly ...

pnas.org