Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Filtered by: Microbiology
Know thy enemy: Resolving the SARS-CoV-2 gene set and understanding COVID-19 variants using evolution
Can comparative genomics resolve the protein-coding gene set of SARS-CoV-2? Yes! We compared 44 Sarbecovirus genomes to determine which SARS-CoV-2 candidate genes encode functional proteins and which mutations are likely functional, so future efforts can focus on real genes and important mutations.
Balance is key: Deep lung microbial dynamics and host-microbe interactions.
Lower respiratory tract harbour characteristic microbial communities. We explored the deep lung microbiota dynamics of the transplanted lung over time. Our study shows that a predominant "balanced" microbiota resembling that of a healthy lung is key for clinical stability and immune homeostasis.
Bacterial promoters - a new direction
Bacterial promoters have always been considered to be directional, only recruiting RNAP in one orientation. In our paper, we show that promoters are frequently able to recruit polymerase in both orientations, resulting in divergent transcription. We call these bidirectional promoters.
Adaptating a cyanobacterium to extremely high light intensities
Using adaptive evolution for making photosynthetic microbes tolerant to stressful conditions might be a shortcut for identifying protein mutations suitable to enhance the yield of crop plants.
