Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Filtered by: Microbiology
Measuring the unmeasurable: modelling pathogen load dynamics to elucidate mechanistic determinants of host–Plasmodium falciparum interactions
5 years ago we decided to try to work out how the parasite load we see in human malaria patients is determined by parasite multiplication rate, parasite growth inhibition by the host response, and duration of infection. The big problem was that in humans with naturally acquired malaria we cannot measure any of these directly. Our attempts to solve the problem took us back in time to data generated almost 100 years ago, then forwards to discover novel mechanisms of host defense against malaria.
Extracellular vesicles, the rising stars in immunomodulation
In the past, most scholars think platelet-derived EVs are just the ashes from cells and had no idea about their functions. However, we are curious why activated platelets release so many EVs? We speculate that EVs may have holy missions during infection.
How do diatoms acclimate and adapt to changing temperatures?
Each phytoplankton species has its own characteristic thermal performance curve. For most species, growth rate increases gradually with increasing temperature until a critical temperature is reached, and then growth rate drops quickly with further increases in temperature. Right now, most researchers assume that individual species thermal response curves will stay fixed, so temperature increases will change the biogeographic distributions of species. To better understand how phytoplankton will respond to increasing ocean temperatures, we wanted to develop a mechanistic understanding of the effects of changing temperature on diatom metabolism.
HPV circRNAs: Transformation with no end in sight
Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) are abundant and can be encoded by viruses, the function of most circRNAs remain unclear. We describe the discovery of circRNAs in human papillomaviruses (HPVs) including a circular E7 RNA (circE7). CircE7 is translated and required for transformation in cervical cancer cells, providing strong evidence that circRNAs can be translated and have important biological functions.
Jiawei Zhao
Richard Wang
The gut microbiome following acute HIV-1 infection
To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive prospective study investigating the longitudinal impact of acute HIV-1 infection in an HIV-1 hyperendemic area such as the Manhiça district in Mozambique. This unique study confirms and extends previous findings in non-human primate models and provides critical insights into the impact of infections in the gut microbiome as well as into the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection.
