A CRISPR-based method enables targeted knockouts and genetic screens in human dendritic cells.

Multicellular and socially aggregating prokaryotes contain previously undescribed, chaperone-based systems predicted to mediate defensive biological conflicts, several components of which are thematically similar antecedents of eukaryotic apoptosis pathways.

Staphylococcus aureus switches from innocuous coloniser to invasive human pathogen, the bacterial population can accumulate pathoadaptive mutations that reduce bacterial toxicity whilst allowing persistence within infected cells, potentially leading to severe human infections.

Molecular genetic analyses define the first homeostatic control pathway that maintains cell wall remodeling activity during bacterial growth.

Robust NMR approach allowed simultaneous detection of substrate cleavage site and real-time kinetics of hydrolysis for Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan hydrolases lysostaphin and LytM, and revealed D-alanyl-glycine activity for LytM.

Genetic and microscopy analyses identify a programmed cell death mechanism that kills a cell subpopulation in a bacterial biofilm where oxygen is limiting, thereby promoting dispersion of newborn motile cells through the action of DNA released by dead cells.

Structure of MlaFB reveals how a small binding protein and the C-terminal tail on an ATPase subunit work together to regulate the assembly and function of an ABC transporter.

Enterococci faecium encodes unique peptidoglycan composition and remodeling activity that activates host immunity.