Animals selectively acquire specific symbiotic gut bacteria from their environments. We used live imaging of individual symbiotic bacterial cells colonizing the gut of living Drosophila melanogaster to show that they recognize a distinct physical niche in the gut using an adhesion system that we find is widely conserved.
Research Highlight Category: Microbiology
Microbiome-derived acidity protects against microbial invasion in Drosophila
Barron et al. demonstrate that interactions between members of the Drosophila microbiome influence the pH of the fly environment. Acidification by the microbiome, primarily through production of lactic acid by bacteria, protects the host from invasive microbes.
Transposon-sequencing (Tn-seq) of the Candida glabrata reference strain CBS138 reveals epigenetic plasticity, structural variation, and intrinsic mechanisms of resistance to micafungin
Candida glabrata is an opportunistic pathogen that contributes to mucosal and systemic yeast infections. Here we use Tn-seq technology to investigate how this yeast defends against one of our best classes of antifungals. Surprisingly, we find Pdr1 promotes resistance to micafungin in addition to its well-known effect on fluconazole resistance. Drugging of Pdr1 could improve […]