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Really proud of the @prideinmicro.bsky.social team, in particular @nicholasbio.bsky.social and @katie-barnes.bsky.social for putting this together for @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social for #Pride! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I was trained as a pharmacist. After graduation, I worked as a lecturer at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where my research focused on the antimicrobial activity of natural compounds.

Microbial cell factories enable the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, yet their performance is often constrained by inefficient metabolic flux distribution, cofactor imbalance, and pathway-associated toxicity. Spatial engineering has emerged as an effective approach to address these limitations. It does so by controlling the organization of metabolic processes. This review summarizes recent advances in spatial engineering at three levels: natural organelle engineering, artificial compartmentalization, and intercellular coordination. We discuss how these strategies enhance pathway efficiency through enzyme colocalization, metabolic insulation, and division of labor. We also underscore current challenges regarding targeting efficiency and system integration. Future directions for advancing spatial design and metabolic coordination in microbial systems are outlined.

By coupling natural variation in carbon stable isotope signatures with amino acid-specific analysis, Mertz et al. demonstrate the substantive contribution of the gut microbiome in improving diet quality through the production of essential amino acids that are absorbed by the host (deer mouse) and incorporated into muscle tissue.

Beyond maintaining endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis, ER-phagy (or reticulophagy) serves as a conserved antiviral defense across kingdoms. By targeting viral replication organelles and degrading viral components, it restricts infection, while viruses counteract or exploit this pathway. This dynamic interplay shapes infection outcomes and highlights ER-phagy as a promising target for antiviral intervention.

Rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hostility creates a crisis of exclusion in science. Queer and Trans microbiologists often navigate their careers in isolation, facing systemic barriers that limit their retention. To counter this, we established the Pride in Microbiology Network in 2023. Here, we share strategies for building safe, decentralized networks beyond institutional and geographic borders and argue that resilient scientific ecosystems depend on diversity, inclusion, and support structures that enable 2SLGBTQIA+ scientists to remain, connect, and lead.

Host-associated bacteria are found across the tree of life. In this opinion article, we propose that population genetics theory can be used to probe the conditions that form the path toward such symbioses. We illustrate how mutation-selection models generate insights into the maintenance of a symbiont under transmission between generations and from the environment. We outline how basic features of host population size and life history shape the fixation of a heritable symbiont in a host population, suggesting elevated fixation probabilities in long-lived hosts. Finally, whenever the fitness effects of the symbiont vary over time, reduced efficiency of selection increases the fixation of a deleterious symbiont. Our predictions of the properties of hosts, symbionts, and their ecological contexts that impact symbiont establishment frame expectations across systems.

Anaerobic microorganisms facilitate native lignin deconstruction via targeted cleavage of interunit linkages (e.g., β–O–4 bonds), selective lignin side-chain modification, and removal of lignin–carbohydrate crosslinks (e.g., ferulate ester cleavage). We discuss emerging mechanisms and their potential to advance lignocellulosic biorefineries through synthetic microbial consortia and consolidated bioprocessing strategies.

Respiratory infections due to influenza A virus remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In the past decade, influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) has emerged as a major clinical issue. However, the mechanisms involved in linking host–virus–fungal interactions remain poorly understood. Increasing experimental and clinical evidence is converging to underline the impact of inflammatory imbalance in the pathogenesis of IAPA.

Prokaryotic gene regulation is governed by the dynamic conformation of the transcription machinery and the nucleoid. To navigate environmental fluctuations, prokaryotes reprogram RNA polymerase (RNAP) via σ factors and transcription factors (TFs) that remodel DNA conformation. Bacteriophages, in turn, exploit these mechanisms to hijack host gene expression. This review dissects recent structural insights into transitions governing transcriptional regulation, highlighting that both TFs and nucleoid-associated proteins act as ‘architects’ to remodel DNA structure, thereby blurring the traditional distinction between site-specific regulators and global genome organizers. By linking RNAP and DNA remodeling to broader prokaryotic conflicts, from stress adaptation to arms races between hosts and mobile genetic elements, the authors underscore the profound biological impact of perturbing prokaryotic transcriptional architecture.