J. Banfield

Genetic elements and defense systems drive diversification and evolution in Asgard archaea

This study identifies mobile genetic elements and defense systems in Asgard archaea, revealing their role in shaping genetic diversity and evolution.

Soil microbial community response to corrinoids is shaped by a natural reservoir of vitamin B12.

The paper investigates how corrinoid structure affects soil microbial community composition and stability through experimental and genomic analysis.

Giant genes are rare but implicated in cell wall degradation by predatory bacteria

The paper identifies giant genes in predatory bacteria, showing they are associated with prey adhesion and cell wall degradation.

Infant gut bacteriophage strain persistence during the first three years of life

The paper investigates phage succession in infants over three years, finding that 9% of early phage colonizers persist, with maternal transmission and stop codon reassignment playing key roles.

Borg extrachromosomal elements of methane-oxidizing archaea have conserved and expressed genetic repertoires

The paper identifies conserved genetic repertoires in Borg extrachromosomal elements of methane-oxidizing archaea and shows their higher expression than host genes.

Inference and reconstruction of the heimdallarchaeial ancestry of eukaryotes

The paper reconstructs the evolutionary ancestry of eukaryotes by analyzing Asgard archaea phylogenetic data and infers the last common ancestor of Asgard archaea and eukaryotes as a thermophilic chemolithotroph.

Variable impact of geochemical gradients on the functional potential of bacteria, archaea, and phages from the permanently stratified Lac Pavin

The paper examines how geochemical gradients affect the functional potential of microbes in Lac Pavin, finding that CPR bacteria and phages show less gene content differentiation by depth compared to other microbes.

Rare Ribosomal RNA Sequences from Archaea Stabilize the Bacterial Ribosome

This study identifies sequence variations in archaeal ribosomes that stabilize the ribosome at high temperatures and creates a stable mutant bacterial ribosome for engineering.

Functional succession of actively growing soil microorganisms during rewetting is shaped by precipitation history

The paper investigates how precipitation history affects microbial succession in rewetted soils by analyzing functional traits and gene abundance over time.

Borg tandem repeats undergo rapid evolution and are under strong selection to create new intrinsically disordered regions in proteins

The paper analyzes Borg genomes to show tandem repeats evolve rapidly and create intrinsically disordered regions in proteins, contributing to functional diversity and host associations.

RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 Provides Broad-spectrum Phage Immunity

This paper demonstrates that LbuCas13a can broadly inhibit diverse E. coli phages and enable efficient, markerless phage genome editing.

Saccharibacteria harness light energy using Type-1 rhodopsins that may rely on retinal sourced from microbial hosts

The paper identifies Saccharibacteria using Type-1 rhodopsins that pump protons and rely on retinal from microbial hosts, suggesting a symbiotic relationship for energy generation.

Phage-encoded ribosomal protein S21 expression is linked to late stage phage replication

The paper investigates the expression of the bS21 gene in phages, finding it is active during late-stage replication and may aid in phage particle assembly.

Acidity and sulfur oxidation intermediate concentrations controlled by O2-driven partitioning of sulfur oxidizing bacteria in a mine tailings impoundment

The paper investigates sulfur oxidation by bacteria in a mine tailings impoundment, showing how oxygen drives niche partitioning among sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and affects acidity and thiosulfate levels.

Long-term incubation of lake water enables genomic sampling of consortia involving Planctomycetes and Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria

The paper describes long-term incubation of lake water to enrich and reconstruct genomes of rare Planctomycetes and CPR bacteria, revealing metabolic traits and potential interactions with phages.

The Chloroflexi supergroup is metabolically diverse and representatives have novel genes for non-photosynthesis based CO2 fixation

This study investigates the metabolic diversity of the Chloroflexi supergroup, revealing novel genes for non-photosynthesis based CO2 fixation and diverse metabolic capabilities across related phyla.

Diverse ATPase proteins in mobilomes constitute a large potential sink for prokaryotic host ATP

The paper identifies ATPase proteins in mobilome genomes as potential energy sinks that may suppress host energy consumption during replication.

Colonial choanoflagellate isolated from Mono Lake harbors a microbiome

The paper isolates and characterizes a new colonial choanoflagellate species, Barroeca monosierra, from Mono Lake that hosts a microbiome, offering a model for studying eukaryote-bacteria interactions.

Protein family content uncovers lineage relationships and bacterial pathway maintenance mechanisms in DPANN archaea

The paper uses protein family content to analyze lineage relationships and pathway maintenance mechanisms in DPANN archaea, revealing metabolic and symbiotic traits.

Post-translational flavinylation is associated with diverse extracytosolic redox functionalities throughout bacterial life

The paper identifies flavinylation's role in diverse extracytosolic redox functions across bacteria through genomic analysis and gene cluster mining.

Structure of the Bacterial Ribosome at 2 A Resolution

This paper presents a 2.0 Å resolution model of the E. coli 70S ribosome using cryo-EM, revealing detailed chemical interactions, modifications, and solvation.

Subsurface carbon monoxide oxidation capacity revealed through genome-resolved metagenomics of a carboxydotroph

The paper uses genome-resolved metagenomics to show a shift in CO-oxidation potential by Carboxydocella in a deep aquifer after CO2 injection.

The rise of diversity in metabolic platforms across the Candidate Phyla Radiation

This study analyzes metabolic diversity in CPR bacteria, finding that gene loss and lateral transfer shape metabolic trait distribution, with conserved central pathways and patchy accessory traits.

Large Freshwater Phages with the Potential to Augment Aerobic Methane Oxidation

The paper identifies large freshwater phages encoding the pmoC gene, which may enhance bacterial methane oxidation and influence greenhouse gas emissions.

InStrain enables population genomic analysis from metagenomic data and rigorous detection of identical microbial strains

InStrain analyzes metagenomic data to detect microbial strain diversity and finds siblings share more strains than unrelated infants, but identical twins do not share more than fraternal siblings.

Bacterial secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential in soil varies with phylum, depth, and vegetation type

The paper examines bacterial secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential in soil, finding variations linked to phylum, depth, and vegetation type.

Shifts in microbial transcription patterns prior to onset of Necrotizing enterocolitis may indicate low oxygen levels in the gut

The paper identifies shifts in microbial transcription patterns in preterm infants prior to NEC onset, suggesting hypoxic conditions in the gut.