Few journals in microbiology carry the history, continuity, and influence of the Journal of Bacteriology (JB). Since its founding in 1916, JB has published for more than a century and has served as a ...

Looking in bacteria, Gill and Kim et al. reveal that mRNA sequences hundreds of nucleotides from the start codon can act as potent repressors of gene expression through long-range base pairing to the ribosome binding site (RBS). These distal anti-RBS sequences block ribosome entry and promote mRNA degradation.

Magnesium supplementation permits deletion of otherwise essential genes involved in cell envelope biogenesis in the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Yet, the specific underlying mechan...

Abstract. Bacteria produce the alarmone nucleotides ppGpp and pppGpp during stress to affect replication, transcription, and metabolism. ppGpp and pppGpp a

RNA degradation is linked to cellular metabolism, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, the authors show that the glycolytic metabolite fructose 1,6‑bisphosphate inhibits PNPas...

Diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) and related dinucleoside tetraphosphates (Ap4Ns) are important stress-signalling molecules that coordinate bacterial…

Brogan and Rudner report the identification of a microbial autoproteolytic domain that is structurally homologous to the GAIN domain of eukaryotic adhesion GPCRs. Rather than participating in transmem...

The cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) protects virtually all bacteria from osmotic lysis and specifies cell shape. Synthesis of this exoskeleton is carr...

The activation of an antiphage defence system relies on host factors targeted by phages, a mechanism analogous to the way that eukaryotic innate immune systems detect pathogen-induced perturbations of...

Copper is a critical micronutrient for bacteria; however, it is toxic in excess. This leads to the cell having tightly regulated import and export systems to prevent intoxication while having sufficient copper for cellular needs. Copper export has been well studied, but copper import and the effects of copper starvation are less defined. In this article, we characterize the Bacillus subtilis high-affinity copper importer YcnJ. We show that under copper limitation, the cell is deficient in copper-containing oxidases, which leads to respiratory defects. Copper imported by YcnJ is proposed to function in a pathway with other proteins implicated in the assembly of respiratory oxidases. More generally, this work contributes to the underexplored area of copper import and trafficking in bacteria.

Transcriptional regulation is a central mechanism underlying bacterial adaptation to stress. Here, the authors used a genetic fitness screen to show that the Y-complex in Bacillus subtilis contributes...

SUMMARYBacteria are constantly exposed to changing environmental conditions, and to survive they need to adapt quickly, adjusting their gene expression and metabolism to make the most of the resources available. One of the mechanisms involved is the stringent response, characterized by production of specific guanosine derivatives—ppGpp and pppGpp (collectively called (p)ppGpp). These regulators exert their action and coordinate a global response at many different levels, for example, transcription, translation, nucleotide metabolism, DNA replication, and carbon and lipid metabolism. In this review, we discuss how (p)ppGpp is synthesized and degraded, how it controls different cellular processes and their interplay with other second messengers. A description of differences in (p)ppGpp regulation in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, along with recent findings and some historical perspectives, is provided. We argue that although much is known about the stringent response and the novel discoveries are definitely advancing the (p)ppGpp field, they are not exhaustive. Instead, they seem to constantly point to aspects that are still waiting to be uncovered—thus, the (p)ppGpp magic goes on.

The Erm rRNA methyltransferase superfamily represents the most prevalent determinant of MLS resistance in nosocomial Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Previous studies have established that erm expression is primarily governed by upstream ribosome stalling peptide and the 5′ untranslated regions. Using the widespread S. aureus ermBL-ermB (ermB+) operon as a model system, we unexpectedly identified second-site mutations in purR that synergistically enhance MLS resistance in an ermB+ background. Loss of purR function derepresses nucleotide biosynthesis and ribosome production, thereby promoting bacterial growth under antibiotic stress. While numerous purR single-nucleotide polymorphisms across multiple species have been associated with antibiotic resistance, no study has directly linked these sequence polymorphisms to their regulatory function. Our results highlight the critical role of ribosome abundance and nucleotide metabolism in shaping antibiotic efficacy.

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) mRNA editing is a recently discovered post-transcriptional mechanism in bacteria, yet its regulation and physiological roles remain poorly understood. In this study, we e...

Nature Protocols - This Protocol describes the transcriptome-wide labeling of RNAs in a particular subcellular compartment using proximity biotinylation by localized APEX2 enzyme and subsequent...

In this article, we describe an incorrect use of logic which involves the careless application of the ‘necessary and sufficient’ condition originally used in formal logic. This logical fallacy is c...

Abstract. Nucleoside tetraphosphate (Np4) caps have heretofore been reported in only one bacterial species: the model Gram-negative organism Escherichia co

Kohl et al. combine high-resolution Ribo-seq and cryo electron microscopy to show that the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus uses extended Shine-Dalgarno motifs to initiate translation, which can m...

Specialized σ factors interact with nuclease-dead, CRISPR–Cas12f proteins to form potent, RNA-guided gene activation systems that function independently of fixed promoter motifs.

In July 2025, we lost Mike Cashel, a gifted scientist and critical contributor to the bacterial research community, after a long illness. Through his studies on (p)ppGpp and its modes of action, Mike ...

This study identifies AcuB as a conserved inhibitor of the deacetylase AcuC in bacteria. AcuB directly suppresses AcuC activity, and this inhibition is enhanced the alarmone diadenosine tetraphosphate...

The transcription factor CarD facilitates the activation of transcription in many bacteria and in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, CarD compensates for suboptimal promoter DNA sequences. Here, the authors sho...

Abstract. New1 is a homologue of the essential yeast translation elongation factor eEF3. Lack of New1 has been shown to induce ribosome queuing upstream of

Nitrate pollution in groundwater is a major threat to both environmental and human health. This nitrate pollution can come from a variety of sources, including farm fertilizers, sewage, animal waste, ...

Author summary Bacteria can survive exposure to antibiotics by constantly repairing cellular damage induced by the drug. This “antibiotic tolerance” enables diverse bacteria to survive long enough to ...