Evolutionary pressure on microbial communities propagating under extreme environmental conditions often results in unique structural adaptations to promote cell survival. Here, we report an investigat...

Environmental metagenomic explorations show that Mirusviricota lineages lack essential replication and transcription genes and contain spliceosomal introns, suggesting nuclear reproduction.

Molecular solar thermal energy storage (MOST) systems employ photoswitchable molecules that absorb sunlight and store energy through reversible isomerization, cyclization or other intramolecular rearr...

Multi-cellular cable bacteria have evolved a unique machinery that efficiently transports electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents flow through a parallel network of periplasmic fibres, w...

Ethiopian salt lakes feature unique microbial communities with nesting layers of symbioses, where haloarchaea and their ultra-small archaeal symbionts are prey to viruses, which are in turn hijacked b...

Clostridium perfringens produces and secretes a biofilm matrix protein, BsaA, which is in the same family as the Bacillus subtilis TasA matrix protein. In this report, we show that BsaA monomers, unl....

Citropin 1.3 is an antimicrobial peptide derived from amphibians that forms amyloid structures. Here, the structural and functional properties of citropin 1.3 are characterized. Using high-resolution...

For an ionic complementary peptide, both a truncated peptide and an epimerized peptide can still form gels. Mixing these peptides with the parent FEFEFKFK leads to the formation of new, but different...

The endospores of Bacillus subtilis are encased in a multilayered protective structure comprising core, cortex, inner and outer coats, and an outermost crust. Among the proteins required for crust for...

The structure of FapC reveals how Pseudomonas forms biofilms via a unique β solenoid amyloid fold and dynamic assembly pathway.

Nature Communications - Ricca et al discover a new family of tubular pili in Microcystis aeruginosa, a harmful algal bloom-forming cyanobacterium. These pili are crucial for buoyancy by forming...

Bona fide gene clusters for archaella are widespread across a bacterial phylum and encode functional motility machinery.