An international team of crystallographers determined the structure of a protein at 0.43 Ångstrom resolution, the highest ever achieved for a biological macromo

Bacterial ribosomes can synthesize proteins encoded within their own RNA.

Suppressor transfer RNAs (sup-tRNAs) can rescue disease-causing nonsense mutations by promoting readthrough of premature termination codons (PTCs). Their clinical translation is limited by suboptimal ...

Suppressor transfer RNAs (sup-tRNAs) can rescue disease-causing nonsense mutations by promoting readthrough of premature termination codons (PTCs). Their clinical translation is limited by suboptimal ...

All living beings use ribosomes to synthesize proteins from α-amino acids. Inherited from our common ancestor, a few universally conserved ribosome biogenesis steps, introducing essential ribosomal RN...

Isoaspartate (isoAsp) formation is typically viewed as a "molecular clock" through nonenzymatic degradation of aspartate or asparagine during protein aging. Here we report a nearly universal enzymatic...

Programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a translational control mechanism used by RNA viruses to regulate the relative abundance of proteins en…

How the earliest structure within the unfolded state is formed during biosynthesis on the ribosome and whether it has any consequences for downstream folding remain open questions. Here, we combine 15...

Using in situ cryo-electron tomography, researchers found a unique ‘arm’ domain on the small subunit of Chlamydomonas chlororibosomes. This discovery suggests that chlororibosome structure is more evo...

Chang et al. show that co-translational protein misfolding feeds back to ribosomes, slowing translation elongation and triggering mRNA decay. The ribosome-associated chaperone Zuo1 mediates this respo...

SUMMARYRNA modifications in the tRNA, rRNA, and mRNA constitute a widespread layer of post-transcriptional gene regulation, commonly known as the epitranscriptome. In bacteria, tRNA and rRNA modifications are well documented and play essential roles in tRNA folding, rRNA maturation, translation, and peptidyl transfer. Although mRNA modifications have been extensively characterized in eukaryotes, their functional implications for mRNA fate in prokaryotes remain uncertain, and their identities and locations are the subject of an emerging field of research. Importantly, RNA modification is a dynamic process, and variation in the presence and abundance of these modifications has significant consequences for bacterial physiology. Here, we discuss current knowledge of modified RNA nucleotides in bacteria, with a particular focus on their roles in bacterial adaptation to environmental stress.

Black et al. identify the L. pneumophila effector SidL as an adenylyltransferase that targets host glycolysis. SidL covalently modifies the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG) with AMP, g...

Stresses like starvation trigger degradation of mature 40S ribosomes, requiring the coordinated breakdown of large and stable RNA-protein complexes. The atypical kinase RIOK3 orchestrates degradation ...

Translating ribosomes are stalled by amino acid starvation and by chemical damage of the mRNA template, leading to ribosome collisions. These collisions serve as signaling platforms that promote quali...

Phase plates can, in principle, overcome the poor image contrast in cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and the resulting limits on the structural reconstruction of small proteins. However, previous de...

Phages often degrade the genome of their bacterial host to individual nucleotides. Here we describe Metis, a bacterial defense system that directly senses phage-mediated host genome degradation. Metis...

The long-living rodent naked mole-rat has a distinct break in its 28S ribosomal RNA. Here, the authors present cryo-EM structures showing this cleavage is stabilized by surrounding ribosomal proteins,...

Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-026-01336-5This study describes the discovery of a new antibiotic with a previously unknown mode of action.

Translating ribosomes are stalled by amino acid starvation and by chemical damage of the mRNA template, leading to ribosome collisions. These collisions serve as signaling platforms that promote quali...

Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules serve as essential adapters during protein translation. While direct RNA sequencing (DRS) via Oxford Nanopore Technologies has emerged as a powerful platform for systemat...

The Sec translocon and the YidC/Oxa1-type insertases universally mediate biogenesis of α-helical membrane proteins, but the molecular basis of their cooperation has remained disputed. Recent discovery...

Improved fractionation strategies can identify antibiotics with previously unseen scaffolds and mechanisms, exemplified by manikomycin from Streptomyces rimosus, which acts by targeting the E-site of ...

The Sec translocon and the YidC/Oxa1-type insertases universally mediate biogenesis of α-helical membrane proteins, but the molecular basis of their cooperation has remained disputed. Recent discovery...

In Streptomyces spp., a conserved biosynthetic gene megacluster produces an arsenal of distinct antimicrobials that converge on bacterial biotin biosynthesis as a naturally evolved combination therapy...

Four antibiotic compounds produced in Streptomyces bacteria attack multiple parts of an essential metabolic pathway.

Nature - Improved fractionation strategies can identify antibiotics with previously unseen scaffolds and mechanisms, exemplified by manikomycin from Streptomyces rimosus, which acts by targeting...

The tetracycline class of antibiotics is widely used for treating bacterial diseases including Lyme disease, anthrax, acne vulgaris, and pneumonia. Using a series of high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures, we show that tetracyclines can simultaneously target the mRNA decoding center in the 30S subunit and the nascent peptide exit tunnel (NPET) in the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome. Among the tested tetracyclines, Doxycycline was distinct in its ability to dimerize and bind the NPET at multiple locations. Structural comparison of Doxycycline, Minocycline, and Sarecycline bound to the Escherichia coli and Cutibacterium acnes 70S ribosome revealed species-specific differences affecting drug interaction and occupancy. Our results reveal a dual site mechanism of action for tetracyclines and provide a structural basis for rational design of narrow spectrum tetracyclines to overcome the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Tetracyclines are among the most wide

In this work authors show how minimal mutations in proline-rich antimicrobial peptides can flip their orientation in the ribosome exit tunnel, switching their mechanism from stalling translation termination to halting initiation - revealing a possible host strategy against evolving pathogens.

How do bacteria regulate the production of their proteins? Researchers at the University of Hamburg, in collaboration with international partners, have now demonstrated how small protein building blocks, known as peptides, specifically influence bacterial protein production.

This study describes the discovery of a new antibiotic with a previously unknown mode of action.

This study describes the discovery of a new antibiotic with a previously unknown mode of action.