Microbiology articles from across Nature Portfolio

A pairwise co-culture study of gut microorganisms shows that microbial interactions drive widespread rewiring of metabolic strategies and give rise to emergent metabolic behaviours.

The false smut fungus attacks rice by secreting a ‘weapon’ that targets a key protein in the plant’s flowers. This single move simultaneously stops the rice from making grains and shuts down its natural immune defences. The discovery of this strategy offers an opportunity to develop disease-resistant rice in the future.

Antibiotics are increasingly being detected in water systems worldwide. Long-term exposure to low-dose antibiotics causes Escherichia coli to remodel its extracellular matrix, limiting antibiotic access to the bacterial cells.

Marine bacteria Vibrio are emerging pathogens worldwide, yet their global dispersal is poorly understood. Combining metagenomic and ocean drifter data, authors show Vibrio dispersal across oceans, connecting remote regions in short timescales.

A pairwise co-culture study of gut microorganisms shows that microbial interactions drive widespread rewiring of metabolic strategies and give rise to emergent metabolic behaviours.

The false smut fungus attacks rice by secreting a ‘weapon’ that targets a key protein in the plant’s flowers. This single move simultaneously stops the rice from making grains and shuts down its natural immune defences. The discovery of this strategy offers an opportunity to develop disease-resistant rice in the future.

This Genome Watch article explores how taking into account known phylogenetic relationships can improve computational efficiency for genomics, enabling improved genome data compression and faster sequence search as datasets continue to expand.

Antibiotics are increasingly being detected in water systems worldwide. Long-term exposure to low-dose antibiotics causes Escherichia coli to remodel its extracellular matrix, limiting antibiotic access to the bacterial cells.

Yen-Ping Hsueh used to think she was studying a fungus that traps nematodes. Fifteen years later, she realized she was the one who had been captivated, not by adhesive hyphae but by the irresistible mystery and quiet beauty of Arthrobotrys oligospora.

Nature staff discuss some of the week’s top science news.