🦠 Category

microbiology

653 papers

Microbiology explores the invisible world of tiny life forms that shape our health, environment, and even the air we breathe. From bacteria and viruses to fungi and parasites, this field investigates how these microscopic organisms interact with us and each other, driving everything from disease outbreaks to beneficial fermentation processes. Understanding them is crucial for developing new medicines, improving food safety, and combating global health challenges.

At Gist.Science, we make the latest discoveries in this dynamic field accessible to everyone. We process every new preprint uploaded to bioRxiv in this category, transforming dense academic findings into both clear, plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries. This ensures that whether you are a student, a researcher, or simply curious, you can grasp the significance of cutting-edge science without getting lost in jargon.

Below are the most recent papers in microbiology, curated and summarized directly from the bioRxiv server to keep you at the forefront of discovery.

🦠 microbiology

Nora virus proliferates in dividing intestinal stem cells and thereby sensitizes Drosophila flies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa intestinal infection and to oxidative stress

This study demonstrates that the Nora virus proliferates specifically in dividing intestinal stem cells of *Drosophila*, subsequently spreading to enterocytes and compromising gut barrier function, which sensitizes flies to bacterial infection and oxidative stress, thereby highlighting the virus as a critical confounding factor in studies of fly lifespan and intestinal homeostasis.

Franchet, A., Haller, S., Yamba, M., Barbier, V., Vieira, A., Leclerc, V., Becker, S., Lee, K.-Z., Orlov, I., Spehner, D (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Tn3-derived inverted-repeat miniature elements (TIMEs) that mobilize antibiotic resistance genes

This study utilizes bioinformatic analysis of Enterobacteriaceae genomes to demonstrate that Tn3-derived inverted-repeat miniature elements (TIMEs), including a newly identified variant called TIME244, form composite transposon-like structures that mobilize diverse antibiotic resistance genes, thereby highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Gomi, R., Yano, H.2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Transcriptomic insights into the tritrophic plant-pathogen-mycoparasite interaction reveal coordinated reprogramming fungal secretomes and plant amino acid metabolism.

This study reveals that the mycoparasite *Hansfordia pulvinata* orchestrates a multilayered molecular network in the tomato-*Cladosporium fulvum* system by upregulating specific secreted proteins to suppress the pathogen while simultaneously activating plant defense and amino acid metabolism.

Maeda, K., Kouda, M., Ohara, M., Kawase, T., Saito, K., Iwao, E., Sushida, H., Suzuki, T., Sumita, T., Iida, Y.2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Linking Cyanobacterial Genomes to Toxin Dynamics Through Genome-Resolved Metagenomics

This study utilizes genome-resolved metagenomics of a 10-month *Microcystis* bloom time series to demonstrate that both strain-level genotype abundances and specific single nucleotide variants are significantly linked to intracellular toxin production, extracellular toxin release, and the diversity of microcystin variants in the environment.

Pereira, A., Martinez-Jeronimo, F., Fewer, D. P., Simon, D. F., Hernandez-Zamora, M., Martinez-Jeronimo, L., Antuna-Gonz (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Potent broad-spectrum antiviral activity of the marine natural product Plitidepsin

This study demonstrates that plitidepsin, a marine-derived anticancer drug targeting the host factor eEF1A, exhibits potent, broad-spectrum antiviral activity against a wide range of RNA and DNA viruses by disrupting multiple stages of the viral life cycle, thereby highlighting its therapeutic potential and reduced risk of resistance development.

Campos, D., Galan Jurado, P. E., Valdes Torres, P., Zegarra, D., Tunon Lorenzo, I., Gonzalez Castillo, F., Castillo Mewa (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Glycoprotein G enables HSV-2 neuroinvasion and provides protection as a glycosylated vaccine antigen

This study demonstrates that the glycosylated membrane-associated form of HSV-2 glycoprotein G (mgG-2) is essential for viral neuroinvasion and serves as a promising vaccine candidate, as immunization with its glycosylated form elicits robust immune responses that effectively prevent neuronal infection.

Könighofer, E., Gustafsson, C., Gudmundsdotter, L., Migorodskaya, E., Nilsson, J., Ekblad, M., Adamiak, B., Jennische (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Identification of MED13 and DDX60 as critical host factors for SARS-CoV-2 infections

This study utilizes haploid genetic screening to identify MED13 and DDX60 as critical host factors that promote SARS-CoV-2 and related coronavirus infections through transcriptional and interferon-associated pathways, revealing them as potential targets for broad-spectrum host-directed therapies.

Kwon, H., Wai, S. T., Michlits, G., Dyczynski, M., Markovic, A., Rocha Berger, A. S. B., JOHN, L., Horn, M., Weber, F. (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

A 5-hydroxymethylcytosine DNA glycosylase provides defense against T-even bacteriophages

This study identifies a novel bacterial defense system involving the DNA glycosylase Brig3 and the hydrolase BapA, which collectively counteract T-even bacteriophage infection by removing 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and its glucosyl modifications from the viral genome.

Mejia-Pitta, A., Zhang, Z., Hossain, A., Bartosik, K., Baca, C., Peralta, C., Molina, H., Teplova, M., Brady, S. F., Mic (…)2026-02-25
🦠 microbiology

Ecophylogenetic patterns of rhizosphere bacterial community assembly in Pisum spp. (Fabaceae, Fabeae) reveal strong plant-mediated ecological filtering

By integrating ecological community dynamics with evolutionary processes through full-length 16S rRNA sequencing across multiple microhabitats and growth stages, this study demonstrates that *Pisum* spp. exert strong phylogenetic host-filtering that shapes the assembly of rhizosphere bacterial communities, highlighting the value of an ecophylogenetic approach for understanding plant-microbiota co-adaptation.

Angot, V., Pailler, V., Kebieche, A., Belmonte, E., Bourion, V., Bouchenak-Khelladi, Y.2026-02-24