Apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagy are diverse types of regulated cell death (RCD), recognized as the strategies that host cells use to defend against pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Pathogens can induce or block different types of host cell RCD, promoting propagation or evading host immune surveillance. Ferroptosis is a newly identified RCD. Evidence has demonstrated how pathogens regulate ferroptosis to promote their replication, dissemination, and pathogenesis. However, the interaction between ferroptosis and pathogenic infections still needs to be completely elucidated. This review summarizes the advances in the interaction between pathogenic infections and host ferroptotic processes, focusing on the underlying mechanisms of how pathogens exploit ferroptosis, and discussing possible therapeutic measures against pathogen-associated diseases in a ferroptosis-dependent manner.

Coastal zones are among the world's most productive ecosystems. They store vast amounts of organic carbon, as 'blue carbon' reservoirs, and impact global climate change. Archaeal communities are integral components of coastal microbiomes but their ecological roles are often overlooked. However, archaeal diversity, metabolism, evolution, and interactions, revealed by recent studies using rapidly developing cutting-edge technologies, place archaea as important players in coastal carbon biogeochemical cycling. We here summarize the latest advances in the understanding of archaeal carbon cycling processes in coastal ecosystems, specifically, archaeal involvement in CO2 fixation, organic biopolymer transformation, and methane metabolism. We also showcase the potential to use of archaeal communities to increase carbon sequestration and reduce methane production, with implications for mitigating climate change.

Microorganisms are informative biological integrators of past and present environmental abiotic and biotic conditions. At the same time, they are directly involved in ecosystem processes. Unfortunately, the complexity of microbial communities has so far resulted in most studies being descriptive. Here, we suggest that signals in the microbiome data can be used to forecast future ecosystem processes. The combination of omics with various statistical learning approaches, selected based on accuracy-interpretability and bias-variance trade-offs, will be key to attain this goal, as exemplified by recent studies. The time is ripe for microbial ecologists to fully exploit the forecasting power of microbiomes.

As part of their survival strategy under harsh environmental conditions, endospore-forming bacteria can trigger a sporulation developmental program. Although the regulatory cascades that precisely control the transformation of vegetative bacteria into mother cells and resilient spores have been described in detail, less is known about how bacteriophages that prey on endospore-formers exploit sporulation. Herein, we argue that phages infecting these bacteria have evolved several specific molecular mechanisms, not yet known in other bacteria, that manifest from the phage-driven alliance to negative effects on the host. We anticipate that the relationships between phages and endospore-formers outlined here will inspire studies on phage ecology and evolution, and could facilitate important advances in the development of phage therapies against pathogenic spore-formers.

Plant metabolites are critical components of immune signaling pathways; however, how these small molecules contribute to plant immunity remains largely elusive. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the rice nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR)-interacting proteins regulate the biosynthesis of ethylene, hydroxycinnamoylputrescines and diterpenoid phytoalexins to modulate plant immunity.

Several families of potassium (K+) channels are found in membranes of all eukaryotes, underlining the importance of K+ uptake and redistribution within and between cells and organs. Among them, TOK (tandem-pore outward-rectifying K+) channels consist of eight transmembrane domains and two pore domains per subunit organized in dimers. These channels were originally studied in yeast, but recent identifications and characterizations in filamentous fungi shed new light on this fungus-specific K+ channel family. Although their actual function in vivo is often puzzling, recent works indicate a role in cellular K+ homeostasis and even suggest a role in plant-fungus symbioses. This review aims at synthesizing the current knowledge on fungal TOK channels and discussing their potential role in yeasts and filamentous fungi.

Paenibacillus larvae is a spore-forming bacterial entomopathogen and causal agent of the important honey bee larval disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Active infections by vegetative P. larvae are often deadly, highly transmissible, and incurable for colonies but, when dormant, the spore form of this pathogen can persist asymptomatically for years. Despite intensive investigation over the past century, this process has remained enigmatic. Here, we provide an up-to-date synthesis on the often overlooked microbiota factors involved in the spore-to-vegetative growth transition (corresponding with the onset of AFB disease symptoms) and offer a novel outlook on AFB pathogenesis by focusing on the 'collaborative' and 'competitive' interactions between P. larvae and other honey bee-adapted microorganisms. Furthermore, we discuss the health trade-offs associated with chronic antibiotic exposure and propose new avenues for the sustainable control of AFB via probiotic and microbiota management strategies.

Compared with chemical synthesis and tissue extraction methods, microbial synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is attractive because of the advantages of eco-friendly processes, production safety, and sustainable development. However, boosting the efficiency of microbial cell factories, precisely regulating GAG molecular weights, and rationally controlling the sulfation degree of GAGs remain challenging. To address these issues, various strategies, including genetic, enzymatic, metabolic, and fermentation engineering, have been developed. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the construction of efficient GAG-producing microbial cell factories, regulation of the molecular weight of GAGs, and modification of GAG chains. Moreover, future studies, remaining challenges, and potential solutions in this field are discussed.