#MMBRJournal
LightNews LightNews
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: The bacterial flagellum is built through a hierarchical assembly process and powered by a dynamic motor capable of astonishing speeds. What's new in our understanding of these complex nanomachines? Find out in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/2HB
Structures of the bacterial flagellum of Salmonella enterica
November 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
asm.org
The complex dynamic between Candida albicans and macrophages has become an important model system for host-pathogen interactions. How can mechanistic insight into these interactions facilitate therapeutic development? #MMBRJournal: asm.social/36S
Macrophage recognition, phagocytosis, and antimicrobial mechanisms engaged during Candida uptake.
October 1, 2026 at 11:35 AM
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: A lot about bacterial multicellularity is unclear. Technological advancements are making it easier to understand how individual cells contribute to bacterial multicellular populations, and their functions. Learn more in #MMBRJournal: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Schemes of pure population multicellularity, where divergent functions of individuals contribute to overarching functions of the whole population.
January 27, 2025 at 2:56 PM
asm.org
Live-cell study at the molecular level is essential for understanding the complexities of bacterial systems and protein functions in vivo. Explore recent progress on imaging probes and modalities in #MMBRJournal:
Workflow of single-molecule fluorescence imaging and tracking in live bacteria.
April 3, 2026 at 6:22 PM
asm.org
Growing evidence suggests that mycobiome dysbiosis in cancer patients, and certain cancer-specific fungi, may contribute to cancer progression by interacting with both host and bacteria. This #MMBRJournal review offers insights: asm.social/2kR
Schematic overview of cancer types with dysbiotic mycobiome. The composition of the fungal mycobiome has been found to be altered in various body sites associated with tumorigenesis.
March 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
asm.org
Evidence for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) as the trigger of multiple sclerosis (MS) is compelling, yet viral mechanisms & their relation to MS neuroinflammation & demyelination are unclear. This #MMBRJournal review explores the link between MS & infection: asm.social/2gI
Mechanistic hypotheses of viral involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS).
January 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: 150 years ago, Robert Koch identified Bacillus anthracis as the cause of anthrax. However, the first mention of the word "anthrax" to describe the disease appeared much earlier—around 400 BCE. Learn more in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/349
Observations of the B. anthracis capsule by John M’Fadyean. Figure from reference 127. Original legend: “Blood from the tail of a cow dead of anthrax. The greenish-blue bodies are the nuclei of leucocytes; the anthrax bacilli are stained dark blue, and between them is seen the reddish-purple or violet material.”
August 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM
asm.org
Many mammalian diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's) involve the abnormal accumulation of host protein assemblies. In #MMBRJournal, researchers review the structural biology, transmissibilities, spreading mechanisms & detection of proteopathic aggregates. asm.social/2Do
Folding, misfolding, and aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils using mouse prion protein (PrP) as an example of an infectious amyloid
October 7, 2025 at 6:44 PM
asm.org
Bacteria are frequently subject to potentially lethal temperature shifts in their natural environments. In #MMBRJournal: an overview of changes in the structure and dynamics of the gene regulatory network of Escherichia coli during cold shocks. asm.social/2Hn
Illustration of various cold shock effects that ultimately cause E. coli cells to trigger a series of adaptation processes to enhance their survivability.
November 21, 2025 at 6:31 PM
asm.org
🧫 #EcoSalPlus is moving! ASM's dedicated resource for E. coli, Salmonella and all things Enterobacterales is joining #MMBRJournal as a special section starting 2026.

🧬 Read the MMBR editorial to learn more: asm.social/2EK
EcoSal Plus is moving to Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews in 2026! Read the editorial to learn more.
October 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: Regulation of (para)sexual reproduction in C. albicans has been intensively investigated. In #MMBRJournal: recent findings on environmental factors & signaling pathways involved in sexual mating in C. albicans & related species: asm.social/2DX
Colony and cellular morphologies of white, gray, and opaque cells of C. albicans strain BJ1097 on yeast extract peptone dextrose agar with phloxine B. G-Sec, gray sector. Scale bar, 10 µm. This figure is adapted from reference 71
October 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: Influenza viruses come in different shapes (e.g., spherical or filamentous), and that shape affects how they infect cells. Filamentous forms move more directly, possibly increasing uptake by host cells. Learn more in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/2tU
Comparison of different influenza morphologies and dimensions. (A) Representative electron micrograph image of two spherical A/WSN/33 virions. Scale bar represents 200 nm. Below is a schematic of spherical virion morphology, showing the hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix 2 (M2) proteins embedded within the lipid bilayer. (B) Representative electron micrograph image of a bacilliform A/Udorn/72 virion. Scale bar represents 200 nm. Below is a schematic of bacilliform morphology, showing that beneath the lipid bilayer lies the matrix 1 (M1) protein that forms a core within which lies the eight ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. (C) Representative electron micrograph image of a filamentous A/Udorn/72 virion. Scale bar represents 500 nm. Below is a schematic of filamentous virion morphology, showing the arrangement of the RNPs within the enlarged tip of the filament, known as an Archetti body.
June 30, 2025 at 2:12 PM
asm.org
#MicrobiologyMonday: How do fungi see the world?🍄👁️They can detect colors using photoreceptors, with blue light serving as a key signal to guide fungal growth. In #MMBRJournal, researchers explore the role of photoreceptors in fungal biology: asm.social/2yD
Examples of the responses to light of fungi. (A) Light induces the biosynthesis of the orange carotenoid pigment neurosporaxanthin in the vegetative mycelia of N. crassa, but this pigment is synthesized in large quantities in vegetative spores (conidia). When N. crassa grows in tubes with slanted media, orange conidia accumulate at the top of the tube, allowing the visualization of the difference between the orange mycelia of the wild-type and the white mycelia of the blind mutant white collar-1 (wc-1). (B) Blue light guides the growth, phototropism, of fruiting bodies, sporangiophores, of Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Light applied from one side of the sporangiophore during 5 minutes is sufficient to observe a change in the direction of growth. The photograph shows a side view (upper part) or the top view (bottom part) of a plate with P. blakesleeanus fruiting bodies growing toward light (arrow).
August 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
asm.org
How does Shiga toxin-producing E. coli affect the central nervous system? This #MMBRJournal review provides updates on the most recent findings, from both clinical and experimental perspectives. Read now: asm.social/2LH
Proposed action of Stx in the CNS: In the CNS, the Gb3 receptor is present in human endothelial cells and neurons. The mechanism of Stx-mediated damage in oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglial cells has not been fully elucidated (question mark and blue arrows). Reactive astrogliosis and microgliosis under Stx exposure potentially affect oligodendrocyte and myelin integrity. When Stx enters the bloodstream, PMN cells produce and release pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 (see Fig. 1). TNFα/IL-1B upregulates endothelial Gb3, thus generating greater susceptibility to Stx (70). Endothelium damage leads to interstitial edema.
January 15, 2026 at 7:47 PM