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Messenger RNA Decay Patterns Compiled in Bacterial Atlas

In Nature Microbiology, researchers from the Karolinska Institute and other international centers present findings from an effort aimed at characterizing messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation in relation to mRNA translation in species with or without 5'-3' exonucleases. With the help of a 5' monophosphorylated (5'P) sequencing strategy, dubbed degradome or metadegradome sequencing, the team tracked 5'P mRNA decay intermediates across dozens of bacteria, clinical microbiomes, and environmental microbiomes, putting together a degradome atlas for 96 bacterial species. Along with "codon- and gene-level ribosome stalling responses to stress and drug treatment" in the individual bacterial species, for example, the authors note that mRNA degradation analyses on more complex microbiome community mixtures "demonstrate that metadegradome sequencing provides fast, species-specific posttranslational characterization of responses to drug or environmental perturbations."

The Scan

Machine Learning Helps ID Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Islet Beta Cell Subtypes in Type 2 Diabetes

The approach helps overcome limitations of previous studies that had investigated the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic islet beta cells, the authors write in their Nature Genetics paper.

Culture-Based Methods, Shotgun Sequencing Reveal Transmission of Bifidobacterium Strains From Mothers to Infants

In a Nature Communications study, culture-based approaches along with shotgun sequencing give a better picture of the microbial strains transmitted from mothers to infants.

Microbial Communities Can Help Trees Adapt to Changing Climates

Tree seedlings that were inoculated with microbes from dry, warm, or cold sites could better survive drought, heat, and cold stress, according to a study in Science.

A Combination of Genetics and Environment Causes Cleft Lip

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers investigate what combination of genetic and environmental factors come into play to cause cleft lip/palate.