C. D. Johnston

Fusobacterium sphaericum sp. nov., isolated from a human colon tumor, adheres to colonic epithelial cells and induces IL-8 secretion

The paper isolates and characterizes a novel Fusobacterium species from a human colon tumor, showing its adherence to epithelial cells and IL-8 induction.

Helicobacter pylori chronic infection selects for effective colonizers of metaplastic glands

The paper shows that H. pylori strains from later stages of infection are better at colonizing metaplastic gastric tissue, linked to genetic variation in the sabB gene.

The cancer chemotherapeutic 5-fluorouracil is a potent inhibitor of Fusobacterium nucleatum and its activity is modified by the intratumoral microbiota

This study identifies 5-fluorouracil as a potent inhibitor of Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer and shows that intratumoral microbiota can modify its activity.

A bacterial pan-genome makes gene essentiality strain-dependent and evolvable

The paper investigates how a bacterial pan-genome affects gene essentiality and shows that essential genes can evolve to become non-essential through genetic changes and mechanisms like functional redundancy and pathway rewiring.

Genomic Stability and Genetic Defense Systems in Dolosigranulum pigrum a Candidate Beneficial Bacterium from the Human Microbiome

This study analyzes the genomic stability and defense mechanisms of Dolosigranulum pigrum, a beneficial human nasal bacterium, using 28 genomes to reveal its chromosomal structure, MGEs, and defense systems.

Photochemical probe identification of the small-molecule binding site in a mammalian membrane-bound O-acyltransferase

This study develops a photochemical probe to identify the small-molecule binding site in HHAT, leading to the discovery of a potent inhibitor and insights into MBOAT inhibition mechanisms.

SyngenicDNA: stealth-based evasion of restriction-modification barriers during bacterial genetic engineering

The paper introduces SyngenicDNA and SyMPL tools to bypass restriction-modification barriers in bacteria, achieving >100,000-fold improvement in transformation efficiency for Staphylococcus aureus.