K. Zengler

Spatial chemistry of citrus reveals molecules bactericidal to Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus

This study uses spatial metabolomics to identify bactericidal compounds in citrus plants infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, suggesting potential alternatives to antibiotics for HLB treatment.

Guild and Niche Determination Enable Targeted Alteration of the Microbiome

This study introduces a method to classify microbes into guilds and predict their niche preferences using metatranscriptomic and metatranslatomic data, enabling targeted microbiome manipulation.

Extensive plant use of exometabolites

The paper uses 13C-tracing to study plant uptake of exometabolites across multiple species, finding that uptake accounts for 23% of the carbon budget in Brachypodium distachyon and that some metabolites promote root growth.

A reproducible and tunable synthetic soil microbial community provides new insights into microbial ecology

This paper develops a stable, reproducible synthetic soil microbial community for studying plant-microbe interactions and demonstrates its viability after cryopreservation.

Bacterial metatranscriptomes in wastewater can differentiate virally infected human populations

The paper shows that bacterial metatranscriptomes in wastewater can distinguish SARS-CoV-2 infected from uninfected human populations without directly detecting viral transcripts.

A multiscale model predicts the sensitivity of Chlorella vulgaris to light and nitrogen levels in photobioreactors

The paper develops a multiscale model integrating metabolic and reactor parameters to predict and optimize lipid productivity in Chlorella vulgaris under varying light and nitrogen conditions.

The Prolyl-tRNA Synthetase Inhibitor Halofuginone Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection

This study identifies halofuginone as a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication by reducing heparan sulfate biosynthesis and suppressing viral replication.

Microbiome signatures in a fast and slow progressing gastric cancer murine model and their contribution to gastric carcinogenesis

This study examines microbiome changes in gastric cancer-prone mice and identifies Lactobacillales as a potential biomarker for fast gastric cancer progression.

Bacterial modification of the host glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate modulates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

This study shows that commensal bacteria modify heparan sulfate, reducing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding and that this bacterial presence decreases with age, increasing COVID-19 susceptibility.

Nucleoid openness profiling links bacterial genome structure to phenotype

This paper introduces POP-seq, a method to profile bacterial nucleoid openness, linking genome structure to transcriptional and phenotypic outcomes.