AFFILIATES LETTER

AUGUST 2019

International Microorganism Day

We are very excited for International Microorganism Day 2019, which takes place on Tuesday 17 September. This initiative was started by the Portuguese Society for Microbiology to raise awareness among young people and society in general about the role of microorganisms in our lives. Many events are being planned by them, and other organisers have confirmed their involvement in Europe and Latin America. We think it is an exciting idea, and are keen to support this initiative and to help it to grow. This year we are coordinating some online activity around our Microbe Art Contest with the hashtag #MicrobeArt2019.

Art is a known way to communicate complicated topics in scientific research. For this reason we invite researchers in the field of microbiology, and anyone interested, to participate in our Microbe Art Competition.

The artistic output could be an object of your research or study with a witty explanation, a beautiful image or graphic, a screenshot of a short essay, or a video of a poem, song, or film about your research or topic in microbiology. Think what inspired you to become a microbiologist, and let microbiology inspire your art: #MicrobeArt2019

ALSO IN THIS ISSUEPUBLICATIONS / GRANTS CORNER / OPPORTUNITIES / DEADLINES

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

Delftechpark 37A, 2628 XJ Delft, The NetherlandsT: +31 15 302 0050 | E: fems@fems-microbiology.org

Table of Contents

Page 2: • FEMS2019 Video

Interview Series• call for papers: Microbial

Diversity

Page 3: • FEMS2019 Photo Album• a new JSME for Pathogens

and Diease• Special Issue of FEMS

Yeast Research for ICYGMB2019

Pages 4-5: • curated research

published in each of the FEMS Journals

• Thematic Issue of FEMS Microbiology Letters on CRISPR-Cas

Page 6: Grants Corner

Page 7: Opportunities and Event of the Month

Page 8: deadlines, events, and extras...

Find out how to enter #MicrobeArt2019 on our website >

More details available online >

Call for papers: Microbial diversity as a source of novelty FEMS Microbiology Letters invites submissions to a thematic issue on Microbial Diversity as a source of novelty: function, adaptation and exploitation.

The thematic issue is connected to the 5th edition of the Conference Microbial Diversity 2019 (MD2019) in Catania, Italy, 25 - 27 September 2019.

The conference and thematic issue will cover the following themes: from omics to culturomics, exploitation of microbial diversity in ecological system, mechanisms of microbial resistance, microbiota and host, association and interaction in natural ecosystem, and microbiome adaptation and functioning.

Community Grants Survey 2019

Every year FEMS gives out hundreds of grants to researchers across the world: to travel, to organize their own events, and for research and training.

But we need the opinions of the microbiology communtity in order to develop our grants programme to best meet your needs! So please take 5 minutes to fill in our Community Grants

Survey for 2019.

Click this link to access the survey >

Subcribe to our YouTube channel >

The FEMS2019 Video Interview Series

During the excitement that was FEMS2019, we managed to pin down a range of microbiologists, from many different career stages and backgrounds, for a series of longer form video interviews. We also took the time to interview our two Gold sponsors: QIAGEN, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, about their latest scientific products.

These interviews have now been edited, and this Autumn we will be publishing one a week to bring you the thoughts, insights, and knowledge of these amazing scientists.

These full length videos will be hosted on our YouTube channel, with messages going out each week across our social media and website to announce each video.

Featuring:Prof. Hilary Lappin-Scott (UK), Dr Sara Burton (UK),

Prof. Linda J Kenney (USA/Singapore), Dr. Yinka Somorin (UK), Dr. Sarah Wettstadt (Spain), Prof.

Ken-ichi Yoshida (Japan), Dr. Sarah Zecchin (Italy), Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Prof. Philippe Sansonetti (France), Dr. Valerie De Anda (USA),

Sophie Howard (UK), Dr. Dukas Jurenas (France), QIAGEN, Ally Hughes (UK), Prof. Laura Bowater

(UK), Prof. Pascale Cossart (France)

AUGUST 2019

FEMS2019 Photo AlbumThe FEMS2019 photo album is now available to

view online. Reminisce with us about Congress…

Virtual Special Issue of FEMS Yeast Research

For the 29th International Conference of Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology (ICYGMB2019) we have put together an Open Access Virtual Special Issue of FEMS Yeast Research to mark the occasion and to support the research of the scientist in the community.

The issue consist of 2 fascinating retrospectives, 6 papers on Fundamental Yeast Genetics and Cellular Processes, 3 papers on Mapping Complex Genetic Traits, and 6 articles detailing Tools for Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts. The articles were selected by Ken Wolfe, Terrance Cooper, and John Morrissey (Editor in Chief, FEMS Yeast Research).

A New Journal Social Media Editor for

Pathogens and DiseaseWe have recently recruited a new volunteer Journal Social Media Editor (JSME), Maja Rischer, for Pathogens and Disease.

This is following the departure of the previous JSME, Kenda Rigdon, to take on a new full-time teaching position with Birmingham Southern College, Alabama, USA. We extend our greatest thanks to Kenda for her hard work and commitment to FEMS during her time with us.

Our new JSME, Maja, is from a small town in the east of Germany. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and her Master’s degree in Microbiology in the city of Jena, she enjoyed it so much that she also started her PhD there.

She is currently working on her PhD thesis on microbe-host interactions and involved natural products at the Hans Knöll Institute for Natural Product Chemistry and Infection Biology.

After this, she will initially work as a postdoc on protein engineering in Christine Beemelmanns group. We were very impressed by her background and creative skill-set, and are confident she will make an excellent JSME for the journal.

View photos online >Access the Virtual Special Issue online >

Read the latest issue of Pathogens and Disease online >

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Pathogens and DiseaseMiniReview

The correlation between microRNAs and Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancerHelicobacter pylori infection and H. pylori-related gastric inflammation can be considered as the most significant promoter of gastric cancer (GC). This review highlights the role of Helicobacter pylori pathogen and some H. pylori-related virulence factors in the deregulation of various miRNAs, especially oncogenic miRNAs and their associated molecular pathways.

Authors: Narges Dastmalchi, Reza Safaralizadeh, Seyed Mahdi Banan Khojasteh

PUBLICATIONSFEMS Microbiology ReviewsReview

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of host cells in space and timeTuberculosis (TB) caused by the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases with over a billion deaths in the past 200 years. This review describes the complex dynamics underlying the interactions between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the human host cell with an emphasis on the cell biology approaches and potential challenges to study these processes.

Authors: laudio Bussi, Maximiliano G Gutierrez

FEMS Microbiology LettersMiniReview

The role of exploitation in the establishment of mutualistic microbial symbiosesEvolutionary theory suggests that the conditions required for the establishment of mutualistic symbioses through mutualism alone are highly restrictive, often requiring the evolution of complex stabilising mechanisms. The authors review the theoretical and experimental evidence supporting exploitation as an alternative route to the evolution of mutualistic symbioses.

Authors: Megan Sørensen, Chris Lowe, Ewan Minter, Jamie Wood, Duncan Cameron, and Michael Brockhurst

DOI: doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuz006 >

DOI: doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnz148 >

DOI: doi.org/10.1093/femspd/ftz039 >

AUGUST 2019

FEMS Microbiology EcologyMiniReview

Thermophilic methanotrophs: in hot pursuit

This review summarises current literature pertaining to the activity of thermophilic and thermotolerant methanotrophs, both proteobacterial (Methylocaldum, Methylococcus, Methylothermus) and verrucomicrobial (Methylacidiphilum). We assert, on the basis of recently reported molecular and geochemical data, that geothermal ecosystems host hitherto unidentified species capable of methane oxidation at higher temperatures.

Authors: Karen M Houghton, Carlo R Carere, Matthew B Stott, and Ian R McDonald

FEMS Yeast ResearchMiniReview

The phylloplane yeast Pseudozyma: a rich potential for biotechnologyThis MiniReview describes the sources of Pseudozyma yeasts and their useful secreted products, including enzymes and biosurfactants. It also outline the life of Pseudozyma on the leaf surface and introduce studies to verify ecological functions of their useful products, and the function of Pseudozyma in maintaining the health of plants is briefly explained.

Authors: Hiroko Kitamoto

DOI: doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiz125 >

Thematic Issue on CRISPR-CasThe laboratory application of the CRISPR-Cas system found in bacteria and archaea has started a revolution in genome editing throughout molecular biology. Yet, is it our understanding of molecular microbiology that makes these advances possible.

As such, we are very excited to have published a new Thematic Issue of FEMS Microbiology Letters containing 12 complementary papers on the latest research into the CRISPR-Cas system and its usage.

Editors: John van der Oost and Richard van Kranenburg

DOI: doi.org/10.1093/femsyr/foz053 >

Read the new Thematic Issue on CRISPR >

6

GRANTS CORNERMeeting Attendance Grantee

StatementLianna Poghosyan, Radboud University, Department of

Microbiology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Attended: 15th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and

Ecology (BAGECO15), Lisbon, Portugal

Dates: 26 - 30 May 2019

Member Society: Royal Netherlands Society for Microbiology

(KNVM)

‘‘I am a fourth year Ph.D. student at Radboud University, Nijmegen. I am interested in genome-resolved metagenomics and am very keen on extending my knowledge by learning new methods.

Personally, I think the 15th Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and Ecology (BAGECO) was very well organized and very successful. I fully enjoyed this event with so many interesting seminars and discussions on various microbiology topics.

Presenting my results in BAGECO allowed me not only extend my professional network but also to discuss my research with the experts in the nitrification and metagenomics field.

Additionally, I learned new bioinformatics tools to interpret and refine metagenomic sequence data and to perform comprehensive data analysis for my research projects.‘‘

Find out about FEMS Grants >

Thematic Issue: Microbial Food and

Feed Ingredients We are very pleased to announce a  Thematic Issue of  FEMS Microbiology Letters  has been published on the topic of Microbial Food and Feed Ingredients with research from the  1st International Conference on Microbial Food and Feed Ingredients (MiFFI, May 2018, Copenhagen).

The 16 articles are composed of 7 mini-reviews and 8 research papers, with an editorial written by Egon Bech Hansen, Dennis Sandris Nielsen, and Gisèle LaPointe. There will be a 2nd International Conference on Microbial Food and Feed Ingredients sponsored by FEMS, which will be held on 15 - 17 April 2020 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Read this Thematic Issue >

AUGUST 2019

OPPORTUNITIES

Find out more about this event >

Event of the month

11th ÖGMBT Annual Meeting

16-18 September 2019

Wyndham Grand Conference Center

Salzburg, Austria

The ÖGMBT Annual Meeting is the largest life science meeting in Austria to connect scientists, students and corporate representatives to share their knowledge and visions in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics.

We are pleased to present sessions in the key disciplines Infection Biology, Microbial Interactions and Microbiome, Epigenetics, Immune Oncology, Immunology and Allergology, Plant Signaling, Tissue Regeneration and Stem Cells, and Translational Oncology, which will be chaired by leading scientists.

Our aim is to provide the best possible environment and atmosphere to discuss your data with colleagues, to establish new networks for your career and to enjoy the beautiful city Salzburg near the Alps.

Post on our Opportunities Board!

Do you want to promote your event, job, funding or interesting projects on our website to the wider microbiology

community?

You can do this on our Opportunities Board!Here you can find FEMS-sponsored events and funding, as well as many other exciting jobs, events, courses, resources and funding

opportunities from the microbiology community.

Opportunities Board >

Job of the monthPostdoctoral Junior Leader: Spain or

Portugal

Final application date: 08.10.2019Institution: Diverse

Location: Spain or PortugalContact: ”la Caixa” Foundation,

The Postdoctoral Junior Leader fellowships programme is aimed at hiring excellent researchers, of any nationality, who wish to continue their research career in Spain or Portugal. The objectives of this programme are to foster high-quality, innovative research in Spain and Portugal and to support the best scientific talent by providing them with an attractive, competitive environment in which to conduct excellent research.

8

Ebola researchers fight to test drugs and vaccines in a war zone >

EXTRAS

Researchers from DTU Bioengineering and Aalborg University have joined the quest to find mould fungi that are particularly good at producing pigments—quinones—which can be used to store energy.

The researchers have designed a fungal battery prototype, and with a new donation of EUR 2 million from The Novo Nordisk Foundation, the researchers will speed up their search for suitable fungi.

Source: DTU Bioengineering

Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has interrupted clinical trials and forced scientists to change how they immunize people. Although biomedical advances alone cannot defeat Ebola, scientists studying this outbreak remain hopeful that their growing knowledge will help end it — and limit those to come.

Source: Nature

DEADLINES EVENTS

‘‘Violence has hampered efforts to contain the ebola virus, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ on 17 July. The agency says that nearly 2,600 people in the DRC have

been infected with Ebola and more than 1,700 have died.’’

1 September 2019 Meeting Attendance Grants >

01.09.2019, Germany | Symposium of Aquatic Microbial Ecology (SAME) 16 >

01.09.2019, Germany | Microscopy Conference 2019 >

Post your Events with us >

03.09.2019, USA | The ASM/ECSMID Conference on Drug Development >

04.09.2019, Germany | The 12th International Symposium on the Biology of Acinetobacter 2019 >

1 December 2019Meeting Organizer Grants >

08.09.2019, UK | 20th Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Microorganisms (CHRO)

09.09.2019, Germany | BIOMIN XV: 15th International Symposium on Biomineralization >

05.09.2019, UK | IMAV 2019: International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors >

09.09.2019, Kenya | Molecular Approaches to Clinical Microbiology in Africa >

Spectacularly detailed videos from an advanced microscope technique called cryo-electron microscopy are sparking a biology “revolution”, scientists say. The technique was once termed “blobology” because its images were so indistinct. But now, it is being used to create videos of the body’s inner-workings at a hitherto unseen level of detail.

Source: BBC

Fungal batteries will store alternative energy >

10.09.2019, USA | Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response >

What is ‘blobology’ and how is it transforming biology? >