How bacteria grow and divide while retaining a defined shape is a fundamental question in
microbiology, but technological advances are now driving a new understanding of how the …

In the rRNA-based tree of life four bacterial phyla, comprising the Planctomycetes,
Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydiae and Lentisphaerae, form together with the candidate phyla …

The mammalian complement system is a phylogenetically ancient cascade system that has
a major role in innate and adaptive immunity. Activation of component C3 (1,641 residues) is …

Single-celled organisms must adapt their physiology to persist and propagate across a wide
range of environmental conditions. The growth and division of bacterial cells depend on …

Complement in mammalian plasma recognizes pathogenic, immunogenic and apoptotic cell
surfaces, promotes inflammatory responses and marks particles for cell lysis, phagocytosis …

Background The genome sequence of Rickettsia felis revealed a number of rickettsial
genetic anomalies that likely contribute not only to a large genome size relative to other …

Halorhodospira halophila, one of the most‐xerophilic halophiles, inhabits biophysically
stressful and energetically expensive, salt‐saturated alkaline brines. Here, we report an …

The recent accumulation of genomic information of many representative animals has made it
possible to trace the evolution of the complement system based on the presence or absence …

Intracellular pathogens exploit host cell functions to create a replication niche inside
eukaryotic cells. The causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, the γ-proteobacterium …

The phylum Planctomycetes of the domain Bacteria consists of budding, peptidoglycan-less
organisms important for understanding the origins of complex cell organization. Their …