In Situ Structural Biology of Microbial Nanomachines

In situ structural biology in microbiology is transforming our ability to investigate the architecture and function of cellular machinery within their native environments. Historically, insights into microbial macromolecular complexes were limited to purified specimens, often lacking the context necessary for a comprehensive understanding of their physiological roles. Recent breakthroughs in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and in situ single-particle analysis have provided researchers with powerful tools to directly visualize nanomachines, such as flagellar motors and secretion systems, within intact cells. These developments are prompting new questions about how microbial systems are spatially and temporally organized, how dynamic remodeling occurs in response to environmental stimuli, and how coordinated activities of these complexes underpin fundamental cellular processes.Cutting-edge studies have begun to unravel the molecular details of processes including motility, chemotaxis, and host–pathogen interactions by employing high-resolution cryo-EM techniques. This has provided new insights into the workings of ribosomes and cell envelope assemblies, illuminating the complexity of microbial life at an unprecedented scale. In situ analyses have also been applied to study communication between bacteria, secretion systems, flagellar motility and translation and assembled ribosomes. The use for integration of structural data with cellular function continues to expand continuously. Apart from the specific applications being developed, the field needs improved analytical tools to facilitate more accurate in situ structural reconstructions and functional interpretations.This Research Topic would bring together contributions that explore how microbes organize, remodel, and regulate their nanomachines inside the living cell, In situ imaging use to uncover coordination of activities of big molecular complexes in the cells, novel computational approaches to overcome current technical limitations.To gather further insights in the boundaries of in situ structural biology in microbiology, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Structural and functional analysis of microbial macromolecular complexes in situ.o Methodological advances in correlative microscopy, cryo-FIB, and in situ tomographyo Mechanistic studies derived from in situ imaging of key microbial nanomachines (e.g., flagellar motors, secretion systems, chemosensory arrays)o Comparative in situ studies across different bacterial or archaeal specieso Development and application of computational and analytical tools for in situ data reconstruction and interpretation Topic editors: Wangbiao Seven Guo, Shuaiqi Guo, Johannes Elferich Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75919/in-situ-structural-biology-of-microbial-nanomachines