Dengue virus E glycoproteins (monomer at top) lie flat on the virus particle as dimers (middle). At endosomal low pH, three monomers reorient to place the fusion peptide (orange) into the cell membrane. Image credit. A key step in sexual reproduction is the fusion of haploid cells to form a diploid zygote, yet ...

The TWiVirions reveal bacteriophage genes that control eukaryotic reproduction, and the biochemical basis for increased Ebolavirus glycoprotein activity during the recent outbreak. You can find TWiV #431 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 431 (71 MB .mp3, 118 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!

The obligate intracellular bacteria Wolbachia (pictured), which infects 40% of arthropods, can manipulate its host to ensure its maintenance in the population. An example is cytoplasmic incompatibility, which occurs when infected males mate with uninfected females, and causes embryonic lethality (mating with an infected female produces viable offspring). Two Wolbachia genes ...

The TWiX cabal discuss sexual transmission of Zika virus in mice, and how immune escape enables herpes simplex virus escape from latency. You can find TWiV #430 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 430 (63 MB .mp3, 104 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are rare, but always fatal, neurodegenerative disorders of humans and other mammals. They are characterized by long incubation periods, spongiform changes in the brain associated with loss of neurons, and the absence of host responses. TSEs are caused by infectious proteins called prions. Insight into how prions cause TSEs ...