Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41942463›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Bacterial extracellular vesicles as recyclable nutrient reservoirs.

Astrid Laimer-Digruber, Tanja V Edelbacher, Masoumeh Alinaghi, Mia S C Yu, Dapi Menglin Chiang, Benedikt Kirchner, Susanne I Wudy, Waltraud Tschulenk, Ingrid Walter, Stefan Kummer and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Astrid Laimer-Digruber *Institute of Microbiology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8809-2530
Tanja V Edelbacher *Institute of Microbiology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-6640-0346
Masoumeh AlinaghiInstitute of Microbiology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
Mia S C YuDivision of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4141-6443
Dapi Menglin ChiangDivision of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6640-8670
Benedikt KirchnerDivision of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.
Susanne I WudyBavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-6333-5233
Waltraud TschulenkInstitute of Morphology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
Ingrid WalterInstitute of Morphology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
Stefan KummerVetCore Facility for Research, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0746-1403
Christina LudwigBavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6131-7322
Jan PřibylCEITEC MU, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1232-3694
Michael W PfafflDivision of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany.
Monika Ehling-SchulzInstitute of Microbiology, Centre of Pathobiology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria. monika.ehling-schulz@vetmeduni.ac.at.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7384-0594

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) INST 95/1435-1 FUGGHochschuljubiläumsstiftung der Stadt Wien (University Jubilee Foundation of the City of Vienna) (H-409332/2021OeAD-GmbH (OEAD) DZS/2024/00070Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Swiss National Science Foundation) Sinergia grant CVRSII5_209253
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) are known to mediate intercellular communication, virulence, and immune modulation. Here we show that bacteria can utilise EVs also as recyclable nutrient reservoirs. Using Bacillus cereus as a model organism, we demonstrate that EVs exhibit distinct dynamics depending on growth conditions: EVs produced in complex nutrient-rich media undergo time-dependent degradation, while those produced in defined nutrient-limited conditions remain stable and accumulate. We observe similar EV degradation patterns in Staphylococcus aureus. Time-resolved multi-omics profiling reveals that EVs containing the lipid sphingomyelin undergo progressive degradation. Using pharmacological inhibition, knockout mutants, and enzymatic complementation, we show that this process is driven by secreted sphingomyelinase (SMase). This enzyme contributes to degradation of sphingomyelin-containing EVs, thereby releasing their biomolecular cargo which can be used as a nutrient source. Growth assays confirm that SMase-mediated EV degradation provides a growth advantage when nutrients become depleted, thus establishing EVs as dynamic nutrient reservoirs.

Indexed as

Bacillus cereusExtracellular VesiclesNutrientsStaphylococcus aureusBacterial ProteinsSphingomyelin PhosphodiesteraseSphingomyelinsBacterial ProteinsSphingomyelin PhosphodiesteraseSphingomyelins

Identifiers

PMID41942463
PMCPMC13230831

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.