Monday, June 27, 2016

BacterioFiles 257 - Phage Fibers Fight Phyllosphere Foes

Bacteria-killing tail fibers
Hockett et al. 2015
This episode: Bacteria have repeatedly captured and used the tails of phages to fight each other!
Download Episode (9 MB, 9.8 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Hockett KL, Renner T, Baltrus DA. 2015. Independent Co-Option of a Tailed Bacteriophage into a Killing Complex in Pseudomonas. mBio 6:e00452-15.

Other interesting stories:
  • Bacterial immune system can make plants resistant to viruses
  • Viruses are (usually) tiny but interesting
  • Gut microbes may have surprising effects on our behavior
  • Engineering viruses to use quantum effects for better solar cells
  • Probiotic bacteria could help with Type 2 diabetes (paper)

  • Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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    Monday, June 13, 2016

    BacterioFiles 255 - Colonizer Controls Carrier Cultivation

    Amoeba spores with bacteria inside
    DiSalvo et al. 2015
    This episode: Some bacteria seem to cause slime mold amoebas to carry around other bacteria for food!
    Download Episode (12.4 MB, 13.5 minutes)

    Show notes:
    News item

    Journal Paper:
    DiSalvo S, Haselkorn TS, Bashir U, Jimenez D, Brock DA, Queller DC, Strassmann JE. 2015. Burkholderia bacteria infectiously induce the proto-farming symbiosis of Dictyostelium amoebae and food bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci 112:E5029–E5037.

    Other interesting stories:
  • Fish oil vs. lard affect gut microbes differently
  • Engineered mix of engineered bacteria produce controlled oscillations
  • Mutation and selection makes better biomass-degrading enzymes
  • Antibodies can be produced inside bacteria (paper)
  • Fungus can be used to kill mosquitoes (paper)

  • Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

    Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at TwitterMicrobeWorld, or Facebook

    Monday, June 6, 2016