This episode: Clostridium bacteria that infect potatoes can both kill competitors and tolerate oxygen, thanks to the pink compounds they produce!

Download Episode (12.4 MB, 13.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Shabuer G, Ishida K, Pidot SJ, Roth M, Dahse H-M, Hertweck C. 2015. Plant pathogenic anaerobic bacteria use aromatic polyketides to access aerobic territory. Science 350:670–674.

Other interesting stories:

• Soil bacteria protect themselves from amoeba with chemical defense (paper)
• Understanding how probiotics could help fight rotavirus infection (paper)
• Bacteria help defend ants from fungi (paper)
• Modifying useful biofuel yeast with CRISPRs
• Fungi could make useful adhesives (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Clostridium bacteria that infect potatoes can both kill competitors and tolerate oxygen, thanks to the pink compounds they produce!

Download Episode (12.4 MB, 13.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Shabuer G, Ishida K, Pidot SJ, Roth M, Dahse H-M, Hertweck C. 2015. Plant pathogenic anaerobic bacteria use aromatic polyketides to access aerobic territory. Science 350:670–674.

Other interesting stories:

• Soil bacteria protect themselves from amoeba with chemical defense (paper)
• Understanding how probiotics could help fight rotavirus infection (paper)
• Bacteria help defend ants from fungi (paper)
• Modifying useful biofuel yeast with CRISPRs
• Fungi could make useful adhesives (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Viruses domesticated by parasitoid wasps have transferred wasp genes to caterpillar victims, allowing them to survive deadly infections from other viruses! This means that Monarch butterflies are effectively naturally Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Download Episode (13.8 MB, 15 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Gasmi L, Boulain H, Gauthier J, Hua-Van A, Musset K, Jakubowska AK, Aury J-M, Volkoff A-N, Huguet E, Herrero S, Drezen J-M. 2015. Recurrent Domestication by Lepidoptera of Genes from Their Parasites Mediated by Bracoviruses. PLOS Genet 11:e1005470.

Other interesting stories:

• Similar math can describe electrons flowing and bacteria swimming
• Natural plant bacteria can control corn pathogen (paper)
• CO2 in oceans makes them acidic, bacteria less able to recycle dead material
• Making wood better for biofuel affects community of plant microbes
• A place on Earth where even microbes might not live

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Viruses domesticated by parasitoid wasps have transferred wasp genes to caterpillar victims, allowing them to survive deadly infections from other viruses! This means that Monarch butterflies are effectively naturally Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Download Episode (13.8 MB, 15 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Gasmi L, Boulain H, Gauthier J, Hua-Van A, Musset K, Jakubowska AK, Aury J-M, Volkoff A-N, Huguet E, Herrero S, Drezen J-M. 2015. Recurrent Domestication by Lepidoptera of Genes from Their Parasites Mediated by Bracoviruses. PLOS Genet 11:e1005470.

Other interesting stories:

• Similar math can describe electrons flowing and bacteria swimming
• Natural plant bacteria can control corn pathogen (paper)
• CO2 in oceans makes them acidic, bacteria less able to recycle dead material
• Making wood better for biofuel affects community of plant microbes
• A place on Earth where even microbes might not live

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Bacteria in hydrothermal vents that feed their host tubeworms evacuate when their hosts perish!

Download Episode (9 MB, 9.8 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Klose J, Polz MF, Wagner M, Schimak MP, Gollner S, Bright M. 2015. Endosymbionts escape dead hydrothermal vent tubeworms to enrich the free-living population. Proc Natl Acad Sci 112:11300–11305.

Other interesting stories:

• Making bacteria sensors from phages oriented along electric fields
• Insecticide-producing bacteria could treat parasite infections
• Probiotics can help by improving overall gut community (paper)
• Plant virus could induce immune response against cancer
• Exercise early in life could develop better microbiome

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Bacteria in hydrothermal vents that feed their host tubeworms evacuate when their hosts perish!

Download Episode (9 MB, 9.8 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Klose J, Polz MF, Wagner M, Schimak MP, Gollner S, Bright M. 2015. Endosymbionts escape dead hydrothermal vent tubeworms to enrich the free-living population. Proc Natl Acad Sci 112:11300–11305.

Other interesting stories:

• Making bacteria sensors from phages oriented along electric fields
• Insecticide-producing bacteria could treat parasite infections
• Probiotics can help by improving overall gut community (paper)
• Plant virus could induce immune response against cancer
• Exercise early in life could develop better microbiome

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: I converse with Dr. Michael Smout about a liver fluke parasite could help heal chronic wounds more quickly!

Download Episode (13.4 MB, 14.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Smout MJ, Sotillo J, Laha T, Papatpremsiri A, Rinaldi G, Pimenta RN, Chan LY, Johnson MS, Turnbull L, Whitchurch CB, Giacomin PR, Moran CS, Golledge J, Daly N, Sripa B, Mulvenna JP, Brindley PJ, Loukas A. 2015. Carcinogenic Parasite Secretes Growth Factor That Accelerates Wound Healing and Potentially Promotes Neoplasia. PLOS Pathog 11:e1005209.

Michael Smout's research portfolio
Winning presentation about this research on FameLab
The Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine

Other interesting stories:

• Good bacteria help protect fish from pathogens (paper)
• New microbes from glacial ice could be useful (paper)
• Making hybrid yeast could create potentially useful strains
• Cooperating bacteria exclude non-cooperators from their colonies
• Engineered bacteria can have built-in kill switches to control them in environment (paywall)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: I converse with Dr. Michael Smout about a liver fluke parasite could help heal chronic wounds more quickly!

Download Episode (13.4 MB, 14.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Smout MJ, Sotillo J, Laha T, Papatpremsiri A, Rinaldi G, Pimenta RN, Chan LY, Johnson MS, Turnbull L, Whitchurch CB, Giacomin PR, Moran CS, Golledge J, Daly N, Sripa B, Mulvenna JP, Brindley PJ, Loukas A. 2015. Carcinogenic Parasite Secretes Growth Factor That Accelerates Wound Healing and Potentially Promotes Neoplasia. PLOS Pathog 11:e1005209.

Michael Smout's research portfolio
Winning presentation about this research on FameLab
The Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine

Other interesting stories:

• Good bacteria help protect fish from pathogens (paper)
• New microbes from glacial ice could be useful (paper)
• Making hybrid yeast could create potentially useful strains
• Cooperating bacteria exclude non-cooperators from their colonies
• Engineered bacteria can have built-in kill switches to control them in environment (paywall)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Bacterial toxins could be modified to deliver life-saving proteins into neurons!

Download Episode (11.1 MB, 12.1 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Chen C, Przedpelski A, Tepp WH, Pellett S, Johnson EA, Barbieri JT. 2015. Heat-Labile Enterotoxin IIa, a Platform To Deliver Heterologous Proteins into Neurons. mBio 6:e00734-15.

Other interesting stories:

• Treating infant formula with bacteriophages could prevent deadly infection
• Fungus makes silver nanoparticles that fight other, pathogenic fungus (paper)
• Fungal symbionts affects how plants interact with soil microbes (paper)
• Bacteria can help control plant-damaging worms (paper)
• Microbes help fight toxin-producing fungi on coffee (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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

This episode: Bacterial toxins could be modified to deliver life-saving proteins into neurons!

Download Episode (11.1 MB, 12.1 minutes)

Show notes:
Journal Paper:
Chen C, Przedpelski A, Tepp WH, Pellett S, Johnson EA, Barbieri JT. 2015. Heat-Labile Enterotoxin IIa, a Platform To Deliver Heterologous Proteins into Neurons. mBio 6:e00734-15.

Other interesting stories:

• Treating infant formula with bacteriophages could prevent deadly infection
• Fungus makes silver nanoparticles that fight other, pathogenic fungus (paper)
• Fungal symbionts affects how plants interact with soil microbes (paper)
• Bacteria can help control plant-damaging worms (paper)
• Microbes help fight toxin-producing fungi on coffee (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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