TWiM explains the connection between inflammation caused by microbial glycogen in the gut and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and how disruption of cysteine metabolism leads to synthetic lethality and in vivo fitness impairment in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode:

• Myeloid cell gene prevents inflammatory response to microbial glycogen (Cell Rep)

• Cysteine metabolism and fitness impairment in Acinetobacter baumannii (mBio)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM visits Tufts University School of Medcine and are joined by John Coffin, Michael Malamy, and Verna Manni for a tribute to Elio Schaechter who was chair of Molecular Biology and Microbiology for 23 years.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin

Guests: John Coffin, Michael Malamy, and Verna Manni

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RSS, or by email.

Become a Patron of TWiM!

Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM explains how Streptococcus mitis bacteriocins drive contact-dependent lysis of S. pneumoniae facilitating transformation, and microbial dominance in diabetic foot osteomyelitis determined with nanopore sequencing.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RSS, or by email.

• Streptococcus mitis bacteriocins drive contact-dependent lysis of S. pneumoniae (mBio)
• Microbial dominance in diabetic foot osteomyelitis determined with nanopore sequencing (J Inf Dis)
• Diabetic foot ulcer review (World J Clin Cases)
• How nanopore sequencing works (YouTube)

Become a Patron of TWiM!

Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM explains how an enhanced domestication method allows for growth of uncultured bacteria, and identification of the oncogene SLC35F2 as is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Guest: Mark O. Martin

Become a patron of TWiM.

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Domestication method for uncultured bacteria (ISME Comm)
• Transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine (PNAS)
• How diet and microbiome can impact your health (UF blog)
• Take the TWiM Listener survey!

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains a candidate signature of health in the gut microbial community, and how an intestinal bacterium exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• A candidate signature of health in the gut microbiome (Cell Host Microbe)
• 204,938 reference genomes from the human gut microbiome (Nat Biotech)
• A human gut metagenome-assembled genome catalogue spanning 41 countries (Nat Micro)
• A comprehensive ruminant microbial catalog (Gigascience)
• Bacteroides acidifaciens exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury (Cell Host Microbe)
• The Great Ozempic Experiment (NY Times, paywall)
• Take the TWiM Listener survey!

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how to use microbes to enhance maize yield and reduce corn rootworm damage, and how the human microbiota modulates IgE-mediated reactions to foods through allergen metabolism.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin, and Michele Swanson.

Guest: Mark O. Martin

Become a patron of TWiM.

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Harnessing Microbes for Crop Production (Phytobiome J)
• Microbes take on corn rootworm (Science)
• Microbial metabolism of food allergens (Cell Host Microbe)
• Take the TWiM Listener survey!

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM reveals the archaeal roots of eukaryotic life, and a building a gut malabsorption biosensor with bacteria.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• The archaeal roots of eukaryotic life (PNAS)
• Building a malabsorption biosensor (Cell)
• Engineering gut biosensors with microbes (Nature)
• Take the TWiM Listener survey!

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM discusses the use of bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for targeted and minimally disruptive foodborne pathogen decontamination, and a conjugal gene drive-like system that efficiently suppresses antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode:

• Bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for food (Sci Adv)

• Gene drive to suppress antibiotic resistance (npj antimicrob and resistance)

• CRISPR gene drives (Syntego)

• Bier laboratory

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

Nancy and Maggie join TWiM to share how and why they created a freely available ebook of TWiM-based science literacy resources and classroom exercises that support teaching across key microbiology and molecular biology topics.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode:

• Podcast annotation and resources in microbiology (Iowa State U)

• Curriculum guidelines for undergraduate microbiology (ASM)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM explains how mechano-bactericidal surfaces made from diverse materials and patterned with spikes kill bacteria on contact, and virus-host evolution is reshaped by microgravity aboard the International Space Station.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode:

• Mechano-Bactericidal Surfaces (Adv Sci)

• Piercing pathogens (ASM)

• Natural bactericidal surfaces (Small)

• Virus-host evolution in microgravity (PLoS Biol)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]