BacterioFiles 274 - Proteobacteria Purify Piscine Pee

Adult female zebrafish

By Azul - Own work, Copyrighted free use

This episode: Bacteria in the gills of fish help break down their metabolic wastes before they reach toxic levels!
Download Episode (7.4 MB, 8.1 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
van Kessel MAHJ, Mesman RJ, Arshad A, Metz JR, Spanings FAT, van Dalen SCM, van Niftrik L, Flik G, Wendelaar Bonga SE, Jetten MSM, Klaren PHM, Op den Camp HJM. 2016. Branchial nitrogen cycle symbionts can remove ammonia in fish gills. Environ Microbiol Rep 8:590–594.

Other interesting stories:

How do microbes live in the harsh conditions of salt-secreting tree leaves? (paper)

Bacteria inside fungi affect how they interact with plants (paper)

Wolbachia may prevent dengue transmission by affecting mosquito lipids (paper)

Effects from fungi in soil can be detected from space

Bacterial mosquito symbionts block Zika transmission

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

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter, or Facebook

BacterioFiles 273 - Bottle-Biting Bacteria

Ideonella azotifigens cells

This episode: Newly discovered bacteria can break down especially long-lived type of plastic!
Download Episode (6.4 MB, 7 minutes)

Show notes:
News item 1/News item 2 (loginwall)

Journal Paper:
Yoshida S, Hiraga K, Takehana T, Taniguchi I, Yamaji H, Maeda Y, Toyohara K, Miyamoto K, Kimura Y, Oda K. 2016. A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate). Science 351:1196–1199.

Other interesting stories:

Worms may help gut health by modifying microbe community

Figuring out how breastmilk helps babies' microbes

Gut bacteria can affect fruit fly reproduction (paper)

Bacteria can crawl along and kill fungal filaments (paper)

Feeding mice fiber for bacteria increases their anti-inflammatory effect (paper)

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

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter, or Facebook

BacterioFiles 272 - Parasite Prevents Pollution Poisoning

Brine shrimp Artemia

Credit: Xavier on Flickr

This episode: Worm parasites infecting brine shrimp help them survive better in arsenic-polluted environments!
Download Episode (7.9 MB, 8.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Sánchez MI, Pons I, Martínez-Haro M, Taggart MA, Lenormand T, Green AJ. 2016. When Parasites Are Good for Health: Cestode Parasitism Increases Resistance to Arsenic in Brine Shrimps. PLOS Pathog 12:e1005459.

Other interesting stories:

French company trying to create lighting using bacteria (paywall)

Generating electricity with clever bio-solar panels

Microbiome proteins don't change much, not affected by probiotics (paper)

Microbes are important for tasty food

Plants can withhold food from uncooperative fungal symbionts

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

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter, or Facebook

BacterioFiles 271 - Dictyostelium Delivers DNA Deathtraps

Sentinel cells fluorescing green
Credit: Xuezhi Zhang

This episode: Slime molds have special cells that capture and kill bacteria using traps made of DNA!
Download Episode (11.2 MB, 12.25 minutes)

Show notes:
Follow-up study from ep 255 group related to this study

Link to Audiommunity episode about Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Journal Paper:
Zhang X, Zhuchenko O, Kuspa A, Soldati T. 2016. Social amoebae trap and kill bacteria by casting DNA nets. Nat Commun 7:10938.

Other interesting stories:

Making E. coli produce propane fuel (paper)

Bacteria can convert algae directly into ethanol (paper)

Certain chronic virus infections could indicate your family history

Viruses can transfer pigment production ability between bacteria

Different sizes of bacteria impose different limitations

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

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter, or Facebook

BacterioFiles 270 - Bacteria Block Bug Babies

Thrips, with fluorescent gut bacteria
Credit: Miranda Whitten

This episode: Insect gut microbes can be engineered to act as birth control, population control, or disease control for bugs!
Download Episode (13.3 MB, 14.5 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

This Week in Parasitism episode about Trypanosoma
Unedited statement about this paper from Professor Dyson

Journal Paper:
Whitten MMA, Facey PD, Sol RD, Fernández-Martínez LT, Evans MC, Mitchell JJ, Bodger OG, Dyson PJ. 2016. Symbiont-mediated RNA interference in insects. Proc R Soc B 283:20160042.

Other interesting stories:

Various different yeasts help make coffee and chocolate

Maybe treating endangered animals for parasites is not a good idea

Empty virus could be useful for carrying things to specific places

Fungus treatment could help make more environment-friendly fiberboard (paper)

Algae can count how many times they've divided

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

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter, or Facebook