BacterioFiles 344 - Bacteriophages Bypass Body Barriers

Cell culture setup
Nguyen et al, 2017,
mBio 8:e01874-17

This episode: Phages may be passing through the barriers in our body all the time!

Thanks to Dr. Jeremy Barr for his contribution!
Download Episode (13.2 MB, 14.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Rhodobacter virus RcCronus

News item

Journal Paper:
Nguyen S, Baker K, Padman BS, Patwa R, Dunstan RA, Weston TA, Schlosser K, Bailey B, Lithgow T, Lazarou M, Luque A, Rohwer F, Blumberg RS, Barr JJ. 2017. Bacteriophage Transcytosis Provides a Mechanism To Cross Epithelial Cell Layers. mBio 8:e01874-17.

Other interesting stories:

Yeast species uses same codon for two different amino acids (paper)

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 343 - Super Cells Save Susceptible Species

Deinococcus radiodurans

This episode: Very radiation-resistant bacteria can protect other, less-resistant microbes from some of the effects of chronic radiation!

Download Episode (9.7 MB, 10.6 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus CA4A

News item

Journal Paper:
Shuryak I, Matrosova VY, Gaidamakova EK, Tkavc R, Grichenko O, Klimenkova P, Volpe RP, Daly MJ. 2017. Microbial cells can cooperate to resist high-level chronic ionizing radiation. PLOS ONE 12:e0189261.

Other interesting stories:

Panda gut microbes help them detoxify cyanide in their diet (paper)

Modified probiotics can detect and inhibit cholera in baby mice

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 342 - Cyanide Stops Cell Suckers

Chromobacterium growing on agar

This episode: Some bacteria can defend themselves from bacterial predators by producing cyanide!

Thanks to Dr. Robert Mitchell for his contribution!

Download Episode (7.7 MB, 8.4 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Dyoepsilonpapillomavirus 1

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Journal Paper:
Mun W, Kwon H, Im H, Choi SY, Monnappa AK, Mitchell RJ. 2017. Cyanide Production by Chromobacterium piscinae Shields It from Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100 Predation. mBio 8:e01370-17.

Other interesting stories:

Using bacterial DNA to estimate movement of river water

Making bacteria produce biologic drugs that last longer in the body

Fungal pigment could be a useful semiconductor

Parasitic microbe uses chemical defense against defenses of fungus-growing ants

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 341 - Cancer Killer Could Cure Cryptic Contagion

HIV particles on infected cell
By Liza Gross,
PLOS Biology 2006, e445
CC BY 2.5

This episode: A virus designed to target cancer could also help eliminate hidden HIV infections!

Thanks to Nischal Ranganath for his contribution!

Download Episode (8.7 MB, 9.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Streptomyces pluricolorescens

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Journal Paper:
Ranganath N, Sandstrom TS, Schinkel B, C S, Côté SC, Angel JB. 2018. The Oncolytic Virus MG1 Targets and Eliminates Cells Latently Infected With HIV-1: Implications for an HIV Cure. J Infect Dis 217:721–730.

Other interesting stories:

Gut microbes could affect immune defense against liver cancer

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 340 - Plasmid Promotes Plant Pathogenesis

Pathogenic Rhodococcus causing
disfigurement
From: Savory et al, eLife 6:e30925

This episode: Some bacteria living around plants can become pathogenic just by gaining a few genes!

Thanks to Skylar Fuller for her contribution!

Download Episode (9.4 MB, 10.3 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Alternanthera yellow vein betasatellite

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Journal Paper:
Savory EA, Fuller SL, Weisberg AJ, Thomas WJ, Gordon MI, Stevens DM, Creason AL, Belcher MS, Serdani M, Wiseman MS, Grünwald NJ, Putnam ML, Chang JH. 2017. Evolutionary transitions between beneficial and phytopathogenic Rhodococcus challenge disease management. eLife 6:e30925.

Other interesting stories:

More gut microbe diversity could be good for arteries

Human gut microbes have enzymes that break down specific plant toxins (paper)

Gut microbes ferment fiber and modify immune response to protect mice from flu

Cooperation of plants and fungi breaks down if one finds alternative lifestyle (paper)

Disproven "arsenic in the DNA" bacterium actually has interesting arsenic detox strategies (paper)

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 339 - Medical Microbiota Measurement

Clostridium difficile bacteria

This episode: Fecal microbiota transplants work just as well when taken in pill form as when delivered through a tube!

Download Episode (10.5 MB, 11.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Halobacterium halobium

News item

Journal Paper:
Kao D, Roach B, Silva M, Beck P, Rioux K, Kaplan GG, Chang H-J, Coward S, Goodman KJ, Xu H, Madsen K, Mason A, Wong GK-S, Jovel J, Patterson J, Louie T. 2017. Effect of Oral Capsule- vs Colonoscopy-Delivered Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Am Med Assoc 318:1985–1993.

Other interesting stories:

Protein that can form prions important for protecting mice from influenza (paper)

Figuring out how bacteria in fruit flies kill only males

Healthy skin microbes could help treat eczema

Good gut microbe is very comfortable with immune system

Archaea in bogs could be good microbes for plants too (paper)

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

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 338 - Maverick Mouse Microbes Mitigate Maladies

House mouse,
Mus musculus domesticus

This episode: Gut microbe transplants from wild mice protect lab mice from disease!

Download Episode (9.8 MB, 10.7 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Cabassou virus

News item

Journal Paper:
Rosshart SP, Vassallo BG, Angeletti D, Hutchinson DS, Morgan AP, Takeda K, Hickman HD, McCulloch JA, Badger JH, Ajami NJ, Trinchieri G, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F, Yewdell JW, Rehermann B. 2017. Wild Mouse Gut Microbiota Promotes Host Fitness and Improves Disease Resistance. Cell 171:1015-1028.e13.

Other interesting stories:

Phage cocktail can eliminate pathogen with minimal collateral damage

Preventive probiotics given with antibiotics can help keep C. diff away

Early exposure to dust and bacteria linked with less immune response to stress

Viruses that help wasps parasitize caterpillars also inhibit plant defenses

Only one microbe species can live in extremely acidic, almost boiling lake

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

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

Episode outline: