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- September 2, 2012
- 10:00 AM
- 182 views
The bacteria that make insects eat their own brains
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
As far as bacteria are concerned, other living creatures are just another niche to exploit, which means that pretty much every animal and plant has a set of bacterial pathogens that come along with it. These bacteria have made the animal in question their speciality, and are highly adapted to live inside their hosts. While these bacteria often make the host ill, or less fit, or sometimes dead, the longer they live with their host, overall, the less they damage it. After all, it’s no help t........ Read more »
Le Clec'h W, Braquart-Varnier C, Raimond M, Ferdy JB, Bouchon D, & Sicard M. (2012) High virulence of wolbachia after host switching: when autophagy hurts. PLoS pathogens, 8(8). PMID: 22876183
- August 26, 2012
- 04:00 AM
- 219 views
Tiny RNA fragments control bacterial infections
There is more than one type of genetic material within the cell. As well as DNA, which stores the code for making cellular protiens, there is also RNA, which contains similar snatches of code but is less stable and more mobile than DNA. If DNA is a library of books which are not allowed to be removed, then RNA is little buts of paper containing copies of pages that are spread around for people to read.... Read more »
Mann B, van Opijnen T, Wang J, Obert C, Wang YD, Carter R, McGoldrick DJ, Ridout G, Camilli A, Tuomanen EI.... (2012) Control of Virulence by Small RNAs in Streptococcus pneumoniae. PLoS pathogens, 8(7). PMID: 22807675
- August 11, 2012
- 08:00 PM
- 225 views
Fungi that steal genes from bacteria
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
In order to survive in complex and interesting environments in the wild, bacteria have a whole arsenal of chemical products that they make within the cell. These chemicals are used for signalling, defence and communication between bacterial cells. One particular group of these chemicals is called the polyketide group, which I have a particular fondness for as I studied polyketides for my degree project. Several antibiotics are polyketides, so they are useful things for bacteria to have.... Read more »
Schmitt I, & Lumbsch HT. (2009) Ancient horizontal gene transfer from bacteria enhances biosynthetic capabilities of fungi. PloS one, 4(2). PMID: 19212443
- July 24, 2012
- 04:30 AM
- 221 views
The bacteria that help sheep eat grass
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
There’s been a lot of focus on the human microbiome recently, and while I’m obviously thrilled at anything which makes people think more about bacteria it’s easy to forget that it isn’t just humans who provide internal living space for bugs. Bacteria are everywhere, inside and among every living creature, and some of them form important symbiotic relationships. The bacteria that live in the gut of ruminant mammals; sheep, cows, and other things that eat grass, are vital f........ Read more »
Yuan P, Meng K, Wang Y, Luo H, Huang H, Shi P, Bai Y, Yang P, & Yao B. (2012) Abundance and genetic diversity of microbial polygalacturonase and pectate lyase in the sheep rumen ecosystem. PloS one, 7(7). PMID: 22815874
- July 7, 2012
- 03:00 PM
- 312 views
How fungi steal zinc from your body
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
I've been getting quite into the human microbiome lately, covering both vaginal bacteria and digestive tract bacteria. One thing I thought it might be interesting to highlight is that we talk about the human “microbiome” rather than the human “bacteriome” because it contains a range of microbial species including bacteria, fungi and even possibly blastocysts. There’s more life in your body than you might think.
So with this in mind I’m going to venture........ Read more »
Citiulo F, Jacobsen ID, Miramón P, Schild L, Brunke S, Zipfel P, Brock M, Hube B, & Wilson D. (2012) Candida albicans Scavenges Host Zinc via Pra1 during Endothelial Invasion. PLoS pathogens, 8(6). PMID: 22761575
- June 16, 2012
- 03:46 AM
- 304 views
How bacteria in the vagina change during pregnancy
One thing that becomes more clear with each piece of research is that the human body is a hive of mostly harmless bacteria that live in any crevice they can reach while affecting their human host as little as possible. In some cases these bacteria can be very beneficial – preventing more dangerous bacteria from taking up residence in places like the stomach and throat. In some cases they can occasionally go rogue, get into places they shouldn’t be, and cause havoc.... Read more »
Kjersti Aagaard, Kevin Riehle, Jun Ma, Nicola Segata4, Toni-Ann Mistretta, Cristian Coarfa, Sabeen Raza, Sean Rosenbaum, Ignatia Van den Veyver, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Dirk Gevers, Curtis Huttenhower, Joseph Petrosino, James Versalovic. (2012) A Metagenomic Approach to Characterization of the Vaginal Microbiome Signature in Pregnancy. PloS one, 7(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2010.10.087
Maria G. Dominguez-Bello, & et al. (2010) Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(26). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1002601107
- June 9, 2012
- 12:30 PM
- 259 views
Helical bacteria: the benefits of being twisted
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
One of the first things you learn in bacteriology is that bacteria come in different shapes. Not a huge range of shapes admittedly, but the main shapes are spherical, rod-shaped, or spiral. Spherical bacteria make sense – a sphere has the largest surface area for a given volume which means that the bacteria can absorb as many nutrients from the outside world as possible and easily diffuse them throughout the cell. Likewise a rod is a good shape for bacteria that move around a lot, giving t........ Read more »
Frirdich E, Biboy J, Adams C, Lee J, Ellermeier J, Gielda LD, Dirita VJ, Girardin SE, Vollmer W, & Gaynor EC. (2012) Peptidoglycan-modifying enzyme Pgp1 is required for helical cell shape and pathogenicity traits in Campylobacter jejuni. PLoS pathogens, 8(3). PMID: 22457624
Sycuro LK, Wyckoff TJ, Biboy J, Born P, Pincus Z, Vollmer W, & Salama NR. (2012) Multiple peptidoglycan modification networks modulate Helicobacter pylori's cell shape, motility, and colonization potential. PLoS pathogens, 8(3). PMID: 22457625
- May 27, 2012
- 08:10 AM
- 278 views
The Bacteria that Commit Honourable Suicide
In multicellular organisms it is essential that every cell behaves and does the job it was produced to perform. The survival of a multicellular organism depends on this - every cell in your body is tightly controlled in terms of how big it can grow (fairly big), when it can reproduce (almost never) and what sort of metabolic processes it may carry out. And, like a dystopian sci-fi future, any cell that steps out of line is put to death. Not by surrounding cells, but by it’s own internal p........ Read more »
Lewis, K. (2000) Programmed Death in Bacteria. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 64(3), 503-514. DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.64.3.503-514.2000
Robinson, R. (2012) In E. coli, Interrupting One Death Pathway Leads You Down Another. PLoS Biology, 10(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001278
- May 12, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 329 views
Ancient Diseases of Human Ancestors
I’ve written before about ancient diseases of the ice age, but this time I’m going even further back in time, to diseases that were present in the first human-like hominids. Although many human infections only developed after human settlements and animal domistication, early human ancestors would still have been fighting off bacteria and other nasty diseases. Some of these diseases are still around today.... Read more »
Trueba G, & Dunthorn M. (2012) Many neglected tropical diseases may have originated in the Paleolithic or before: new insights from genetics. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 6(3). PMID: 22479653
Monot, M., Honoré, N., Garnier, T., Zidane, N., Sherafi, D., Paniz-Mondolfi, A., Matsuoka, M., Taylor, G., Donoghue, H., Bouwman, A.... (2009) Comparative genomic and phylogeographic analysis of Mycobacterium leprae. Nature Genetics, 41(12), 1282-1289. DOI: 10.1038/ng.477
Diavatopoulos DA, Cummings CA, Schouls LM, Brinig MM, Relman DA, & Mooi FR. (2005) Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, evolved from a distinct, human-associated lineage of B. bronchiseptica. PLoS pathogens, 1(4). PMID: 16389302
- May 5, 2012
- 05:30 AM
- 312 views
Pathogens that feed off human blood
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
Bacteria may be tiny little micro-organisms but like any other living creature there are certain molecules that they need for survival. No matter what niche a bacterial colony occupies, it eventually requires a source of iron. For bacteria that live within the human body, there is one incredibly iron-rich molecule that circulates throughout the human body and can be found permeating the tissues.... Read more »
Pishchany G, & Skaar EP. (2012) Taste for blood: hemoglobin as a nutrient source for pathogens. PLoS pathogens, 8(3). PMID: 22412370
Pishchany, G., McCoy, A., Torres, V., Krause, J., Crowe, J., Fabry, M., & Skaar, E. (2010) Specificity for Human Hemoglobin Enhances Staphylococcus aureus Infection. Cell Host , 8(6), 544-550. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2010.11.002
- March 12, 2012
- 10:00 AM
- 571 views
Deadly cocktails for killing bacteria
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
As a general rule in life there is always a bigger fish – for every predator there is a bigger one lurking that is ready to eat it. However it is also worth remembering that there is usually always a smaller fish as well; for every small irritating parasite there is something that can infect it. Bacteria are no exception.... Read more »
Gu J, Liu X, Li Y, Han W, Lei L, Yang Y, Zhao H, Gao Y, Song J, Lu R.... (2012) A method for generation phage cocktail with great therapeutic potential. PloS one, 7(3). PMID: 22396736
- March 1, 2012
- 11:00 AM
- 411 views
How to form a species (in the world of the Very Small)
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
A species is one of those things that is harder to define than it looks. While it’s clear that (for example) a rat is a different species than a dog, the more closely related animals get, the harder it is to properly put them into species. Usual definitions involve the sharing of physical characteristics (although the physical characteristics shared between a Great Dane and a Shih Tzu can be harder to ascertain…) and the fundamental idea of breeding. If two species can interbreed to........ Read more »
Cadillo-Quiroz H, Didelot X, Held NL, Herrera A, Darling A, Reno ML, Krause DJ, & Whitaker RJ. (2012) Patterns of gene flow define species of thermophilic archaea. PLoS biology, 10(2). PMID: 22363207
- February 26, 2012
- 05:50 AM
- 356 views
Gastric ulcer bacteria hide from the immune system
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
A while ago, I wrote about how Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers and are implicated in certain stomach cancers, cause the cells of the stomach wall to die. H. pylori kills cells very sneakily, by releasing a chemical that causes them to commit suicide. It turns out that this is not the only sneaky trick H. pylori has, it can also hide from the immune system by changing its outer cell membrane.... Read more »
Cullen TW, Giles DK, Wolf LN, Ecobichon C, Boneca IG, & Trent MS. (2011) Helicobacter pylori versus the host: remodeling of the bacterial outer membrane is required for survival in the gastric mucosa. PLoS pathogens, 7(12). PMID: 22216004
- February 12, 2012
- 11:10 AM
- 478 views
How the TB bacteria bursts your cells
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
The bacteria that causes Tuberculosis is a nasty little beast. The white blood cells that clear infection in your body work by ingesting bacteria and then breaking them up, and the TB escapes this by letting itself get ingested and then sitting inside your white blood cells. They don’t sit passively, however, they burst out of the cell and recruit a whole host of other blood cells which surround the infection and form what’s called a granuloma. The bacteria stay inside the granuloma ........ Read more »
Simeone R, Bobard A, Lippmann J, Bitter W, Majlessi L, Brosch R, & Enninga J. (2012) Phagosomal Rupture by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Results in Toxicity and Host Cell Death. PLoS pathogens, 8(2). PMID: 22319448
- February 7, 2012
- 10:00 AM
- 354 views
Sticky bacteria and the benefits of staying still
I’ve written before about the many ways that bacteria can move around. Considering that they’re just one cell long, micro-organisms have a whole range of ways to travel through their little world. Movement is useful for finding food and for changing your environment when all nearby resources have been exhausted. For bacteria that can’t move, however, or that don’t want to move, there is a second option; they can park themselves on a nearby surface and settle down to wait......... Read more »
Busscher HJ, & van der Mei HC. (2012) How do bacteria know they are on a surface and regulate their response to an adhering state?. PLoS pathogens, 8(1). PMID: 22291589
- January 10, 2012
- 01:00 AM
- 436 views
Discrete steps to antibiotic resistance
I’ve been getting so exited about the awesome powers of bacteria on this blog lately that I’ve been neglecting to cover the nasty bacteria. More specifically the fascinating world of antibiotics, the antimicrobial elements that bacteria and fungi produce and that humans exploit, manufacture and synthesise in order to protect against bacterial infections.... Read more »
Toprak, E., Veres, A., Michel, J., Chait, R., Hartl, D., & Kishony, R. (2011) Evolutionary paths to antibiotic resistance under dynamically sustained drug selection. Nature Genetics, 44(1), 101-105. DOI: 10.1038/ng.1034
- January 4, 2012
- 11:00 PM
- 525 views
How bacteria sneak into your blood through your mouth
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
The inside of the human body is a bacteria-free zone. Bacteria are certainly within you, but they exist only in areas that have a direct channel to the outside world, such as the mouth, intestines and the surface of the skin. These areas are well protected by a layer of cells (epithilial cells) which form a protective barrier to keep away the nasties of the outside world. That’s why there are healthy stomach bacteria, but no healthy liver bacteria. From a certain point of view your lungs a........ Read more »
Fardini, Y., Wang, X., Témoin, S., Nithianantham, S., Lee, D., Shoham, M., & Han, Y. (2011) Fusobacterium nucleatum adhesin FadA binds vascular endothelial cadherin and alters endothelial integrity. Molecular Microbiology, 82(6), 1468-1480. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07905.x
- November 16, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 505 views
Bacteria with bodies – multicellular prokaryotes
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
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Bacteria with bodies – multicellular prokaryotes
By S.E. Gould | November 16, 2011 |
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Bacterial cells are fundamentally different to the cells of multicellular animals such as humans. They are far smaller, with less internal organisation and no nucleus (they have DNA but it is not packaged safely within a membrane). Because of this bacteria are almost ........ Read more »
Flores, E., & Herrero, A. (2009) Compartmentalized function through cell differentiation in filamentous cyanobacteria. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 8(1), 39-50. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2242
- November 14, 2011
- 08:02 AM
- 678 views
How cancer-causing bacteria force your cells to die
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
The discovery that stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria is quite recent and was proved fairly conclusively in 1984 when the Australian scientist Barry Marshall drank a petri-dish full of the bacteria Helicobacter pylori and five days later developed serious gastritis, which cleared after antibiotic treatment. As stomach ulcers are quite common, and can be a major source of duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer, the discovery that they could be treated by a course of antibiotics was of major medic........ Read more »
Jain P, Luo ZQ, & Blanke SR. (2011) Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) engages the mitochondrial fission machinery to induce host cell death. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(38), 16032-7. PMID: 21903925
- November 2, 2011
- 07:00 PM
- 555 views
How to explore a protein
by Lab Rat in Lab Rat Blog
I’m doing a journal club presentation tomorrow, where I take a paper apart in front of my lab through the medium of powerpoint. It’s a nice short little paper but it does bring up some interesting points and also works as a prime example of a very common way that scientists go about exploring how a particular protein works. There are many ways to do this, but this one is quite a common one and if everything works it can generate very nice results.
Stage one: Find your gene... Read more »
Scharf DH, Remme N, Habel A, Chankhamjon P, Scherlach K, Heinekamp T, Hortschansky P, Brakhage AA, & Hertweck C. (2011) A dedicated glutathione S-transferase mediates carbon-sulfur bond formation in gliotoxin biosynthesis. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133(32), 12322-5. PMID: 21749092
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