This Week in Microbiology
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330: More mouth Microbiology
TWiM explains how to recode E. coli so it uses only one stop codon, and an exploration of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion within dental plaque.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.
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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Engineering E. coli with one stop codon (Nature)
- Bacterial adhesion in dental plaque (mBio)
- Microbial complexes in subgingival plaque (J Clin Periodontol)
- Bacterial clusters in periodontal and peri-implant diseases (Microorg)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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329: Bacteria Hunt With Grappling Hooks
TWiM explains Pasteur’s relentless hunt for microbes in the air, and how bacteria hunt for prey by ixotrophy - using grappling hooks!
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.
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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Pasteur’s hunt for microbes in the air (NYTimes)
- Bacterial predation by ixotrophy (Science)
- Enter the pirates (STC)
- Take the TWiM Listener survey!
Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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328: Capturing Shigella With Filopodia
TWiM describes Shigella infection is facilitated by interaction of human enteric α-defensin 5 with a colonic epithelial receptor, and an amino acid change in RNA polymerase that leads to resistance to β-lactams by preventing dysregulation of amino acid and nucleotide metabolism
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.
Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email.
Become a patron of TWiM.
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- National Black HIV/AIDS awareness day (CDC)
- Shigella infection and human enteric alpha-defensin 5 (Nature Microbio)
- RNA polymerase amino acid change and resistance to beta-lactams (Cell Rep)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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327: Freezing and Anti-Freezing With Bacteria
TWiM explains the remarkable abilities of bacterial ice nucleating proteins to promote freezing of water, and cryoprotective proteins produced by worm microbiomes that prevent freezing.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.
Become a patron of TWiM.
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Worm microbiomes produce crytoprotective proteins (Sci Adv)
- Biological antifreeze in Antarctic fishes (Sciece)
- Enhancement of bacterial ice nucleators (PNAS)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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326: I Have One Word For You: PETase!
TWiM explores the discovery of microbial enzymes, PETases, that can degrade ubiquitous plastics, and how exogenous peptidoglycan is a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson.
Guest Mark O. Martin.
Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email.
Become a patron of TWiM.
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Discovery of PET depolymerases (Science)
- Exogenous peptidoglycan triggers biofilm formation (Nat Micro)
- What is a biofilm? (Vimeo)
- Peptidoglycan as a PAMP/MAMP (Immunol Rev)
- Light organ formation triggered by peptidoglycan (Science)
- Take the TWiM Listener survey!
Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv