This Week in Microbiology

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Guests: Deanna Beatty , Mark Hay , Gina Lewin , Frank Stewart , and Marvin Whiteley At Georgia Tech, members and trainees of the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection discuss the identification of pathogen essential genes during coinfections, and how coral management can improve coral defenses against pathogens. Become a patron...

From ASM Microbe 2019 in San Francisco, Vincent speaks with Victoria McGovern, Carl Nathan, and Dan Portnoy about advancing human health through innovative collaborations. Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Victoria McGovern , Carl Nathan , and Dan Portnoy Links for this episode: Getting grants (Virulence) N itric oxide synthase protects against tuberculosis (PNAS) Actin filaments and Listeria mono...

The TWiM holobionts pay tribute to Stuart Levy, and reveal the remarkably diverse array of cyclic nucleotides synthesized by bacteria that likely mediate interactions with animal and plant hosts. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Stuart Levy, Antibiotic Resistance Researcher, Dies Resistance fighter (The Scientist) Stuart Levy on TWiM 16 Stuart Levy on Meet the Scientist episode 17...

The tetracoccal TWiM team visits Tardigrades on the Moon, and the twelve year quest to isolate an archaeon that provides insights into the emergence of the first eukaryotic cell. Links for this episode: Tardigrades on the moon (Mashable) Meet the Tardigrade (WaPo) Archaeon at prokaryote-eukaryote interface (bioRxiv) Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  R...

Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Nicholas Arpaia and Tal Danino Vincent meets up with Nick and Tal to explain how they engineered E. coli to lyse within tumors and deliver an antibody that causes tumor regression in mice. Links for this episode: Programmable bacteria induce tumor immunity (Nat Med) Synchronized cycles of bacterial lysis (Nature) TWiM Listener survey Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  i...

The TWiM team reveals thousands of small novel genes in the human microbiome, and a mutualistic symbiosis between marine protists covered with magnetosome-containing bacteria. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and  Michael Schmidt Links for this episode Thousands of small novel genes in human microbiome (Cell) A magnetotactic consortium under the sea (Nat Micro) Image...

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Guest: Julie Wolf Julie joins the TWiM team to reveal how microbiome and gut anatomy of a wood-feeding beetle promotes lignocellulose deconstruction, and bacteria that degrade PET plastic. How wood-feeding beetles deconstruct lignocellulose (PNAS) Meet the Microbiologist hosted by Julie Wolf Bacteria that degrade PET...

Mark Martin joins Vincent and Michael to present compelling papers suitable for teaching microbiology to undergraduate students. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Paradigm shifts, paradigm drifts ( pdf ) Introducing THOR (mBio) Engineering bacteriophages to treat mycobacterial infection (Nat Med) Biofilms by Colter (Int Microbiol) Life in a world without microbes (PLoS Biol) Reducti...

Vincent, Michele, and Michael travel to San Diego to reminisce with Elio about his career, his work in microbiology, and his love for microbes and mushrooms. VIDEO VERSION AVAILABLE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Menlo1YvPko Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbeworld app . Become a patron of...

From ASM Microbe 2019, the Microbials meet up with Susanna L. Harris and Alex Politis to talk about mental health in graduate school and NIH peer review. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Michele Swanson and  Michael Schmidt Guests: Susanna L. Harris and Alex Politis Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email.   Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our...

The TWiM team presents an extracellular bacterium associated with Paramecium , and induction of antiviral immunity by a bacteriophage that prevents bacterial clearance. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.  You can also listen on your mobile device with the  Microbeworld app . Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Bacteria on the outside of para...

The Microbials reveal how a chemosynthetic symbiont stores energy for its marine flatworm host, and extraction of nutrients from host cells by E. coli injectisome components. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria store energy for gutless worms (PNAS) Paracatenula on TWiM #21 E. coli extracts nutrients from host cells (Cell) Image credit Music used...

The Microbials discuss how ambrosia beetles utilize ethanol to farm fungi, and how cleaved cochlin protein sequesters bacteria in the inner ear to preserve hearing function. Links for this episode: Ambrosia beetles, ethanol, and farmed fungi (PNAS) Cleaved cochlin protects the inner ear (Cell Host Microbe) Importance of flossing (ADA) Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitc...

Michael and Vincent discuss the finding of immunity to Cas9 protein in humans, and a potential role for an oral bacterium in Alzheimer's disease. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbeworld app . Become a patron   of TWiM. Links for this episode Immunity to Cas9 protein in humans   (Nat Med) P....

Vincent Racaniello ,  Michael Schmidt , Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter How a bacterium helps dengue virus replicate in the mosquito gut, and minicells as a damage disposal mechanism in E. coli. Become a patron of TWiM. Links: Please take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria help dengue virus in mosquito gu t (Cell Host Micr) Fungus helps dengue virus in mosquito gut ( TWiV 479 ) Minicells for di...

The TWiM team explore how Lactobacillus reuteri can rescue social deficits in three mouse models of autism spectrum disorder, and the role of Salmonella persisters in undermining host defenses during antibiotic treatment. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.   Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Please take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria al...

The TWiM team reveals an extremely low rate of mutation in a 2500 year old, 185 acre fungus in Michigan, and how a host-produced quorum sensing autoinducer controls the phage switch between lysis and lysogeny. Please take the TWiM listener survey Vote for NJ State Microbe Huge fungus is 2500 years old (Proc Roy Soc B) Humongous fungus (Wikipedia) Host-produced autoinducer controls phage (Cell) The...

The TWiM team reveals the oldest human plague from 4,900 years ago in Sweden, and engineering E. coli to become an endosymbiont in yeast, modeling the evolution of mitochondria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter ,   Michael Schmidt ,   and Michele Swanson Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our...

The TWiM-opods consider two stories about exosomes, vesicles that are shed from cells: those that eliminate airway pathogens, and those from the plants we eat that shape our gut microbiome. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Michael Schmidt , and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbe...

The TWiM team considers the state of the world's fungi as revealed by a report from the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, and how Salmonella loses motility to evade host defenses. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Michael Schmidt ,  Elio Schaechter , and Michele Swanson Take our listener survey. Thanks! asm.org/twimpoll Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS ,...

The TWiM rock stars show how to modify gram-positive antibiotics so they can kill gram-negative cells, and bacteria that have both DNA and RNA in their genome. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello and  Michael Schmidt Links for this episode Antibiotics for gram-positives that kill gram-negatives (J Med Chem) Sideromycin commentary (Am Council Sci Health) Bacterial genome with DNA and RNA (J Am Chem Soc) Sub...

The TWiM people reveal that phages must cooperate to overcome CRISPR-Cas defenses, and the effect of the herbicide glyphosate on the gut microbiome of honey bees. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter ,   Michael Schmidt , and Michele Swanson Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.  You can also listen on your mobile device with t...

The TWiM team describe the involvement of a microbiome in snail metamorphosis, and using Listeria to kill tumors. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Michael Schmidt , and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbeworld app . Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Links for this episode Infectious dise...

The TWiM team considers the increasing tolerance of Enterococcus to handwash alcohols, and how the study of DNA in ancient dung reveals the diet and parasite burden of extinct New Zealand birds. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.  You can also listen on your mobile device with the  Microbeworld app . Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Episo...

Sam Sternberg discusses his work on exploring and exploiting CRISPR-Cas immune systems, beginning as a graduate student with Jennifer Doudna, at a biotech start-up, and in his laboratory at Columbia University. Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guest:  Sam Sternberg  Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Links for this episode Sternberg Laboratory at Columbia Mechanism of substrate selection by Cas9 (RNA) DNA interr...