How does an intestinal microbe become a pathogen?
The bacterium Escherichia coli is found in the human intestine, and elsewhere. There it is harmless, but in certain conditions it can become a pathogen. It can cause bladder infections or even sepsis. A team of researchers led by RESIST professor Mar.....»»
Ocean microbes team up brilliantly to gather food when it"s scarce
What's a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron—to survive, yet in vast expanses of the ocean, nutrients are extremely scarce. And the stakes are high: Marine microbial comm.....»»
Scientists identify new gut-liver drug recycling process
A team of pharmaceutical researchers is reporting a newly recognized process of drug metabolism in the intestines - followed by recycling through the liver - that could have important implications for developing treatments for intestinal diseases and.....»»
Unique pigments in photosynthetic marine bacterium reveal how it lives in low light
A high-resolution structural analysis by RIKEN biochemists of photosystem I, which contains chlorophyll d and pheophytin a, the light-absorbing pigments found in a marine bacterium, could help scientists discover how the microbe survives in the low-e.....»»
Molecules Produced By Gut Bacteria Could Help the Human Body Fight Cancer
The molecules produced by stomach bacteria could give the human body a helping hand when it comes to the immune system, even going so far as to help fight tumors. ScienceAlert reports: "The results are an example of how metabolites of intestinal bact.....»»
New insights into Salmonella"s survival strategies
Scientists have analyzed how the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica secretes proteins to survive and thrive in infected cells. Using a novel approach, which for the first time allows scientists to study which host cell proteins are targeted b.....»»
New insights into Salmonella"s survival strategies
Cells fight microbial invaders by engulfing them into membrane sacs—hostile environments in which pathogens are rapidly destroyed. However, the pathogen Salmonella enterica, which grows and reproduces inside cells, has evolved ways to detoxify such.....»»
How the potato blight pathogen penetrates the plant
In the 19th century, the notorious pathogen Phytophthora infestans caused a large famine in Ireland and other parts of Western Europe. To this day, it continues to pose a major threat to global food production. It has long been a mystery how this mic.....»»
Kiwi disease study finds closely related bacterial strains display different behaviors
Over the last decade, severe outbreaks of bacterial canker have caused huge economic losses for kiwi growers, especially in Italy, New Zealand, and China, which are among the largest producers. Bacterial canker is caused by the bacterial pathogen Pse.....»»
Why Scientists Tweak Lab Viruses to Make Them More Contagious
Some “gain of function” studies explore how a dangerous pathogen might cross species barriers to start an outbreak. They are not without controversy -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Researchers discover how the intestinal epithelium folds and moves by measuring forces
An international team led by Xavier Trepat at IBEC measures the cellular forces in mini-intestines grown in the laboratory, deciphering how the inner wall of this vital organ folds and moves. The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, opens the doo.....»»
Researchers identify microbe that protects bees from fungal infections
Honey bees are the most economically important agricultural pollinators on Earth, but their populations have been in decline for decades. At Indiana University, researchers are investigating how to use the honey bee's natural microbiome to keep them.....»»
Study finds potentially druggable process of SARS-CoV-2 replication
Of all the proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the pathogen that causes COVID-19), the spike protein is the one that gets the most attention. This attention is well-deserved—the spike protein is essential for latching on to cells and infecting a host.....»»
Irish potato famine pathogen stoked outbreaks on six continents
North Carolina State University researchers continue to track the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe......»»
Machine learning platform mines nature for new drugs
Researchers have developed a new process using machine learning algorithms to match the signals of a microbe's metabolites with its genomic signals and identify which likely correspond to a natural product. Knowing that, researchers are better equipp.....»»
Microbes protect crops from microbes
Farmers do not love them all. Microbes can cause tragic consequences for crops. Even the presence of just one pathogenic fungus or bacterium can drastically reduce yields. Still, there are exceptions. In that case, a pathogenic microbe is present in.....»»
Plant-microbe homeostasis: A delicate balancing act
Plants grown in soil are colonized by diverse microbes collectively known as the plant microbiota, which is essential for optimal plant growth in nature and protects the plant host from the harmful effects of pathogenic microorganisms and insects. Ho.....»»
Epigenetic changes drive the fate of a B cell
B cells are the immune cells responsible for creating antibodies, and most produce antibodies in response to a pathogen or a vaccine. A small subset of B cells instead spontaneously make antibodies that perform vital housekeeping functions. Understan.....»»
New screening method could lead to microbe-based replacements for chemical pesticides
Plants have evolved unique immunity mechanisms that they can activate upon detecting the presence of a pathogen. Interestingly, the presence of some nonpathogenic microorganisms can also prompt a plant to activate its systemic immunity mechanisms, an.....»»
Lemon trees showed less response to citrus greening disease pathogen than orange trees
Citrus greening disease was first discovered in Florida in 2005. Since then, production of oranges in the United States for processing has declined by 72 percent between the 2007-2008 growing season and the 2017-2018 growing season, primarily in Flor.....»»
Mapping citrus microbiomes: The first step to finding plant-microbiome treasures
Due to their complexity and microscopic scale, plant-microbe interactions can be quite elusive. Each researcher focuses on a piece of the interaction, and it is hard to find all the pieces let alone assemble them into a comprehensive map to find the.....»»