Microbiology

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Exploring Drug-Microbiome Interactions in Complex Bacterial Communities

Many human medications can directly inhibit the growth and alter the function of the bacteria that constitute our gut microbiome.

25 Sep 2024

Unveiling the Molecular Mechanisms of Shigella flexneri Infection

Virginia Tech researchers have learned how bacteria manipulate molecules to infect the host organism.

23 Sep 2024

AI-Driven Insights into Lasso Peptide Biosynthesis

Lasso peptides are natural products made by bacteria. Their unusual lasso shape endows them with remarkable stability, protecting them from extreme conditions. In a new study, published in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers have constructed and tested models for how these peptides are made and demonstrated how this information might be used to advance lasso peptide-based drugs into the clinic.

23 Sep 2024

Harnessing the Power of Beneficial Bacteria to Fight Enterobacteriaceae

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections often occur in patients with chronic inflammatory intestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and in patients who have taken antibiotics for a long time. Gram-negative bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae are a common cause of these infections and have few treatment options. Fecal microbiota transplants have shown promise to curb some of these infections, but their composition varies between batches and they aren't always successful.

23 Sep 2024

Study Finds How Plants Limit Viral Spread to Progeny with RNA Interference

Scientists have learned how plants keep viruses from being passed to their offspring, a finding that could ensure healthier crops.

20 Sep 2024

IgM Antibodies Offer Protection Against Staph Infections

One of the main sources of community- and hospital-acquired infections is Staphylococcus aureus, well known for its antibiotic-resistant variation Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

18 Sep 2024

Modified Nucleotides Boost saRNA Vaccine Efficacy and Protection Against SARS-CoV-2

Modified nucleotides like m5C in saRNA enhance vaccine efficacy, stability, and reduce inflammation, offering a promising approach for SARS-CoV-2 protection.

18 Sep 2024

Research Sheds Light on Plant-Microbe Interactions and Auxin Hormone Effects

Gazing out on a freshwater pond, you may see tiny green plants with oval shaped leaves floating in clusters.

16 Sep 2024

Soil pH Influences Microbial Community Formation and Nitrogen Cycling

Though a founding concept of ecology suggests that the physical environment determines where organisms can survive, modern scientists have suspected there is more to the story of how microbial communities form in the soil.

15 Sep 2024

Study Reveals Key Role of SAR11 Bacteria in Marine Nutrient Cycles

If you were to collect all the organisms from the ocean surface down to 200 meters, you'd find that SAR11 bacteria, though invisible to the naked eye, would make up a fifth of the total biomass.

12 Sep 2024

Global Ocean Microbiome Catalogue Opens New Frontiers In Marine Bioprospecting

Recent advancements in sequencing have led to the GOMC, a comprehensive catalog of marine microbiomes, enhancing prospects for biotechnological applications.

12 Sep 2024

New Strategies to Block Insect-Borne Virus Transmission

Viruses are master parasites that have evolved to infect a variety of host species.

11 Sep 2024

Study Proposes Using Virus-Based Vectors to Enhance Crop Performance

Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not.

11 Sep 2024

Study Reveals How Surface Properties Affect Bacterial Motility

As bacteria continue to become more resistant to antibiotics, it will be harder to treat bacterial infections, leading to more severe illnesses, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality rates.

10 Sep 2024

Study Unveils How Bacteria Thrive Within the Nucleus of Deep-Sea Mussels

Most animals live in intimate relationships with bacteria. Some of these bacteria live inside the cells of their hosts, but only very few are able to live inside cell organelles (structures inside the cell, like organs in the body).

9 Sep 2024

Decoding the Infant Microbiome's Three Pioneers

Researchers discovered that newborn newborns had one of three pioneer bacteria in their stomach immediately after birth, one of which might be exploited to generate novel personalized infant therapeutic probiotics.

9 Sep 2024

A Computational Approach to Understanding Microbiome Formation

Almost all multicellular creatures on Earth form symbiotic relationships with extremely extensive and complex microbial communities known as microbiomes.

9 Sep 2024

Common Skin Fungus Identified as a Potential Factor in Tumor Growth

A common skin fungus, Malassezia globosa may invade deep tissues through the skin or by other means, then cause tumor growth, according to a new study.

6 Sep 2024

LSTM Research Identifies 91 RNA Viruses in Parasitic Worms

New research shows that parasitic nematodes, responsible for infecting more than a billion people globally, carry viruses that may solve the puzzle of why some cause serious diseases.

5 Sep 2024

Atypical B Cells Play a Central Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Response

Vaccines function by strengthening defenses against viruses that invade human bodies. Vaccination against COVID-19 teaches the human immune system's specialized B cells how to identify the virus.

5 Sep 2024