This episode: A plasmid discovered in Antarctic archaea can create virus-like particles, membrane vesicles, and transfer itself to new hosts!
Thanks to Rick Cavicchioli for his contribution.
Download Episode (17.7 MB, 19.4 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Hypomicrogaster canadensis bracovirus
News item
Journal Paper:
Erdmann S, Tschitschko B, Zhong L, Raftery MJ, Cavicchioli R. 2017. A plasmid from an Antarctic haloarchaeon uses specialized membrane vesicles to disseminate and infect plasmid-free cells. Nat Microbiol 2:1446.
Other interesting stories:
Probiotic bacteria good at metabolizing potentially helpful plant compounds (paper) Bacteria can harvest precious metals from waste to make catalytic particles (paper) Bacteria help mice avoid chemotherapy-induced autoimmunity (paper) Exercise could be healthy partly because it modifies gut microbe community Gut microbe community may help some bats live long (paper)
Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!
Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook
