Description
This episode: Prions in yeast can allow better adaptation to changing conditions!
Download Episode (9.5 MB, 13.9 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Hepatovirus F
News item
Takeaways
Prions can be deadly. They're misshapen proteins that cause a cascade of misfolding of similar proteins if they get into the nervous system, resulting in neurodegeneration in mammals. But in other organisms, they are not always so scary; some fungi use prions to regulate their behavior in varying conditions.
In this study, a prion allows yeast to switch between a fast-growing lifestyle with shorter reproductive lifespan that can be beneficial in conditions where nutrients are often plentiful, and a slower-growing but more enduring lifestyle that helps in more scarce conditions.
Journal Paper:
Garcia DM, Campbell EA, Jakobson CM, Tsuchiya M, Shaw EA, DiNardo AL, Kaeberlein M, Jarosz DF. 2021. A prion accelerates proliferation at the expense of lifespan. eLife 10:e60917.
Other interesting stories:
Modified yeast probiotic could tune its effects as needed by sensing bowel inflammation
Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.
This episode: A virus partners with a parasitoid wasp to help exploit fruit fly victims!
Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura livida
Takeaways
Parasitoid wasps have an interesting lifestyle: they inject their eggs into the larvae of other...
Published 03/11/24
This episode: Many organisms produce the smell of earth, geosmin, and many others can sense it–but why?
Download Episode (6.0 MB, 8.7 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Acidianus spindle-shaped virus 1
News item
Takeaways
The smell of soil or earth is one of the most...
Published 01/29/24
This episode: Slime mold amoebas Fonticula alba have interesting and unique foraging and reproductive behaviors!
Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Cajanus cajan Panzee virus
News item
Takeaways
How did life develop from single-celled organisms...
Published 12/11/23