Bacillus subtilis natto is a species of bacteria that is used to ferment soy beans and their action results in the Japanese dish called Natto. Natto has powerful smell, strong flavor, and slimy texture. In addition to its use in the cuisine, they are now being celebrated in the fashion industry. Fashion industry? (Yes, I hear…Continue reading Bacteria 2 fashion
A targeted sequence panel for detecting 34 vertebrate virus families at once
The challenge in detecting a set of viruses simultaneously in clinical samples lies in the large variety of their genomes, i.e. there is no gene that is present in all viruses. With the advent of new sequencing technologies, including high throughput parallel sequence analysis, it became possible to process more sequence data. So much more…Continue reading A targeted sequence panel for detecting 34 vertebrate virus families at once
MIME: Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment – RNA viruses
MIME (Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment) is used to investigate the interaction of RNA with its respective interaction partners in greater detail. In this approach, the RNA of interest is randomly mutated and amplified. The vast pool of resulting mutated RNAs is then mixed with a possible interaction partner, e.g. a protein, is added. Next, the…Continue reading MIME: Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment – RNA viruses
New ancestral origin for Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a single stranded RNA virus that belongs to the picornaviridae (from pico: very small and RNA viruses). The virus causes hepatitis in humans, especially in areas of low socioeconomic status. Until now no related virus has been found in other species. The publication below reports for the first time that…Continue reading New ancestral origin for Hepatitis A
Chestnut leaf extracts and antibiotic resistance
An interesting publication about the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus to European Chestnut (Castanea sativa) leaf extracts. These extracts were traditionally used in folk medicine to treat skin and soft tissue infections. The active compounds within the chestnut extracts showed that quorum sensing (a way for bacteria to communicate with each other; the phenomenon is related…Continue reading Chestnut leaf extracts and antibiotic resistance
On the reprogramming of gut bacteria
Switching gene expression on and off altered Bacteroides thetaiotamicron’s response (after reintroduction into mice) through adaptation of the diet. Full text @ http://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdfExtended/S2405-4712%2815%2900006-X
Quote of the Day
Today I read a beautiful inspirational quote from Doris Lessing, who won the nobel prize for literature in 2007. It said:
An interesting link between Alzheimer’s disease and MK5
Admitted, this one is a bit of an odd one out between all the microbial stuff, but it is a subject near to my heart, as I used to work with MK5 (essentially, an enzyme that transfers phosphate groups to its substrate). During our work with the protein we suspected that the protein would play…Continue reading An interesting link between Alzheimer’s disease and MK5
A missing link between the brain and the immune system
A new discovery that will change textbooks forever: Previously it was thought that these vessels were absent in the brain, as they hadn’t been found. However, now scientists have discovered through the use of live imaging that there exist lymphatic vessels within the brain. The vessels were located very close blood vessels, which might have…Continue reading A missing link between the brain and the immune system
This site is in progress
Please be aware that this site is still under construction. Work in progress includes content as well as graphics. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at nens _ wp @ yellowcouch . org (thank you for removing the spaces).