Smoking changes microbial shifts in mouse gut, root microbiome in sugarcane, microbial life after a volcanic eruption, and disturbing developments in the olive bacterial infection situation in Italy.

Human oral microbiome

Phage-bacteria interaction network in human oral microbiome – Jinfeng Wang – Environmental Microbiology

Models of microbiome research

Precision-guided antimicrobial peptide as a targeted modulator of human microbial ecology – Lihong Guo – PNAS USA

Chronic cigarette smoke exposure induces microbial and inflammatory shifts and mucin changes in the murine gut – Liesbeth Allais – Environmental Microbiology

Use of Germ-Free Animal Models in Microbiota-Related Research – Maha Al-Asmakh – Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Animal microbiome

Use of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by a bacteria-animal symbiosis from seagrass sediments – Manuel Kleiner – Environmental Microbiology

Rodent reservoirs of future zoonotic diseases – Barbara A. Han – PNAS

Plant root and soil microbiome

Evolutionary signals of symbiotic persistence in the legume–rhizobia mutualism – Gijsbert D. A. Werner – PNAS

Inner Mongolian steppe arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities respond more strongly to water availability than to nitrogen fertilization – Xiaoliang Li – Environmental Microbiology

The core root microbiome of sugarcanes cultivated under varying nitrogen fertiliser application – Yun Kit Yeoh – Environmental Microbiology

Organic matter quantity and source affects microbial community structure and function following volcanic eruption on Kasatochi Island, Alaska – Lydia H. Zeglin – Environmental Microbiology

Water microbiome

Light availability affects stream biofilm bacterial community composition and function, but not diversity – Karoline Wagner – Environmental Microbiology

Bioreactor microbiome

Bioreactor microbial ecosystems for thiocyanate and cyanide degradation unraveled with genome-resolved metagenomics – Rose S. Kantor – Environmental Microbiology

Metagenomics

Critical biogeochemical functions in the subsurface are associated with bacteria from new phyla and little studied lineages – Laura A. Hug – – Environmental Microbiology

Combining metagenomics with metaproteomics and stable isotope probing reveals metabolic pathways used by a naturally occurring marine methylotroph – Carolina Grob – Environmental Microbiology

Extrachromosomal circular DNA is common in yeast – Henrik D. Møller – PNAS

More microbes

A noisy linear map underlies oscillations in cell size and gene expression in bacteria –
Yu Tanouchi – Nature

The Matrix Reloaded: How Sensing the Extracellular Matrix Synchronizes Bacterial Communities – Nitai Steinberg and Ilana Kolodkin-Gal – Journal of Bacteriology

Measuring ruggedness in fitness landscapes – Jeremy Van Cleve – PNAS

Microbes in the news

Microbiology: Gut Bacteria cooperate when life gets tough – Université du Luxembourg – Alpha Galileo

Does treating koala chlamydia hurt their gut microbes? – Rachel Feltman – Washington Post

Xylella bacteria increasingly affecting olive trees in Southern Europe – Wageningen UR

Italian scientists vilified in wake of olive-tree deaths: Police investigate researchers’ role in devastating bacterial epidemic – Alison Abbott – Nature

Chemists weigh intact virus mixture with mass spectrometer – Science Daily

Swapping Symbionts Enabled Mediterranean Lichen to Conquer the Arctic – Jennifer Frazer – Scientific American

Researchers explain mechanism that makes their mouthwash so effective against tooth decay – Medical Xpress

Microbes and money

Human Microbiome Market – Global Industry Analysis and Forecast to 2020, by Persistence Market Research – MedGadget

Science, publishing, and career

Retracted gay-marriage study debated at misconduct meet-up: Over rum cocktails at the World Conference on Research Integrity, experts discussed what can be learnt from the fallout of a flawed political-science paper – Richard van Noorden – Nature

Bik’s Picks

Scientists use new ‘tool sled’ to collect sea sponges that have potential to combat various diseases – Science Daily

Groundbreaking study to test metabolism of dugongs to see how much food they need to survive – ABC Australia

Seven new species of miniature frogs discovered (and they’re adorable) – Rachel Feltman – Washington Post

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