Monday, December 1, 2014

Animals Steal Defenses from Bacteria



Research led by Joseph Mougous, University of Washington Department of Microbiology Associate Professor, and colleges has shown that animals can “steal” defense mechanisms from bacteria. Bacteria use deadly toxins that they can inject into rival cells when competing with other bacteria for resources in the environment. 



When going through genome databases, the team saw that toxin genes thought to only be present in bacteria were also present in several animals. Among such animals are several species of ticks and mites. The genes from bacteria had become a permanent part of the genome in certain animals through horizontal gene transfer.

The deer tick in particular is known to transmit Lyme disease, which is caused by a bacterium. The toxin in the ticks’ gut and saliva are used to control bacteria. The researchers observed that when the production of toxin was reduced in the tick, the levels of the Lyme disease bacterium rose. 

The research was published in the journal Nature under the title “Transferred interbacterial antagonism genes augment eukaryotic innateimmune function.

It is interesting how not only can horizontal gene transfer can be done not only from one bacteria to another, but now it is being seen in bacteria and other organisms. This can become a new way to manipulate the genes in organisms. And considering I live in a wooded area with plenty of ticks, I am looking forward to them understanding more about these toxins and possibly helping stop the spread of Lyme disease.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting to see the horizontal gene transfer from bacteria to macro-organism like you said. Also astounding how much bacterial life within macro-organisms effects the livelihood of the host organism themselves.

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