Sunday, February 22, 2015
Bacteria Can Remember Viruses
Researchers at Rockefeller University have provided more insight on how bacteria can "remember" viruses that have attacked them in the past. The basic idea is that the microbes' genome encodes viral DNA and stores it to create enzymes that can fight off the virus when it attacks again. One of the main enzymes produced is Cas9, and it is responsible for cutting viral DNA and embedding it into the bacteria's adaptive immune system, known as CRISPR. This system operates by altering the genome of the bacteria: "adding short viral sequences called spacers in between the repeating DNA sequences. These spacers form the memories of past invaders". Then, the Cas9 enzymes comes into play again because they destroy the DNA that resemble the ones found in the spacers of the bacteria's genome. The researchers at Rockefeller University have expressed that their research could potentially push action targeting and viral cutting into a more important role in biotechnology.
I found this article to be a bit dry in terms of writing style. However, the idea within the article is pretty interesting. Being able to show that bacteria can memorize viruses for future protection is unbelievable. I didn't know viruses even bothered to infect bacteria, but this article is suggesting that bacteria are smarter than they appear. Furthermore, they have already adapted to this form of attack by outsmarting the viral DNA. In a sense, this article makes bacteria more likable (weird... I know) because they are able to protect themselves in a way that resembles the human immune system.
Original Article
Learn More About CRISPR
Labels:
bacterial DNA,
virus' DNA
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I also did not know that viruses could attack bacteria but the fact that these bacteria can remember what virus attacked them and then later defend themselves from it is amazing. This made me wonder whether the bacteria in our own bodies could be attacked by a virus and behave in a similar fashion and act the same way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting to know that bacteria can remember viruses that have attacked them! I'm curious to see if this could be merged in someway to create a medication to lower the risk of viruses in humans and add beneficial bacteria.
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