The Stolen Gene Between the Whitefly and Plants

The stolen plant gene in the tobacco whitefly, B. tabaci, was found to have elude its host's defences in the whitefly. The first known example of natural gene transfer from a plant to an insect enables it to neutralize a toxin to defend against insects. Whiteflies are usually vulnerable to the certain toxin destroy agricultural plants all over the world which is dangerous for the crop because they take in a sugary sap from different plants while excreting honeydew that serves as a breeding ground for mould. Additionally, whiteflies are the main reason for more than 100 pathogenic plant viruses which hinders the plants' ability to produce certain nutrients. Stolen genes are common between plants and pests and have been common for over millions of years to allow for the development of defensive or offensive strategies. For example, some insects have stolen microbial genes to extract more nutrients and fight off diseases. In the tobacco whitefly, one unknown stolen gene was found to have not evolved in other insects or microbes but evolved in plants. This gene allowed for the transfer of a defensive compound called phenolic glycosides, which keeps pests off. The gene was tested between whiteflies and tomatoes found that the flies that fed on the tomatoes died, which meant that the stolen gene worked and could be beneficial in the future for crop protection. 

Genetically Modified Fungus Kills Parasites

Metarhizium phinghaense is a green fungus that has the ability to kill insects when they come in contact with it.  This fungus is now undergoing studies to see if it can be used to kill insecticide-resistant mosquitoes that carry the Malaria pathogen and prevent the spread of disease.
Researchers have genetically modified the Metarhizium phinghaense fungus to carry a toxin responsible for killing off the mosquitoes, including those carrying Malaria pathogen, called the spider bite toxin.  It is a hybrid toxin that enters the blood of mosquitoes, called hemolymph.  This toxin not only kills the mosquito and stops the transfer of Malaria, but it kills the pathogen themselves so it can't be picked up within the environment.

Brkina Faso, West Africa

In Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, a study was done to assay the effectiveness of the Metarhizium phinghaense hybrid fungus.  I was performed here because in 2017, 219 million cases of malaria were reported and 92% of those cases originated in Africa, and 93% of the deaths originated in Africa as well.  To perform the study they secured the area with mosquito nets preventing new mosquitos to enter or case study mosquitos to exit.  In their findings that introduced the hybrid fungus to the mosquitos, the fungus killed off 2 generations of mosquitos.
This genetic modification could be the start of bringing down Malaria cases more than 50% percent if everyone would plant them outside of there homes, villages, etc.  The mortality rate would significantly decrease as well.  Although this discovery has great benefits, what would be the consequence to genetically modifying the Metarhizium phinghaense fungus?

Original Article: Science News

Oxygen - The New Antibiotic

Along with being antibiotic resistant, bacteria have also adopted sleep as a form of survival. By using toxin antitoxin systems, bacteria can become dormant to resist antibiotic attacks and awaken as soon as their environment permits. These systems, also referred to as biofilm, are responsible for 80% of infections and are often the reason bacteria are referred to as antibiotic resistant.

Earlier this month, Thomas K. Wood and his colleagues analyzed the first known toxin antitoxin system produced by E. coli in a biofilm. It is most unique because it is also the first system found to be dependent upon oxygen. The research conducted revealed that the antitoxin structure produced by the bacteria had passageways big enough to allow oxygen to flow through it. Toxin Hha and antitoxin TomB need oxygen to work. TomB, in conjunction with oxygen, oxidize Hha to wake up dormant bacteria after being stressed.

The research also reveals that only 10% oxygen is enough to awaken the bacteria, and using the oxygen passageways, an entire colony of bacteria can be manipulated into breaking up and dispersing biofilm so an actual antibiotic may be able to attack the active bacteria.

Although interesting, I did not entirely understand how this information can be applied into a human bacterial infection. Normal blood oxygen levels can be anywhere from 95-100%, so how would this knowledge be applied when prescribing an antibiotic treatment? It probably is more useful as prophylactic, to prevent biofilms from forming in the body all together to prevent bacteria from going dormant in order to cure an infection faster.

Image taken from http://news.psu.edu/photo/441070/2016/12/08/toxin-antitoxin-002

Grass Species Removes Toxin

The cost of having an army or military is not just money wise but also environmental. The artillery shells that are fire for practice to better train our soldiers leave a trace of a toxic organic compound known as RDX. If enough of the compound is ingested, it can lead to organ damage, and seizures. The problem is not in the air a person breaths near the contamination but what is happening underground. When the shells are fired they drop to the ground where the soil absorbs the RDX. When it rains the compound is pushed further down into the earth where there are natural water reserves which get contaminated. The water then gets pump up for drinking purposes and people get ill.

Science have been able to modify a transgenic grass species to be able to absorb the RDX into its roots. The is just the begin. The plant is actually able to cover the RDX into nitrogen which makes the plant grow bigger but also gets rid of the complete trace of the RDX. "UW engineers introduced two genes from bacteria that learned to eat RDX and break it down into harmless components in two perennial grass species: switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera)"(Sciencedaily). Normal grass is able to absorb the toxin too but when it dies the toxin gets release back into the environment, it is not able to get rid of it. The grass species have not been approved by the USDA yet, since they need to make sure it will not start to take over or be harmful to the environment. If this grass species does get approved, does what it is supposed to, it can be planted and maintained with little cost which would help contaminated areas get cleaned up in a couple of weeks. One of the study done took a contaminated area less than two weeks to clean up. The speed this species is able to do it is amazing.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161122182355.htm