All Kobe University articles
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NewsDeadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids
Deadwood-decomposing fungi feed germinating orchids, providing the carbon their tiny seeds don’t have. The finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem.
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NewsWorld’s first discovery of a mysterious tubular structure in citrus pest symbionts
A multinational research team has discovered a mysterious tubular structure — previously unknown in any organism — within Profftella, a symbiotic bacterium associated with a major global citrus pest.
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NewsBiodegradable PET alternative bioproduced at unprecedented levels
The PET-alternative PDCA is biodegradable and has superior physical properties. A team of bioengineers has engineered E. coli bacteria to produce the compound from glucose at unprecedented levels and without byproducts — and opened up a realm of possibilities for the future of bioengineering.
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NewsMicrobes revealed as missing link in potato cyst nematode cycle
Potatoes produce a molecule that is converted by microbes and causes potato parasites to hatch. The discovery of this three-way relationship not only adds a new perspective to how plants interact with their environment, it also opens a path to countermeasures.
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NewsNo more copy-pasting: DNA base editing for better Lactobacillus strains
Scientists were able to edit the DNA of Lactobacillus strains directly without a template from other organisms. This technique is indistinguishable from natural variation and enabled them to create a strain that doesn’t produce diabetes-aggravating chemicals.
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NewsEvaluating DNA impurities in recombinant adeno-associated virus
A new study indicates that DNA impurities derived from plasmid and host cell DNA are encapsulated into recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) capsids as single-stranded DNA.
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NewsWe feed gut microbes sugar, they make a compound we need
Gut microbes that were thought to feed exclusively on dietary fiber are also fed sugar from our guts, from which they produce short-chain fatty acids that are crucial to many body functions.
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NewsScientists offer user manual for yeast’s genetic switches
Scientists have found three gene regulation design principles that provide a flexible guideline for the effective control of microbiological production using yeast.
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NewsBioengineered yeast mass produces herbal medicine
Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of bioengineers have combatted this by manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations.
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NewsStudy uncovers how Covid-19 is so good at defeating the innate immune response
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell’s innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.
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NewsScientist devises test feed for fungal ‘micro-machine’ that breaks down wood
Researchers investigating a molecular machine found in fungi that decomposes wood into its basic components have come up with a test feed that allows them to observe its close-to-natural action, opening the door to putting it to industrial application.
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NewsScientists trace source and spread of HIV variant in Indonesia
A new study traces where the dominant HIV variant in Indonesia came from and how it spread from there, offering insights of possible value to the development of treatments against the disease.
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NewsA microbial plastic factory for high-quality green plastic
Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water.
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NewsUnique marimo threatened by rising lake temperatures
Rising lake water temperatures threaten the survival of marimo, unique algal balls found only in cold lakes - the warmer it gets, the more the inward decomposition outpaces the outward growth of these life forms, making them increasingly fragile.
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NewsScientists find ancient virus genome link to autism
An international research collaboration has made new discoveries regarding autism onset in mouse models.
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NewsTwo fungi join forces to rampage through fig trees
Researchers have identified a fungus, Fusarium kuroshium, which is harmless by itself, but ravages fig trees when found together with Ceratocystis ficicola, which is transmitted by an ambrosia beetle, Euwallacea interjectus.