SHIKUMA LAB RESEARCH
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We believe microbes are fundamental to animal biology. We determine how bacteria-promote animal development by studying model host-microbe interactions. This illustration depicts the swimming larvae of bottom-dwelling marine animals such as tubeworms, which identify a suitable location on the sea floor to live out their juvenile and adult life based in part on the presence of specific bacteria embedded within a surface-bound biofilm. Illustration credit: Leah Pantéa (Wholon; https://www.wholon.org/). Learn More: Cavalcanti et al. 2021 Annual Review of Microbiology Shikuma 2021 mSystems |
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Undergraduate student, Katherine Shaw, presents an overview of the work performed in the Shikuma Lab.
Check out our ScienceGlass YouTube channel for more outreach videos like this one. |
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'Death Stars' from Bacteria We discovered that bacteria produce tiny syringe-like structures that inject toxins into animal cells. These syringes could someday be harnessed for biotechnology purposes to deliver therapeutics to human cells.
Learn more: Rocchi et al. Cell Reports 2019 Ericson et al. eLife 2019 |
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Bacteria-Induced Metamorphosis Bacteria-induced metamorphosis is critical for coral reef formation and causes the costly accumulation of encrusting organisms on the hulls of ships (i.e., biofouling). However, the molecular interactions that mediate bacteria-stimulated development remain enigmatic.
Read more about bacteria-mediated metamorphosis in our recent publication: PNAS DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1603142113. |
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Bacteria Wield Harpoon-Like Structures to Induce Animal Metamorphosis We identified a harpoon-like structure that induces metamorphosis. These structures are related to bacterial viruses (the tail of bacteriophage). We named these structures MACs (Metamorphosis Associated Contractile structures).
Read more about MACs in our recent publication: Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1246794. |
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A MODEL FOR MICROBE-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS Studying a simple bacteria-animal interaction will expand our fundamental understanding of how bacteria benefit animals and potentially yield new methods to manipulate microbes for beneficial purposes.
We study the tubeworm, Hydroides elegans, which require interactions with bacteria to metamorphose and complete their lifecycle. |
Our Research is Funded By The Following Organizations
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