rnai

Even under the best conditions, crops need our assistance to survive the numerous threats that limit production. Classically, synthetic and natural compounds have been used to control insects, fungi and weeds, sometimes with negative collateral effects or fostering resistance of genetically tolerant genotypes. Todd Hauser from Trillium Ag describes his company's novel RNAi approach.  RNAi can be used to target specific insect species, and his company's design and particle-based technology appears to offer safety, effectiveness, and specificity. We discuss the use of RNAi and how it may be a key point of crop protection strategies, along with its inherent challenges.  

From the University of Texas at Austin, Vincent and Rich speak with Chris Sullivan about his work on miRNAs encoded in the genomes of polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses, and how an RNA triphosphatase restricts hepatitis C virus replication.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Guest: Chris Sullivan

Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

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Links for this episode

• Sullivan lab
• Virus-encoded miRNAs in papillomaviruses (PLoS Path)
• Murine polyomavirus miRNA promotes viruria (J Virol)
• DUSP11 helps XRN restrict hepatitis C virus (PNAS)
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Michelle Flenniken joins TWiV to talk about honeybees and the work of her laboratory on honeybee viruses.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Michelle Flenniken

Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• MSU Pollinator Health Center
• Honeybee antiviral defenses (Sci Rep)
• The buzz about honeybee viruses (PLoS Path)
• Recently identified bee viruses (Curr Op Insect Sci)
• Videos on honey bee researchat MSU, honey bee pathogens, honey bee pathogen detection (YouTube)
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks

Michelle - First 21 days of a bee's life; NPR's Hidden Brain; Varroa destructor triggers deformed wing virus in bees
Brianne - Flu Near You
Alan - Skype a Scientist program
Rich- NASA's Voyager 2 Probe Enters Interstellar Space
Kathy- Which ones are bees? And What it feels like to be a bee
Vincent - Fecal sequencing and Vaccines did not cause Rachel's autism by Peter Hotez

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Raul Andino joins Vincent and Amy to talk about the finding that a cricket paralysis virus protein restricts RNA-based immunity in insects by regulating the activity and stability of the Argonaute protein.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Amy Rosenfeld

Guest: Raul Andino

Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• TWiV 138: RISCy business with Raul Andino
• TWiV 33: Live in Philly
• Viral protein restricts insect immunity (Cell Host Micr)
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks

Amy - Insectropolis
Vincent- Genome-edited baby

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In this episode, Jerry Hayes and Barb Bloetscher escape the rain in Medina Ohio and join Jeff and Kim on the podcast.  Jerry (former FLA State Apiarist) provides an update on what he learned while at Monsanto regarding the challenges faced by those researching the use of RNAi technology to combat varroa.

It is an interesting story. The educational journey and the lessons learned will ultimately help everyone.

Barb is the current State of Ohio Apiarist and discusses the status of the honey bee in Ohio. What she reports may surprise you!

Both Jerry and Barb serve on the Honey Bee Health Coalition board and they provide an update there too.

Later in the episode, Jeff and Kim discuss plans for upcoming interviews. The NPR 1A podcast featuring Kim, Gene Brandi and Dr. Margarita López-Uribe can be heard by clicking here!

Kim wraps up the show with his Inner Covered.

Questions/Comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com

 Thanks for listening! 

Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong"

The TWiV posse considers viral insulin-like peptides encoded in fish genomes, and insect antiviral immunity by production of viral DNA from defective genomes of RNA viruses.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• ASM Microbe 2018
• Insulin-like peptides in Iridovirus genomes (PNAS)
• Dicer-2 dependent generation of cvDNA from defective genomes (Cell Host Micr)
• Carla Saleh on insect antiviral immunity (TWiV 301)
• RNAseIII ancient antiviral RNA platform (TWiV 450)
• cvDNA precursor to EVEs (TWiV 482)
• Image credit: Paul Young
• Letters read on TWiV 485

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Vegas casinos lost money on physicists
Brianne - Astronaut twin's DNA is not 7% different!
Dickson - Parasitic Diseases lecture videos
Alan - In Season blog by Donna Long
Vincent - Buckyball viruses

Listener Picks

Paul - Wine labels (front, back)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

The TWiVians present an imported case of yellow fever in New York City, and explain how a dengue virus subgenomic RNA disrupts immunity in mosquito salivary glands to increase virus replication.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• ASM Conference on Viral Manipulation of Nuclear Processes
• Roger W. Hendrix, 74 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Roger Hendrix video on TWiV #135
• Yellow fever in traveler returning from Peru (MMWR)
• Dengue subgenomic RNA in mosquito salivary gland (PLoS Path)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiV 458

This episode is brought to you by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Part of the U.S. Department of Defense, the Agency’s Chemical and Biological Technologies Department hosts the 2017 Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference to exchange information on the latest and most dynamic developments for countering chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. Find out more at http://www.cbdstconference.com

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Antibody validation Editorial Asilomar meeting report
Dickson - Despommierphotoart.com
Alan - NOAA Hurricane Hunters
Rich - Awakenings by Oliver Sacks (encephalitis lethargica)
Vincent - Goodnight Lab by Chris Ferrie

Listener Picks

Pete - Change Agent by Daniel Suarez
Paul - Pasteur's Gambit by Stephen Dando-Collins
Maureen - Discovery Documentary First in Human

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Ben tenOever joins the TWiVoli to discuss the evolution of RNA interference and his lab's finding that RNAse III nucleases, needed for the maturation of cellular RNAs, are an ancient antiviral RNA recognition platform in all domains of life.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Ben tenOever

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• RNAseIII is an ancient antiviral effector (Nature)
• Influenza suppression of RNAi (PNAS)
• Questioning mammalian antiviral RNAi (Nat Micro)
• Antiviral protection via RdRp (PLoS Path)
• Evolution of antiviral defense (Cell Host Micr)
• Letters read on TWiV 450

Weekly Science Picks

Ben - Invisible Invaders by Peter Radetsky
Kathy - ASV 2017 Virolympics Crossword solved (pdf) and National Museum of the Air Force
Rich - Columbia river gorge and Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Dickson - All the World's Earthquakes
Alan - Map of Roman roads
Vincent - Brain atlas of fly behavior

Listener Pick

Rob - Vaccinate Your Kids and Charles Darwin Natural Selection
Islam - Self-assembling virus and Virus Patterns

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

The TWiV Council explores the finding that facial appearance affects science communication, and evidence that RNA interference confers antiviral immunity in mammalian cells.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• JMBE SciComm Issue
• Facial appearance affects science communication (PNAS)
• Your face matters to science (virology blog)
• RNA based antiviral immunity in mammals (Immunity)
• How mice say nodavirus (TWiV 245)
• Press release on science meeting gender disparity
• The Traditional Lecture is Not Dead. I Would Know – I’m A Professor (virology blog)
• Sound of Silence by Disturbed (YouTube)
• Letters read on TWiV 449

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - ASV 2017 Virolympics Crossword (pdf)
Dickson - The Visible Mouse
Alan - Is profitable publishing bad for science?
Vincent - Locally Sourced Science

Listener Pick

Neva - Michael Summers interview and Virus coloring book

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

The lovely TWiV team explore evolution of our fecal virome, and the antiviral RNA interference response in the nematode C. elegans. 

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• ASM Clinical Virology Symposium
• Evolution of the human fecal virome (PNAS)
• Antiviral RNAi response in C. elegans (Curr Biol)
• Orsay virus (TWiV 123)
• Broad VSV host range (J Comp Neurol)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiV 433

This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Blue Apron is the #1 fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in the country. See what’s on the menu this week and get your first 3 meals free with your first purchase – WITH FREE SHIPPING – by going to blueapron.com/twiv

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Contact information for Senators and Representatives
Kathy - How Tumor Virology Transformed Oncology
Dickson - Seven new species of Peacock Spider
Vincent - Proposed NIH budget cut and Expensive Oxford Comma

Listener Pick

Kim - Pigeon Fashion Week (TWiEVO 7)
Richard - aeroMorph and Understanding Molecular Evolution
Johnye - Ice Instruments and Fahrenheit and Celsius

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Ruth Jarrett, Glen Nemerow, and Esther Schnettler

At the Glasgow Science Festival microTALKS, Vincent speaks with Ruth, Glen, and Esther about their research on viruses and Hodgkin lymphoma, adenovirus structure and entry into cells, and interactions between arthropod borne viruses and their hosts.

Links for this episode

• Glasgow Science Festival microTALKS
• Hodgkin lymphoma (Histopath)
• HHV-6 and Hodgkin lymphoma (PLoS One)
• Adenovirus entry (PLoS Path)
• Adenovirus membrane penetration (Virology)
• Mosquito pathways that limit CHIK replication (PLoS Negl Trop Dis)
• Tick antiviral RNAi (Nucl Acids Res)
• Video of this episode - view at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiVerinoes discuss the potential for prion spread by plants, global circulation patterns of influenza virus, and the roles of Argonautes and a viral protein in RNA silencing in plants.

Links for this episode

• Prions in plants (Cell Rep) 11:35
• Global influenza virus circulation (Nature) 20:40
• Rough patch for plant RNA silencing (Lab Times) 29:50
• Role of Argonaute proteins in plant viral defense (PLoS Path) 32:15
• Rub-inoculation (YouTube) 42:45
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiV 343 4:00, 1:11:45

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thank you!

Weekly Science Picks 1:41:45

Dickson - Global rainfall and snowfall map and A Week in the Life of Rain
Alan - Automated patch clamp
Kathy - More Women in Science mini Legos
Rich - The Martian trailer
Vincent - It's a bug's life

Listener Pick of the Week

May - p53 by Sue Armstrong

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

In their final episode of the year, the TWiV team reviews ten compelling virology stories from 2013.

Links for this episode

• Antiviral RNAi (TWiV 255, 256, 263)
• MERS-CoV (TWiV 215, 223, 224, 233, 239, 247, 251, 258)
• Placental trophoblasts confer viral resistance (TWiV 241)
• Origin of REV (TWiV 248)
• Phage T7 gets a cat scan (TWiV 220)
• It's a cGAS! (TWiV 222)
• Dual virus-host arms race (TWiV 242)
• Pandoraviruses (TWiV 246, 261)
• CMV based SIV vaccine (TWiV 254)
• Threading the NEIDL
• Letters read on TWiV 265
• Video of this episode - view at YouTube

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Women in Science
Alan - Contagium
Rich - RC helicopter (demo)
Vincent - The athletic power of quadcopters

Listener Pick of the Week

Lindsay - Alcohol consumption and vaccines (Vaccine)
Johnye - The Singing Microbiologist

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiVites read listener questions and comments about public engagement in science, vaccines, RNAi, reprogramming CD8 cells to treat cancer, rabies, and much more.

Links for this episode

• Viral gifts
• Controlling plant viruses by vector control (Ann Rev Phyto)
• Flavivirus RNAi suppressor (J Virol)
• Entre probetas podcast (iTunes)
• Hedgehog central
• Reprogramming T cells for leukemia therapy (NEJM)
• Petri Dish podcast
• On Your Mind podcast
• Letters read on TWiV 264

Weekly Science Picks

Kathy - Sorting algorithms visualized
Alan - Stratodean
Rich - Art in Science by Polyxeni Potter
Vincent - Pixel Genes

Listener Pick of the Week

Judi - Olympus BioScapes Winner

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Kathy review two papers that present evidence for RNA interference as an antiviral immunity mechanism in mammals.

Links for this episode:

• World Polio Day
• Mole Day
• John Holland's publications
• RNAi is antiviral in mammals (Science)
• Antiviral RNA interference in mammals (Science)
• RNAi, antiviral after all (Science)
• Is RNA interference antiviral in mammals? (Cell Host Microbe)
• Nodamura virus (Nature)
• Ebolavirus proteins suppress RNAi (J Virol)
• Illustrated is an siRNA (orange), dicer (top right), and argonaute (bottom)
• Letters read on TWiV 256

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson - Wildlife Photographers of the Year 2013
Kathy - John Holland's Emerging Infectious Disease lecture (YouTube)
Alan - The worst part is not
Rich - The Universe in a Single Atom by Dalai Lama (Mind and Life Institute)
Vincent - The Truth about T. Rex by Brian Switek

Listener Pick of the Week

Stephen - International Institute for Species Exploration (Top 10 species choice) 

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Guests: Robert Krug and Christopher Sullivan

Vincent and Rich visit the University of Texas at Austin and meet up with Bob and Chris to talk about their work on influenza virus and microRNAs.

Links for this episode:

• Virus-encoded microRNAs (PLoS Path)
• microRNA targetomes of polyomavirus (J Virol)
• Innate and RNAi reciprocal inhibition (Cell)
• ISG15 pathway (Trends Micro)
• Role of viral NS1 protein (Virology)
• Cap-snatching (Cell)

Weekly Science Picks

Rich - Unraveling Bolero
Vincent - New botulinum toxin, DURC implications, and inconvenient truths

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Vincent, Rich, and Dickson review a meta-analysis on influenza vaccine, a killer virus in fungi that selects against RNAi, and the use of armed and targeted poxviruses for oncolytic virotherapy.

Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Rich review an adenovirus-based vaccine strategy against drug addiction, a field trial of RNAi to prevent Israeli acute paralysis virus infection in honeybees, and suppression of avian influenza transmission in transgenic chickens.

On episode #72 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan and Rich explain CRISPR/Cas, the immune system of bacteria and archaea, how novel viruses are discovered by deep sequencing of small RNAs, and the relationship between dry weather and outbreaks of West Nile virus infection.

Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

Links for this episode:

• Review on the CRISPR/cas system of bacteria and archaea
• Virus discovery by sequencing small virus-derived RNAs (paper one and two)
• Dry weather induces outbreaks of West Nile virus infection (paper and comment form)
• Vaccine needle size matters
• Participate in the Personal Genome Project

Weekly science picks:

Dickson Scientist as Chef by Dickson Despommier (pdf)
Alan Networked Organisms and Habitats (NOAH) iPhone app
Rich Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Vincent The Dish