[Research News] Hawaiian Bobtail Squid and Bacterial Toxins

[Phil]

Press release from Science today. This details how the bacterial toxin tracheal cytotoxin found in the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid governs organ development, yet in humans causes gonorrhea and whooping cough. This has importance in the field of antibiotic research.

News article:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/10405.html

Full press release:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/10405.html

 

[joel_ang]

Gonorrhea !?

Maybe you should be more careful around those seploids OM...

 

[WhiteKiboko]

Maybe this explains the Iraqi interest in cephs...

anyone remember this?

 

[Octomush]

Yikes!

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

VERY interesting... I especially like the emphasis on bacterial symbiosis. Makes me wonder how many other bioluminescent species have to find their own crop of bacteria.

Does anyone know if this is the case of the firefly squid or Taningia?

Another interesting thought comes to mind: Toxins are amazing things. I keep thinkning back to the use of neurotoxins in Architeuthis as a neurotransmitter assistant.

Sushi and Sake,

John

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

So wait, this chemical (the aforementioned cytotoxin), actually regulates the development of certain organs? That is gnarly.

Interesting thoughts on endosymbionts here; we're talking that the relationship between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is pretty widespread. Say, what kind of gut fauna exist in cephs?