Friday, November 20, 2020

Bacterium using sRNA to communicate with squid host relationship

This article is with regards to the Hawaiian bobtail squid and the mutualistic relationship that it has with a bacterium, V. Fischeri. The bacterium is known to be recruited by squid in a symbiont manner in the light organ to aid in camouflage during night time hunting of the squid. The bacterium creates sRNA in which helps communicates with the squids immune response, and ultimately act as an inhibitor to gene response of the immune system via these signals. This creates an overall mutualistic relationship between the two organisms in which the bacteria is allowed to survive within the tissues of the squid while it aids in the "fitness" of the animal. The article provides a brief understanding of how these mutualistic relationships between these organisms are established and that the information previously gathered on the genetics of the bacterium are not completely understood. It shows that some bacterium do have the ability to communicate between the host and create a relationship based on passing information through RNA. Overall the article is rather interesting in terms of genetics and the way some relationships may form between even the smallest organisms and their ability to manipulate the environment using RNA to form this relationship. It provides perspective more in depth into the animal world and understanding that there may be a lot more of these relationships that are behaving in the same manner, even in a parasitic situation, and being able to understand this may help with creating gene response based on the communication from the RNA to regress other harmful or serious genetic issues if understood to the maximum potential.

1 comment:

  1. This post is really interesting! There are a lot of mutualistic and parasitic relationships in the ocean between bacterium and different organisms. Its really interesting to see it in a genetic aspect. I wonder if humans have any specific relationship with bacterium where RNA is used to form a relationship in a non-negative way? I also wonder if science would be able to change or alter the RNA exchange between the squid and the bacterium and what kind of effect would it have on the squids ability to camouflage at night?