In today’s newsletter, read about a general version of Hamilton’s rule in evolution, the secrets of symbiosis in plants, and repairing damaged heart tissue. Plus, what is it like to be a member of an NIH study section when budgets are being cut and meetings are being cancelled?

– Peter Rodgers, Chief Magazine Editor

Micrograph of MRSA bacteria. Image Credit: NIAID. (CC BY 2.0)

Trading resistance

Researchers have proposed that it might be possible to eliminate drug-resistant bacteria by treating them with a type of virus called a phage, which can infect and kill bacteria. Although bacteria can also become resistant to phages, there is sometimes an evolutionary trade-off: as bacteria become more resistant to phages, they become less resistant to antibiotics. A new study published in eLife suggests that this approach might work with MRSA, a group of infectious bacteria that is particularly prevalent in hospitals and nursing homes.

2-minute read

Targeting cellular senescence for better disc health

Back pain is frequently caused by damage to the discs between the vertebrae, and cellular senescence – a process associated with aging – makes the problem worse because it stops the cells in these discs dividing. Senescent cells can be eliminated with drugs, but these can also have off-target effects on nearby healthy cells. Now researchers have shown that proteins called platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) can counter the effects of senescence on cells in intervertebral discs. This work is discussed further in a related Insight article: Senescence: Returning aging cells to productivity.

2-minute read

Evolutionary Biology: Embracing the complexity of cooperation
Although struggles for survival are common in the natural world, there are also many remarkable examples of cooperation: from microbes to insects to humans, organisms work together in a variety of ways to gather and share resources, to build habitats, and to defend against common threats. In 1964 the evolutionary biologist WD Hamilton proposed a now-famous rule to explain when cooperative behavior is favoured by natural selection. Now, as this Insight article highlights, Matthijs van Veelen of the University of Amsterdam has developed a general version of Hamilton’s rule that allows arbitrary nonlinear relationships to be included in any interaction between two organisms.

4-minute read

Symbiosis: How plants pick their friends

Plants have elaborate systems to defend themselves against bacteria, fungi and other pathogens, but they also rely on specific bacteria and fungi to help them capture nutrients from their environment. Plants recognize these beneficial microbes via cell surface receptors, but the processes by which the microbes go on to bypass the immune defences of the plant remain poorly understood. Now, as this Insight article explains, a new study published in eLife has shown that the phosphorylation of a protein called RIN4 has a central role in helping soybean develop a mutually beneficial relationship with rhizobia, a bacteria that helps plant to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere.

4-minute read

Cardiac Repair: Aiming for spatial and temporal control of gene expression
Zebrafish are well known for their capacity to regenerate damaged tissue. Researchers have also shown that genetic elements involved in heart regeneration in zebrafish can improve heart repair in both mice and pigs. However, as these genetic elements lead to a proliferation of cells, it is vital that they are only delivered to those regions of the heart where they are needed. Now, as this Insight article explains, research published in eLife has shown that bioluminescent imaging can be used to gain a better understanding of the delivery process in a mouse model of myocardial infarction.

4-minute read

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