437: Balmy Bacteria Build Bone

This episode: Warmth helps mice build stronger bones, mediated by
bacteria producing certain compounds!


Download Episode (6.8 MB, 9.9 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Aquaspirillum serpens


 


News item



Takeaways


Bones aren't just solid, structural supports for the body's
tissues. They're active and alive, housing important
components of the immune system, and also capable of being
broken down and built up in response to changes in the body's
interactions with the environment. Various things can affect
bone mass and health, including nutrition, temperature, age,
and even the body's microbes.


 


In this study, two of these effects are found to interact.
Warmth leads to increased bone density in mice, and this
effect can be attributed to the microbes in the mice, and
transmitted from one mouse to another just by transplanting
microbes adapted to warmth. Even the particular chemicals the
microbes produce that mediate this effect are discovered.


Journal Paper:
Chevalier C, Kieser S, Çolakoğlu M, Hadadi N, Brun J, Rigo D,
Suárez-Zamorano N, Spiljar M, Fabbiano S, Busse B, Ivanišević J,
Macpherson A, Bonnet N, Trajkovski M. 2020. Warmth Prevents Bone
Loss Through the Gut Microbiota. Cell Metab 32:575-590.e7.


Other interesting stories:



Salt-tolerant bacteria could help plants grow in coastal
areas (paper)

Fire ants like to nest near potentially antifungal bacteria




 


Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot
com. Thanks for listening!


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