Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Biological Methods for Microbial Control01:28

Biological Methods for Microbial Control

763
Biological agents offer an effective means of controlling microbial growth by leveraging natural processes like predation, competition, and the secretion of antimicrobial substances.Predatory bacteria such as Bdellovibrio species target and kill pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. They are widely used in poultry farms to control infections. Myxococcus species help combat plant-pathogenic fungi. These naturally occurring predators serve as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides and...
763
Antimicrobial Proteins01:23

Antimicrobial Proteins

12.9K
Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
12.9K
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

479
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
479
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics01:29

Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics

920
Microorganisms play a fundamental role in vaccine development, gene therapy, and therapeutic production. Their biological properties are harnessed to advance medicine and public health. Beyond immunization, microorganisms contribute to gut health, antibiotic synthesis, and genetic disease treatment.Live Attenuated and Inactivated VaccinesLive attenuated vaccines, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, utilize weakened forms of pathogens to closely resemble natural infections.
920
Chemical Agents for Microbial Control01:27

Chemical Agents for Microbial Control

732
Chemicals play important roles in controlling microbial growth by targeting microbial structures and functions as sanitizers, antiseptics, disinfectants, and sterilants.Alcohols are commonly used sanitizers, effectively disrupting lipid membranes, which compromises cell integrity. They are also used as antiseptics and disinfectants due to their rapid action and versatility.Phenols and their derivatives phenolics , known for denaturing proteins and disrupting cell membranes, are particularly...
732
Surface Membrane Barriers01:18

Surface Membrane Barriers

2.6K
The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
2.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An engineered disulfide staple restricts lid loop dynamics and alters substrate specificity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Engineered antimicrobial-derived peptides to manipulate mixed microbial systems.

Microbiology spectrum·2026
Same author

Pharmacophore-driven antibody discovery on the yeast surface.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

High throughput screening of eukaryotic release factor 1 variants to enhance noncanonical amino acid incorporation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

A Novel Phosphatase Reverses the Leloir Pathway to Promote Tagatose Synthesis from Glucose.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Directed evolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases through in vivo hypermutation.

Nature communications·2025
Same journal

A human-specific genetic modifier reconfigures large-scale cortical network dynamics underlying behavioral performance.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> uses a eukaryotic-like uridyltransferase to make UDP-GlcNAc for cell wall synthesis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

Dynamic redistribution of eIF4F controls cap-dependent translation initiation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

When does additional information improve accuracy of RNA secondary structure prediction?

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

Normative brain-state trajectories reveal deviation from healthy aging in Alzheimer's disease.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same journal

Noradrenergic infraslow rhythm during sleep is the critical link between heart-rate dynamics and memory consolidation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
11:56

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids

Published on: May 4, 2018

13.0K

Engineered antimicrobial-derived peptides to manipulate mixed microbial systems.

Vikas D Trivedi1,2, James A Van Deventer1,3, Nikhil U Nair1

  • 1Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 19, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed novel molecular probes to precisely target and manipulate specific bacterial subpopulations within complex microbial communities. This breakthrough enables a detailed understanding of microbial interactions and community functions, advancing microbiome research.

Keywords:
AMPchemical biologyco-culturespeptidesynthetic ecologytop-down

More Related Videos

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications
08:08

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications

Published on: August 4, 2018

22.7K
Use of the Soft-agar Overlay Technique to Screen for Bacterially Produced Inhibitory Compounds
06:38

Use of the Soft-agar Overlay Technique to Screen for Bacterially Produced Inhibitory Compounds

Published on: January 14, 2017

33.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
11:56

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids

Published on: May 4, 2018

13.0K
Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications
08:08

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications

Published on: August 4, 2018

22.7K
Use of the Soft-agar Overlay Technique to Screen for Bacterially Produced Inhibitory Compounds
06:38

Use of the Soft-agar Overlay Technique to Screen for Bacterially Produced Inhibitory Compounds

Published on: January 14, 2017

33.9K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Microbial communities are complex, making it difficult to understand member interactions and functions using current broad-spectrum methods.
  • Targeted manipulation of specific bacterial subpopulations within intact microbial mixtures is technologically challenging.
  • A fine-detail understanding of microbial community structure-function relationships requires precise control over individual members.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate molecular probes for targeted manipulation of specific bacterial subpopulations within multispecies microbial populations.
  • To address the technological gap in precisely controlling bacterial members within complex communities.
  • To enable a detailed mechanistic understanding of microbial community functions.

Main Methods:

  • Leveraged pediocin PA-1, a narrow-spectrum class II peptide bacteriocin, as a model for molecular probe development.
  • Quantified pediocin's potency and demonstrated its narrow-spectrum activity against various bacteria.
  • Conjugated chemical handles to bacteriocins and truncated variants, assessing impact on binding specificity and function.
  • Validated methods using model synthetic microbial populations in vitro.

Main Results:

  • Pediocin PA-1 demonstrated narrow-spectrum activity, with largely unchanged binding spectra after chemical modification.
  • Functional non-bactericidal binders were created using modified truncated bacteriocin variants, maintaining specificity.
  • Specific bacterial subpopulations were successfully depleted via killing or cell sorting within highly similar bacterial mixtures.
  • The study provides design rules for developing generalized bacteriocin-based probes.

Conclusions:

  • Developed a novel molecular probe system for targeted manipulation of specific bacterial subpopulations.
  • Demonstrated the feasibility of depleting or isolating specific bacteria within complex mixtures using modified bacteriocins.
  • The findings offer a transformative approach to advancing mechanistic insights into microbial community and microbiota structure-function relationships.
  • The elucidated design rules are expected to be applicable to a broader range of natural bacteriocins.