Immune

Matters Microbial #130: The Holobiont — Animals, Microbes, and Ecology
May 19, 2026 Today Dr. Kevin Kohl, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss how he and his colleagues study the interplay between animals, their resident gut microbes, and the overarching concept of the holobiont.
Host: Mark O. Martin
Guest: Kevin Kohl
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Become a patron of Matters Microbial!
Links for this episode
The One Health Microbiome Center at Pennsylvania State University.
A very fine essay on the holobiont concept for non-microbiologists.
A general introductory overview of the holobiont concept.
The holobiont concept and the coral symbiosis. 
A partial history of the development of the holobiont concept.
Dr. Casadevall suggests that context and thus outcomes describes the term "pathogen," and a similar analysis applies to the holobiont.
A very short description of the holobiont concept. 
Another overview of the holobiont concept in general, coauthored by Dr. Kohl. 
Some basic rules for thinking about the holobiont concept.
A video introduction to the holobiont concept, by Dr. Seth Bordenstein.
I highly recommend this essay by the science writer Carl Zimmer, "The Human Lake," to think of the connections between lake ecology and microbial interactions with humans.
Another wonderful article recommended by Dr. Kohl, by Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai and coauthors, detailing the impact microbes have on animals over evolution and development. 
The wood rat – creosote – microbiome connection to the holobiont concept, discussed on this podcast (coauthored by Dr. Kohl).
The fascinating work by Dr. Kohl and colleagues showing the relationship between tadpole development and pond microbes discussed in this podcast.
 A must read article by Dr. Kohl and colleagues, "Through the microbial looking glass: our shifting understanding of the holobiont and microbes as mediators of organismal biology," illustrates the development and influence of the holobiont concept.
Dr. Richard Prum's book, "Performance All the Way Down," was discussed during this podcast. There is also a video where Dr. Prum discusses the ideas in this book, describing gene regulation as a performance. 
Dr. Kohl's faculty website.
Dr. Kohl's (very interesting) research website.
Intro music is by Reber Clark
Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

Nicholas Jackson, AKA Nick the Immunologist, talks about being a graduate student, social media creator, and his research on cytokine tools to investigate regulatory T cells.
Host: Cindy Leifer
Guest: Nicholas Jackson (Nick the Immunologist)
Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of Immune!
Links for this episode
MicrobeTV Discord Server
Richard DiPaolo lab
IL-2, TGFb and Tregs preprint
Nick the Immunologist on TikTok
Nick the Immunologist on Instagram
Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Music by Tatami.
Logo image by Blausen Medical

Send your immunology questions and comments to [email protected]
Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Luke O'Neill recounts his role in discovering key components of the TLR signaling pathway, explains how pursuing unexpected research questions keeps him motivated, and reflects on his experiences as an entrepreneur founding biotech companies.

Host: Cindy Leifer
Guest: Luke O'Neill
Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of Immune!
Links for this episode
MicrobeTV Discord Server
O'Neill lab
Identification of MAL in the TLR signaling pathway (Nature, 2001)
GDF 15, immunometabolism and anti-inflammatories (An Rev Pharmacol Tox, 2026)
Itaconate and regulation of inflammation (Nat Metab, 2024)
Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Music by Tatami.
Logo image by Blausen Medical

Send your immunology questions and comments to [email protected]
Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

George Stark from the Cleveland Clinic reflects on his early training in biochemistry and how several sabbatical leaves sparked pivotal changes in his research trajectory, eventually drawing him to interferon signaling where he helped establish the core principles of the JAK–STAT pathway and uncovered interesting roles for interferon signaling in cancer.
Host: Cindy Leifer
Guest: George Stark
Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of Immune!
Links for this episode
MicrobeTV Discord Server
Stark lab
Development of the Northern blotting technique (PNAS, 1977)
Development of Western blotting for proteins (PNAS, 1979)
Discovery of Tyk2 as a critical kinase in interferon response (Cell, 1992)
Topical PALA treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer (Exp Dermatol, 2023)
Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Music by Tatami.
Logo image by Blausen Medical

Send your immunology questions and comments to [email protected]
Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

The Immune team talks all about cytokines, from what they are to immunotherapies against them to treat diseases.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Cindy Leifer, and Brianne Barker
Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of Immune!
Links for this episode
MicrobeTV Discord Server
Non-specific virus neutralization by IgM and complement (mBio 2026)
Natural antibodies against viruses (Virology blog, 2009)
Biologics against inflammatory cytokines (Int J Cell Bio, 2016)
Biologics against allergic cytokines (JACI, 2022)
Time stamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Music by Tatami.
Immune logo image by Blausen Medical

Send your immunology questions and comments to [email protected]
Information on this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.