Killer bacteria discovered: How to absorb neighboring cells!

Killer bacteria discovered: How to absorb neighboring cells!

Zürich, Schweiz - Swiss researchers at ETH Zurich and Eawag have made decisive progress in the understanding of rod-shaped vibrio bacteria. These bacteria are able to kill and suck out their neighboring cells through a sophisticated system that is known as a type 6 secretion system (T6SS). According to oe24 the T6SS works like a spear with a poisonous tip that is shot down into neighboring cells.

An interesting discovery is the variance of the poisons that use these killer cells. Depending on your diet, you can load your spear differently. When the killer cells are starved, empty the loot cells more slowly to absorb more nutrients. This process can take up to 90 minutes. In contrast, well -supplied cell types lead to a faster resolution of the sacrificial cells, which only takes about 20 minutes.

insights into the type 6 secretion system

The type 6 secretion system is a bacterial secretion system that is mainly used by gram-negative bacteria to transport effectors into neighboring cells. Studies show that at least 25% of all pathogenic and non-pathogenic prototobacteria have genes that are encountered for the T6SS, as reported on Wikipedia . It was discovered in 2006 in connection with Vibrio Cholerae, with the first evidence of T6SS gene products published in Edwardsiella Tarda in 2004.

The structure of this system is similar to an inverted phage and consists of 14 proteins that are arranged in three sub -complexes: a phase -like tubulus, a base plate and a membrane complex. The tubulus can be up to 600 nm long and consists of repeating units. The contraction of the tubulus is crucial because it drives the effects from the bacterial cell into the neighboring cell.

meaning for ecosystems

The analysis of DNA sequence databases shows that vibrio bacteria often lack genes for metabolism complex carbohydrates. This suggests that these killer bacteria are genetically optimized in order to live on easy -to -use molecules such as cell juice. Interestingly, the largest proportion of T6SS-positive bacteria around plant roots in the soil was found, which indicates an important role in the nutrient cycle of ecosystems.
As the authors reported in the journal "Science", the behavior of these bacteria could be far-reaching effects on the understanding of interbubacterial antagonism and ecological nutrient cycles have.