“Pirate” bacteria attack hooks and cannons; Understands

There are marine bacteria that could belong to the franchise Pirates of the Caribbean! As a team of researchers recently discovered, this type Orespera It has two hitherto unexplored mechanisms: the molecular hook and the spring gun, which are weapons used to capture and kill other cells – such as bacteria. Dhamma.

Understands:

• Marine “pirate” bacteria use hooks and cannons to attack and kill prey;
• arms Orespera They were unexplored until then, and bacteria only become predatory when nutrients in their environment become scarce;
• When they come into contact with their victims, the bacteria release hooks to trap them and then pierce their membranes with cannons to feed on their cellular components;
• Thanks to the mechanisms Orespera It can be used not only to combat the mass spread of other marine bacteria, but also to deliver drugs to cells in the human body.

The hacker bacteria's “weapons” were described in a new study published in the journal sciences Led by researchers at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The team further explains that Orespera They only become predators when faced with scarcity of nutrients in their environment – otherwise the bacteria are content to simply hunt prey.

Read more:

'Pirate' bacteria could power medicine

Scientists explain that marine bacteria, upon contact with victims, release their hooks to prevent them from escaping and then fire cannons to penetrate their membranes and absorb their cellular components. “The whole scene resembles a pirate attack,” says study leader Martin Bilhofer. statement.

Imaging techniques – such as cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) – have been used to analyze the appearance and performance of the nuclear weapons arsenal. Orespera. Furthermore, with an improved version of this technique, it will also be possible to determine the molecular structure of the proteins that form the guns and hooks.

The team explains that in addition to combating the mass spread of bacteria such as Dhammathe Orespera It can be applied to medicine, where darts are loaded with injectable drugs into individual cells of the human body through a molecular machine.