Type VI secretion systems (T6SS) are sophisticated nanomachines that bacteria employ to inject effector proteins directly into neighbouring cells. These systems are structurally reminiscent of ...

Once a pathogenic bacterium has entered its host, it turns on a series of defense and attack mechanisms to spread, invade and colonize deeper tissues and organs. This includes the secretion of an ...

Stabbing things, it turns out, is an enormously useful skill for bacteria. Some do it to deter insects. Some do it to attack bacterial competitors. Some, as I wrote about here two years ago, even seem ...

Countless bacterial species share cramped environments where competition for space and resources is fierce. Some rely on a molecular speargun to outcompete their opponents. One of them is Pseudomonas ...

This discovery validates siderophore secretion as a drug target in tuberculosis and reveals a new mechanism for putative drugs. Many tuberculosis bacteria are highly resistant to multiple antibiotics.

Researchers have discovered a molecular 'barcode' system used by disease-causing bacteria to distinguish between beneficial and toxic molecules. Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a ...

Bacterial interaction with plants and animals, symbiotic or pathogenic, involves the transfer to host cells and tissues of a range of bacterial proteins whose biochemical activities are key to ...

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a molecular "barcode" system used by disease-causing bacteria to distinguish between beneficial and toxic molecules. Published in the Proceedings of ...

You suddenly feel sick -- pathogenic bacteria have managed to colonize and spread in your body! The weapons they use for their invasion are harmful toxins that target the host's defense mechanisms and ...