Bacterial toxins are some of the strongest toxins that we know of. They inhibit important cell functions of their target cell, which will give the producer a massive advantage. Many bacterial toxins target other bacteria helping the attacker survive.
Bacteria in your gut microbiome help you digest your food, strengthen your immune system and keep you healthy. For this, your gut bacteria keep you free from gut pathogenic bacteria by fighting them with different weapons. Here, we explore some ways gut bacteria defend pathogens and how you can help them protect you.
To feed the growing population on our planet, we need to improve our agriculture for plants to stay healthy and produce crops efficiently. One way to protect plants from diseases is to use biocontrol bacteria that actively kill intruding pathogens. Hence, by increasing our food supply, bacteria can help us save this planet.
We use antibiotics to kill bacteria and fungi. Yet, antibiotics are produced by these microbes to ensure their own survival in the environment. But not only microbes that produce antibiotics benefit from them, but often even other organisms. Read on to find out how antibiotics can help many players.
Bacteria divide by measuring their middle and forming a ring. They then extend their cells while the ring tightens. Like this, two daughter cells grow out of one mother cell. However, the daughter cells do not always look the same…
Bacteria can be harmless or dangerous to us and other organisms in the environment. But how does a bacterium become a fighter ready to kill others? It comes all down to their toxic bullets. Here we will look at how bacterial siblings use different weapons to fight off not only their enemies but also each other.
A deadly fungus kills many exotic amphibians. Luckily, some bacteria antibiotics to kill the fungal intruder and thus protect the animal. With this colourful strategy, the right microbial community might even save whole species from extinction.
We have created a lot of toxin pollution. Now we need microbe’s help to degrade and remove toxic materials from our environment to make our planet greener.
When bacteria fight competitors with their type 6 secretion system nanoweapons, they shoot deadly arrows. These arrows are made of specific parts that interact with each other in unique ways for each arrow. Here, we will look at these different parts: the tip, the spike and the toxin.
To fight nasty microorganisms, researchers need to come up with new strategies to develop vaccines. Turns out bacteria are extremely helpful to researchers, since they provide valuable tools.
Learn how researchers use bacteria to find new vaccines.
Bacteria use nanoweapons to kill other bacteria. For long, it was unclear how toxins stick to the arrow of these nanoweapons. Now, a new study visualised the type 6 secretion system spike and showed how bacteria glue the toxin to the arrow.
Microbes and bacteria touch every aspect of our lives. They have so many superpowers that impact the environment, food production, bioremediation and even the climate. Here, we will look at 20 of the most fascinating bacterial superpowers and tell you where you might encounter them throughout your day. But don’t forget, there are plenty more.
Bacteria developed lethal killing machines to deliver toxins into other organisms. These toxic bullets have different functions to break up essential components of the prey. Independent on what the target of the toxin is, the prey surely will not come out happy after that!
Bacteria have powerful killing machines with which they carve out their own niches. To kill competitors, bacteria from the Vibrio family, have a powerful crossbow and its arrows availble. However, these bacteria can decide whether they risk a kill and take up what’s left of the dead prey or they escape the dangerous situation. Here, we look at how bacteria decide to kill or flee.
When bacteria are under attack, they are telling their siblings about the incoming danger. This allows them to produce weapons – like the molecule bacteriocin – to prepare themselves for a counterattack. With this altruistic behaviour, bacteria assemble and fight back as a team.
Bacteria use a stick weapon to kill other bacteria that do not belong to their family. This stick is the so-called contact-dependent growth inhibition weapon – a very complex killing device. Read on to learn about this weapon.
Bacterial killing is happening everywhere where bacteria fight for space and nutrients. Some bacteria have highly efficient weapons to kill other microbes. These killer bacteria can survive in the rarest and driest environmental niches. Just by killing other bacteria.
What kind of fantastic nanoweapon is that?
Bacterial toxins are some of the strongest toxins that we know of. They inhibit important cell functions of their target cell, which will give the producer a massive advantage. Many bacterial toxins target other bacteria helping the attacker survive.
