SCIENCE AT A GLANCE

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus uses chimeric fibre proteins to recognize and invade a broad range of bacterial hosts

The recognition of bacterial surfaces by viruses and the immune system is well documented, but the means by which bacterial predators recognize prey and engage in envelope traversal without causing lysis has remained obscure until now. The research by scientists from UK reveal several fibre-like proteins, named mosaic adhesive trimer (MAT) superfamily, which localize on the predator surface before prey encounter. These dynamic proteins indicate a variety of binding capabilities and one member shows specificity for surface glycans from a particular prey. Glycan array and scanner are used for screening of adhesin specificity.

Original publication : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01552-2

#Microarray #Glycanmicroarray #microarrayscanner #Predatorybacteria