Mechanism of Bacteria's Genetic Information Sharing System Discovered

Summary          Bacterial Type IV Secretion is how bacteria are able to transfer material outside their cell wall. This is also how they share genetic information with each other. Until recently, the specific mechanism that controlled this specific secretion was unknown. As this type of secretion can pass genetic info between organisms, it can also spread an antibiotic resistant gene to others, therefore passing along the resistance to certain medicines. Now that this structure is understood, the field of medicine will use it to try and prevent bacteria from exchanging these resistant genes among each other. Other fields of biology will be able to use this new information to improve how they use bacteria to genetically modify other cells by using them to transfer information them genetically modify other cells by using bacteria to move information. Whatever the future use, this discovery is a breakthrough in understanding bacteria better.


Connection          This article relates to our unit on microorganisms, specifically bacteria. We learned how bacteria are able to transfer material between each other with plasmids, but we never learned exactly how. This discovery will tell us exactly how. We also talked before about genetic modification and how scientists are using bacteria in that process, and this article touches upon that as well. Another topic we talked about was antibiotic resistance and how that gene spreads through natural selection. This article describes another way that those resistant genes could be spread; through Type IV Secretion.

Website URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140309150544.htm
Citation: University College London. "Spread of antibiotic resistance understoon by unravelling bacterial secretion system." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 March 2014.