Researchers discover how a certain bacterium communicates and causes us to get sick

A new study has discovered how a certain type of bacterium communicates and causes us to get sick.

Researchers, from Binghamton University, State University of New York, discovered how Gram-negative bacterium transports toxins in the body. The team investigated the transportation of small molecules in order to understand how these bacteria communicate. These molecules help with the production of outer membrane vesicles.

Assistant Professor Xin Yong, graduate student Ao Li and Associate Professor Jeffrey W. Schertzer are the authors of the study. “It’s hard to see the molecular detail at that level,” Schertzer told a news portal. Adding, “But with Dr Yong’s expertise, we were able to build a computational model that helped us understand what actually goes on between individual molecules.”

Yong’s model helped them examine the details of the molecule more clearly and study the interaction with the membrane. “Our most important finding is that the communication molecule needs to enter the membrane in a very specific way,” Schertzer explained. “It folds itself like a book, then will expand once it has entered the membrane,” he went on to explain.

They also discovered the communication molecule is flexible and has a head and tail. The team now wants to understand if there is any change in interaction if the tail or head is removed.

A better understanding of how these bacteria function can help researches develop methods to tackle various types of high-risk infections. They could also develop better methods to prevent and control these debilitating toxins.

The study's findings were originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.