Smart bacteria protect themselves

Bacteria are everywhere, thriving in a variety of environments that can change rapidly. Unlike animals, they cannot escape when their environment becomes hostile. Instead, they rely on a protective shield to survive. This structure is essential, and bacteria cannot survive without it under normal circumstances making it a prime target in the fight against pathogens. Many antibiotics work by disrupting the cell wall, but the increase in antibiotic resistance is making our current treatments less effective. To counter this challenge we are combining cutting-edge microscopy and genetic approaches to find new treatments and antibiotics.

Many sap-feeding insects, like aphids, depend on symbiotic bacteria to provide nutrients lacking in their restricted diet. Aphids have a special relationship with Buchnera Aphidicola: the bacteria provides the host with essential amino acids, the host provides the bacteria with non-essential amino acids. To maintain this complex nutrient exchange, a series of specific transporters are needed. To date, little is known about these transporters, but in this talk we are going to explore what we do know about their role in nutrient sharing, and some recent discoveries about their function.