Study sheds light on bacterial immune system

EU-funded researchers have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from viruses. The discovery could lead to the development of 'vaccinations' to protect bacteria used in industrial processes from viral attacks. This new-found knowledge of how bacterial immune system...

EU-funded researchers have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from viruses. The discovery could lead to the development of 'vaccinations' to protect bacteria used in industrial processes from viral attacks. This new-found knowledge of how bacterial immune systems work could also be exploited to generate new ways of tackling bacteria which have become resistant to most antibiotics.

Like us, bacteria are vulnerable to attack from viruses, and just like us, they have evolved immune systems which help them to detect viruses and respond accordingly. Last year, scientists discovered that when bacteria are infected with a virus, the bacterial immune system incorporates pieces of the virus' DNA into the bacterium's own DNA. If the bacterium is attacked by the same virus again, the viral DNA it took previously helps it to recognise the intruder. Once the intruder is recognised, the bacterium's defence mechanism swings into action to destroy the attacking virus. .

In this latest piece of research, scientists from the Netherlands, the UK and the US, built on previous research and investigated the workings of the bacterial immune system in greater detail. Their results are published in the latest edition of the journal Science.

Their studies reveal that one protein is responsible for cutting the section of viral DNA out of the bacterial DNA. Together with five other proteins, it then compares this snippet of DNA with the DNA of the invading virus. If the virus is positively identified, an immune response is triggered.

The scientists hope that their discovery will eventually result in the development of 'vaccinations' for bacteria, many of which are used in important industrial processes. Their findings could also have medical applications, notably in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria which have developed resistance to most antibiotics. The researchers speculate that if the immune systems of these bacteria could be deactivated, they could then be attacked with viruses which would be deadly for the bacteria, but harmless to the human patient.

EU support for the research came from a Marie Curie grant.

Countries

Netherlands, United Kingdom