The insect pathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus has evolved astonishing nano-scale analogues of hypodermic syringes that it uses to inject toxins into host cells.
The western corn rootworm escapes biological control by entomopathogenic nematodes by partitioning and phenocopying the plant defense system for self-protection.
Cryo-EM and X-ray structures of α-xenorhabdolysin in soluble and pore form of Xenorhabdus nematophila give novel insights into the mechanism of action of bi-component α-pore-forming toxins.
Polar elongating mycobacteria (Mycobacterium smegmatis) require specific cell wall chemistries, those catalyzed by targets of critical antibiotics, to maintain rod shape at aging sites of the bacillus.
