Now out in Science: Catching prey with grappling hooks and cannons
Researchers at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with Martin Polz and Nina Bartlau at CeMESS, have studied the unusual arsenal of weapons of a predatory marine bacterium called Aureispira down to the smallest molecular detail.
These predators possess a “molecular grappling hook” as a unique adaptation to catch the flagella of their prey after which they kill and digest them. It may be possible to use such bacteria to combat blue-green algae blooms or to deliver active substances to individual body cells. The results are currently published in Science.
