Projektnummer

0054462

Zusammenfassung

Paramecium is a ubiquitous unicellular organism found in almost all kinds of freshwater habitats. Some paramecia express the so-called killer trait: killer paramecia release toxic particles into the environment which kill sensitive paramecia after ingestion. These particles are bacteria belonging to the genus Caedibacter, endosymbionts of the killer strains. Caedibacter harbour an unusual structure termed R-body (refractile body). An R-body is a proteinaceous ribbon which is encoded by Rbv (R-body coding virus). R-bodies act as toxin delivery system. The killers are protected by a res...