Projektdatenbank (ab 2004)

Projektnummer

N001069

Zusammenfassung

Bacteria live in complex communities where they often compete with other organisms for nutrients and space. To inhibit or kill their competitors, they evolved nanoweapons, called extracellular contractile injection systems (eCIS), which are phage-like structures that mediate cell-cell contact and serve as toxin delivery machinery. These nanodevices are present in many bacteria and harbour great potential for the application as nano injection systems in medical, agricultural and industrial settings, but we know only little about how these systems evolved and function. In this interdisc...