Biological Basis of 'Bacterial Immune System' Discovered - will revolutionize vaccines

[Ichingcarpenter]

Biological Basis of 'Bacterial Immune System' Discovered


Bacteria don't have easy lives. In addition to mammalian immune systems that besiege the bugs, they have natural enemies called bacteriophages, viruses that kill half the bacteria on Earth every two days.


Still, bacteria and another class of microorganisms called archaea (first discovered in extreme environments such as deep-sea volcanic vents) manage just fine, thank you, in part because they have a built-in defense system that helps protect them from many viruses and other invaders.


A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia has now discovered how this bacterial defense system works, and it could lead to new classes of targeted antibiotics, new tools to study gene function in microorganisms and more stable bacterial cultures used by food and biotechnology industries to make products such as yogurt and cheese.

The research was published November 26 in the journal Cell.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091125134703.htm