Genetic Factors Involved in Tailocin Sensitivity Identified

In a recently published study in Nature, a collaborative research team from Berkeley explored the genetic basis and physical mechanisms governing how tailocins attack specific bacterial strains, and looked at genetic similarities and differences between tailocin producers and their target strains.

After examining 12 strains of soil bacteria known to use tailocins, the biologists found evidence that differences in the lipopolysaccharides attached to the outer membranes, could determine whether or not a strain is targeted by a particular tailocin.

"The bacteria we studied live in a challenging, resource-poor environment, so we're interested to see how they might be using tailocins to fight for survival," said Adam Arkin, co-lead author. Arkin noted that although scientists can easily induce bacteria to produce tailocins in the lab (and can easily insert the genes into culturable strains for mass production, which will be handy if we want to make tailocins into medicines) there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how bacteria deploy tailocins in their natural environment, as well as how—and why—particular strains are targeted with an assassin's precision.

"Once we understand the targeting mechanisms, we can start using these tailocins ourselves," Arkin added. "The potential for medicine is obviously huge, but it would also be incredible for the kind of science we do, which is studying how environmental microbes interact and the roles of these interactions in important ecological processes, like carbon sequestration and nitrogen processing."

Currently, it's very difficult to figure out what each microbe in a community is doing, as scientists can't easily add and subtract strains and observe the outcome. With properly harnessed tailocins, these experiments could be done easily. The team is conducting follow-up studies aiming to reveal tailocins' mechanisms of action. They plan to use the advanced imaging facilities at Berkeley Lab to take atomic-level snapshots of the entire process, from the moment the tailocin binds to the target cell all the way to cell deflation. Essentially, they'll be filming frames of a microscopic slasher movie.