Nanotubes connecting B, subtilis and S. aureusFIGURE 6, CELL 44:590 - 600, 2011
1. Nanoscale bacterial swapUsing high-resolution electron microscopy, researchers discovered nanotube-like structures in bacteria that enable them to exchange cytosolic material, even between different species. At around 1 µm wide, the tubes represent an entirely new mechanism of bacterial exchange.
G. P. Dubey and S. Ben-Yehuda, "Intercellular Nanotubes Mediate Bacterial Communication," Cell, 144:590-600, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.01.015
2. TRIMming HIVThe TRIM5 protein, which promotes the disassembly of the HIV viral capsid, has been known to make certain monkey species, such as rhesus macaques, resistant to HIV. Now, by interrogating TRIM5’s interaction with over 20 immune signaling proteins, researchers find that it acts as a pattern-recognition receptor as well as mediates the activation of proinflammatory pathways.
T. Pertel, et. al., "TRIM5 is an innate immune sensor for the ...
