This release is available in French.
Quebec City, November 4, 2010A team of Universit Laval and Danisco researchers has just unlocked the secret of bacteria's immune system. The details of the discovery, which may eventually make it possible to prevent certain bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics, are presented in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature.
The team led by Professor Sylvain Moineau of Universit Laval's Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics showed that this mechanism, called CRISPR/Cas, works by selecting foreign DNA segments and inserting them into very specific locations in a bacterium's genome. These segments then serve as a kind of immune factor in fighting off future invasions by cleaving incoming DNA.
The researchers demonstrated this mechanism using plasmids, DNA molecules that are regularly exchanged by bacteria. The plasmid used in the experiment, which contained a gene for antibiotic resistance, was inserted into bacteria used in making yogurt, Streptococcus thermophilus. Some of the bacteria integrated the segments of DNA from the resistance gene into their genome, and subsequent attempts to reinsert the plasmid into these bacteria failed. "These bacteria had simply been immunized against acquiring the resistance gene, commented Professor Moineau. This phenomenon could explain, among other things, why some bacteria develop antibiotic resistance while others don't."
The CRISPR/Cas immune system also protects bacteria from bacteriophages, a group of viruses that specifically target bacteria. This makes Professor Moineau's discovery particularly interesting for food and biotechnology sectors that use bacterial cultures, such as the yogurt, cheese, and probiotics industries. Bacterial culture contamination by bacteriophages is a serious concern with considerable
'/>"/>
| Contact: Jean-Franois Hupp jean-francois.huppe@dc.ulaval.ca 418-656-7785 Universit Laval Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Missouri Botanical Garden researchers discover 8 new species in Boliva national parks
2. University of Illinois researchers discover potential new virus in switchgrass
3. NYU Courant researchers develop algebraic model to monitor cellular change
4. Researchers developing real-time electronic monitoring for coastal waters
5. Researchers could use plants light switch to control cells
6. Researchers engineer miniature human livers in the lab
7. Researchers find a liberal gene
8. Stephan Grill wins the 2011 Paul Ehrlich Prize for Young Researchers
9. Researchers find a stable way to store the suns heat
10. UMMS biomedical researchers develop more reliable, less expensive synthetic graft material
11. Researchers develop first implanted device to treat balance disorder
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |