Textbook images show peptidoglycan as straight and ordered. The biopolymer peptidoglycan that makes up bacterial cell walls was always assumed to be highly ordered. Textbook images like the one below ...

Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study. The study -- conducted using E. coli ...

A team of 17 researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute has created the largest man-made DNA structure by synthesizing and assembling the 582,970 base pair genome of a bacterium, Mycoplasma ...

Pili are short, hair-like structures on the cell surface of prokaryotic cells. They can have a role in movement, but are more often involved in adherence to surfaces, which facilitates infection, and ...

Flagella are primarily used for cell movement and are found in prokaryotes as well as some eukaryotes. The prokaryotic flagellum spins, creating forward movement by a corkscrew shaped filament. A ...

Evo’s success wasn’t limited to proteins. When they tested a different toxin that had an RNA-based inhibitor, the system ...

The gut microbiota is the complex and dynamic community of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that enter into a synbiotic relationship with the cells of the host. They protect the host against ...

A new function-based sequencing technique using optical tweezers and taking advantage of the properties of gravity is letting researchers analyze bacteria cells one by one. The study, conducted by ...