Abstract
PAAR (proline-alanine-alanine-arginine) repeat proteins sharpen the ends of phage-like bacterial spikes known as type VI secretion systems (T6SS) —serving as “needles” for these complex organelles through which gram-negative bacteria inject toxins into host cells during infection, according to Petr G. Leiman at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland and colleagues there as well as in the United States and Russia. Remarkably, phages encode and deploy nearly identical proteins to punch through the membranes of their bacterial host cells. Details appeared August 15, 2013 in Nature (500:350–353).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
