Biological warfare in bacteria offers hope for new antibiotics
Posted on 2 July 2009
Researchers from the Universities of York and Leeds have been awarded £3.3m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to find out how a family of proteins known as colicins force their way into bacterial cells before destroying them.
Understanding how this group of proteins work could help scientists develop new drug delivery methods
Professor Colin Kleanthous
The team, led by Professor Colin Kleanthous, from the University of York’s Department of Biology, will develop earlier research that suggests colicins use decoys to mimic key parts of the cells’ own protein machinery to evade their defences.
Professor Kleanthous said: “Colicins are the weapon used in the biological warfare that takes place between competing bacteria. Understanding how this group of proteins work could help scientists develop new drug delivery methods to target the bacteria that cause diseases in people.”
“It’s as though the colicins are carrying the equivalent of hand grenades which they can deploy without harming themselves,” said Professor Sheena Radford of the University of Leeds’ Faculty of Biological Sciences.
The five year programme of research aims to discover how colicins specifically penetrate Gram-negative bacteria which are protected by two membrane barriers.
It will involve collaboration between six groups of scientists from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry at the University of York and the Astbury Centre for Structural and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, at the University of Leeds.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is via a “LoLa” (Longer and Larger) grant awarded to Professor Kleanthous, Drs Christoph Baumann, Jen Potts and Marek Brzozowski at the University of York and Professor Sheena Radford and Dr David Brockwell at the University of Leeds.
- The University of York’s Departments of Biology and Chemistry and the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds were all highly rated in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
- The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the UK funding agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by Government, BBSRC annually invests around £450 million in a wide range of research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for UK citizens and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders including the agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. BBSRC carries out its mission by funding internationally competitive research, providing training in the biosciences, fostering opportunities for knowledge transfer and innovation and promoting interaction with the public and other stakeholders on issues of scientific interest in universities, centres and institutes. For more information see: www.bbsrc.ac.uk
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