Scientists discover defined 'compartments' in bacteria with specific roles to play in their survival

Bacteria are more complex organisms than commonly thought. A new study has found that the microbes possess defined organelles or compartments and these even have specific functions.

The study was published in the review journal Nature Reviews Microbiology. Researchers at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) Professor Trevor Lithgow and Associate Professor Chris Greening have found different structures and functions of these compartments.

“Some are bound by a lipid bilayer, whereas others are defined by a lipid monolayer, a proteinaceous coat or have a phase-defined boundary,” reads the abstract of the paper. These compartments even help in various metabolic and physiological functions, like in helping the bacteria adapt in a new environment, or acting as catalyst in evolution.

Moreover, these organelles are actually the norm and not the exception in bacteria, hinting at the complexity of these one-celled living organisms.

"These complex subcellular compartments provide evolutionary advantages as well as enabling metabolic specialization, biogeochemical processes and biotechnological advances," the research added.

Another interesting factor in this study is our knowledge about bacteria. “There was an age-old truism until recently that bacteria were simply a bag of enzymes, the simplest type of cells,” said Lithgow.

Some electricity eating bacteria can live solely on electricity and no other source of energy. Image: Getty

Greening explains the reason why it is important to understand the intricacies of bacterial cells.

"Organelles enable many bacteria to perform functions useful for us, from supporting basic ecosystem function to enabling all sorts of biotechnological advances,” he said.

Some bacteria also use organelles to cause diseases.

"The deadly pathogen that causes tuberculosis, for example, scavenges fatty molecules from our own bodies and stores them as energy reserves in organelles, helping the pathogen to persist for years in our lungs," Greening added.

And the remedies being used as antibiotics have caused one of the biggest single threats to public health in the 21st century – antibiotic resistance.

"In these times of COVID-19 the death tolls we’re seeing for viral infections are terrible, but the projection is that by 2050... at least 10 million people worldwide...will die every year due to infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria,” he said.

A sound understanding of how the microbe functions could make all the difference when it comes to combating drug-resistant infections, which are otherwise extremely difficult to treat.

 

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