Scientists decipher structure of bacterial injection needles

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have uncovered new insights into bacterial injection needle structures that could prove instrumental in disease research.

The study team have used solid-state NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy and computer modelling techniques to create a detailed 3D model of the sophisticated injection apparatus used by diseases such as bacterial dysentery and cholera to infect hosts.

Classical methods such as X-ray crystallography or electron microscopy had failed to accomplish this in the past, but this new study has elucidated the structure of the needle at atomic resolution, finding genetic variations within the cell that offers protection against the immune system.

This study opens the door for new discoveries into how pathogens overcome their host cells, as well as how to use tailored molecules to block syringe assembly and the delivery of bacterial factors.

Stefan Becker at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry said: "Our aim is now to develop a high-throughput method. This will allow us to search for new agents that prevent the formation of the needle."

Earlier this month, researchers from the institute also devised a new biosignature-based means of accurately distinguishing between tuberculosis and sarcoidosis.