The fight for success: inter-bacterial competition mediated by the Type VI secretion system and its effectors

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria represent a major global health issue, exacerbated by ever-increasing antibiotic resistance. Bacteria normally live in mixed communities and can compete with each other by actively killing their rivals. This ability to compete is important for the success of pathogenic bacteria and may also provide lessons in how to kill bacterial cells. We will study a bacterial weapon called the Type VI secretion system (T6SS), which many bacteria use to fire toxins into competitors. We will use molecular techniques to learn how the T6SS can deliver many different toxins, what happens to toxins inside recipient cells, and how new types of toxin kill bacterial cells. We will use genomics to detect 'arms races' between bacteria as they pick up new toxins and to understand the importance of T6SS in disease. Our work will reveal new aspects of bacterial biology and may contribute towards future anti-bacterial therapies.