Prof. Bassalik Award for scientists from the Faculty of Biotechnology of the University of Wrocław
A team of scientists from the Faculty of Biotechnology of the University of Wrocław, composed of: Karolina Pląskowska, dr Łukasz Makowski, dr Agnieszka Strzałka, prof. dr hab. Jolanta Zakrzewska-Czerwińska, received the Prof. Bassalik, awarded by the Committee on Molecular Biology of the Cell of the Polish Academy of Sciences, for the best work in the field of microbiology created in a Polish laboratory. The work of the awarded team has also been published in the prestigious journal mBio (American Society of Microbiology).
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus – a predatory bacterium with an unusual way of cell division
The awarded work concerns research on the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, which attacks and eliminates other bacteria, including dangerous pathogens. In recent years, it has gained the name of a potential “live antibiotic” due to its ability to fight pathogenic bacteria, including those resistant to antibiotics.
The research of prof. Jolanta Zakrzewska-Czerwińska’s team sheds new light on the life cycle of B. bacteriovorus. Until now, it was thought that most bacteria divide binary, and only a few in a non-binary way. However, new research results show that how this predatory bacterium divides depends on the size of the prey. In small host cells, B. bacteriovorus divides binarily to form two daughter cells. In contrast, in larger cells, non-binary division occurs, resulting in the formation of three or more daughter cells. B. bacteriovorus is the first known organism to exhibit both of these types of cell division.
This finding has important implications for further research into the use of B. bacteriovorus against resistant pathogens. Understanding the mechanisms of division of this bacterium and the relationship between its life cycle and host size may contribute to more effective design of strategies for the elimination of dangerous microorganisms, such as Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella enterica and Shigella flexneri. Importantly, B. bacteriovorus not only kills host cells, but also destroys its genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes.
The awarded work titled Binary or Nonbinary Fission? Reproductive Mode of a Predatory Bacterium Depends on Prey Size was published in the prestigious mBio journal published by the American Society of Microbiology, and the research was funded as part of the OPUS NCN project led by prof. Jolanta Zakrzewska-Czerwińska.
Link to the work from mBio Journal
Date of publication: 10.02.2025
Added by: M.J.
