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A molecular syringe that kills cells

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R-type pyocins, produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are sheath-tube nanomachines that puncture the envelopes of target cells, inducing their death. Cryo-EM studies reveal the atomic structures of the pyocin R2 in its extended precontraction and postcontraction forms, which suggest a mechanism for the contraction process of this molecular syringe.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: Comparison between pre- and postcontraction sheaths of pyocin.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Z.H. Zhou and P. Leiman for providing illustrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Elena V. Orlova is at the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, London, UK.,

    Elena V Orlova

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  1. Elena V Orlova
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Correspondence to Elena V Orlova.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Orlova, E. A molecular syringe that kills cells. Nat Struct Mol Biol 22, 357–359 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3021

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