This blog links to Small Things Considered, over there at the ASM site, and this month they have a great blog post – dealing with “…pyocins made by Pseudomonas aeruginosa“.
Which turn out to probably be co-opted phage tails, some of them complete with contractile mechanisms – but all with no head and therefore no genetic payload.
Interesting phenomenon – and now one that is being being put to use to target specific troublesome bacteria, and possibly even eukaryotes.
I am beginning to love phages – which is a good thing, as they represent by far the biggest group of organisms on our planet!
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