Proteins play a critical role in the functioning of bacteria and other organisms, but the relationship between proteins and their characteristics has been largely unknown. Scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, have recently developed a new method to study the characteristics of proteins in bacteria that could lead to better understanding of how bacteria interact with their environment. The team used a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and metabolomics to quickly and accurately measure protein characteristics from a wide variety of bacterial species. Their results showed that specific characteristics of proteins could be used to identify bacterial species and predict their behavior in different environments. The team hopes that this new method will allow researchers to better understand how bacteria interact with their environment, which could lead to new strategies to prevent or treat bacterial infections.

Read Full Article Here

source: Phys.org