Imagine an assassin having to get its target’s permission to actually carry out the job. A new study by researchers at UC Santa Barbara points to the likelihood of an unusual such relationship between certain bacteria. It also suggests that these bacteria may actually be communicating with one another by touch. Christopher Hayes, associate professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, lead the study of uropathogenic E. coli, which causes urinary tract infections in humans. They discovered a sibling-like link between cell systems that have largely been thought of as rivals. Their findings appear in a recent issue of the journal Genes & Development. READ MORE (UCSB Featured News)

Associate professor Christopher Hayes
and graduate student Christina Beck
Credit: Rod Rolle