Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...

Antibiotic Selection

Antibiotic Selection

Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes

Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes

The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...

Surface Membrane Barriers

Surface Membrane Barriers

The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...

CRISPR and crRNAs

CRISPR and crRNAs

Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...

Defense Mechanism Against Infection

Defense Mechanism Against Infection

Natural flora, body system defenses, and inflammation are natural barriers of the body against infectious agents regardless of previous exposure. Normal floras of the human body refer to the microbial population that colonizes the skin and mucous membranes.
In addition, many body organ systems have unique defenses against infection. The skin is an intact, multilayered surface preventing invasion by microorganisms unless impaired. Mucous membranes lining the mouth, nose, and eyelids are barriers...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia.

Gut microbes·2026

Same author

Physiological architecture and evolutionary origins of cellular adaptability.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Distinct trajectories of urbanization shape the human gut microbiome across South Asia.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Post-COVID impairment of memory T cell responses to community-acquired pathogens can be rectified by activating cellular metabolism.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Statistical design of a synthetic microbiome that suppresses diverse gut pathogens.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Subspecies phylogeny in the human gut revealed by co-evolutionary constraints across the bacterial kingdom.

Cell systems·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

Combatting superbugs using the evolutionary record of microbial warfare.

Arjun S Raman¹

¹Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Center for the Physics of Evolving Systems, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Cell Host & Microbe

|July 11, 2024

Summary

New antimicrobials fighting multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens were discovered by analyzing microbial warfare. This research created AMPSphere, a vital resource for combating superbugs using computational methods and biological data.

More Related Videos

Visual and Microscopic Evaluation of Streptomyces Developmental Mutants

Visual and Microscopic Evaluation of Streptomyces Developmental Mutants

Published on: September 12, 2018

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry

Published on: September 15, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

Visual and Microscopic Evaluation of Streptomyces Developmental Mutants

Visual and Microscopic Evaluation of Streptomyces Developmental Mutants

Published on: September 12, 2018

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry

Published on: September 15, 2020

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Computational Biology
Drug Discovery

Background:

Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens pose a significant global health threat.
The need for novel antimicrobial therapies is critical to combat emerging superbugs.

Purpose of the Study:

To discover new antimicrobial compounds effective against MDR pathogens.
To develop innovative computational approaches for identifying potential drug candidates.

Main Methods:

Leveraging historical data on microbial warfare and competition.
Utilizing large-scale biological databases.
Applying advanced computational methods for analysis.

Main Results:

Identification of novel antimicrobial agents through analysis of microbial defense mechanisms.
Development of AMPSphere, a comprehensive resource for antimicrobial discovery.
Demonstration of a powerful synergy between biological data and computational tools.

Conclusions:

The study presents a novel strategy for discovering antimicrobials by studying microbial evolution.
AMPSphere serves as a valuable platform for future antimicrobial research and development.
This approach offers a promising avenue for addressing the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.