Optical tweezers, a simple and robust implementation of optical micromanipulation
technologies, have become a standard tool in biological, medical and physics research …

Prokaryotes have engineered sophisticated surface nanomachines that have allowed them
to colonize Earth and thrive even in extreme environments. Filamentous machineries …

Transformation is a widespread mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. DNA
uptake to the periplasmic compartment requires a DNA-uptake pilus and the DNA-binding …

Abstract Type IV secretion (T4S) systems are ancestrally related to bacterial conjugation
machines. These systems assemble as a translocation channel, and often also as a surface …

Transformation and conjugation permit the passage of DNA through the bacterial
membranes and represent dominant modes for the transfer of genetic information between …

Many bacteria are naturally competent, able to actively transport environmental DNA
fragments across their cell envelope and into their cytoplasm. Because incoming DNA …

Bacterial genomics is flourishing, as whole-genome sequencing has become affordable,
readily available and rapid. As a result, it has become clear how frequently horizontal gene …

Bacteria and archaea rely on appendages called type IV pili (T4P) to participate in diverse
behaviors including surface sensing, biofilm formation, virulence, protein secretion and …

Natural genetic transformation is widely distributed in bacteria. It is a genetically
programmed process that is inherent to the species. Transformation requires a specialized …

Nanopores are emerging as powerful tools for the detection and identification of
macromolecules in aqueous solution. In this review, we discuss the recent development of …