ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Researchers have optimized a new technique that will allow scientists to evaluate how potential inhibitors work on antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This technique, called native state mass spectrometry, provides a quick way for scientists to identify the best candidates for effective clinical drugs, particularly in cases where bacteria can no longer be treated with antibiotics alone.

Just as the skeleton and muscles move the human body and hold its shape, the cells of the body are stabilized and moved by a cellular skeleton. This cellular skeleton is a dynamic structure, constantly changing and renewing. It consists of different types of protein filaments, which include intermediate filaments and microtubules. Researchers have now observed and measured a direct interaction between microtubules and intermediate filaments outside the cell.