The Hidden Weapon of a Sneaky Bacteria

Bacteria and our bodies are in a constant battle. One sneaky bacteria, Simkania negevensis (Sne), has found a way to mess with our body's defense system. This bacteria causes respiratory diseases and hides inside our cells. It has tools to break down our body's defenses, but scientists are still figuring out how it does this. Sne has a special protein called SneRING. This protein is like a tiny machine that can change other proteins in our body. It mostly makes two types of chains called K63- and K11-linked ubiquitin chains. These chains can change how our body's proteins work. SneRING also teams up with two other proteins, UbcH5b and UBE2T, to do its job. When Sne infects our cells, it makes SneRING. This happens in different types of human cells and even in amoebae. Some of the SneRING protein hangs out near our mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which are like the powerhouse and factory of our cells. SneRING also interacts with other proteins that help shape our mitochondria and ER and respond to stress. This discovery is a big deal. It's the first time scientists have seen a bacteria with a protein like SneRING. It might help us understand how Sne changes our cells to make a cozy home for itself. But there's still a lot more to learn about how this all works.