Connecting prey attacks and cell cycle switches in predatory bacteria (VAMPIRE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Immunity, Infection and I mmunotherapy
Panel description: The immune system , related disorders  and their mechanisms , biology of infectious agents and infection, biological basis of prevention and treatment of infectious diseases , innovative imm unological tools and approaches , including  therapies
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2030-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999174.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999174.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Bacterial predators offer a unique avenue to identify novel molecular weapons that could be harnessed against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Obligate predatory bacteria thrive by consuming other bacteria, either vampirizing prey from inside (endobiotic predation) or from the surface (epibiotic predation). However, critical aspects of predatory attacks and predator proliferation remain enigmatic. The VAMPIRE project aims to fill this gap by elucidating the molecular devices used for prey attack and digestion, and the pathways controlling predator proliferation during these key predation stages. Building on state-of-the-art live-cell imaging tools and insights on endobiotic predation from the ERC StG PREDATOR, VAMPIRE takes a significant leap further by addressing long-standing gaps in mechanistic understanding of bacterial predation. Investigation in VAMPIRE is consolidated by studying both endobiotic and epibiotic predation modes, leveraging two closely related predator species as model systems: Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (endobiotic) and B. exovorus (epibiotic). This proposal specifically aims to (i) examine the roles of conserved molecular nanomachines (pili and secretion systems) in predatory attacks, (ii) uncover the intriguing macromolecular feeding complex clamping predators to prey during vampirization, (iii) unravel the significance of secondary messengers in coordinating the start and end of predator growth with prey attack and consumption. Strong preliminary data indicate spatial confinement of these mechanisms to the prey-invasive pole in the predator cell, emphasizing subcellular organization as a key determinant for coupling attacks and cell cycle control in bacterial predators. Combining single-cell live imaging, genetics, proteomics, and structural approaches, VAMPIRE will comprehensively explore predatory lifecycles, extending beyond the textbook “classics” of bacterial proliferation while offering insights into novel antibacterial mechanisms.

Keywords: bacterial predation,bacterial cell cycle,live cell imaging of bacterial cells,bacterial cell polarity,type 4 pili,tad pili,bacterial secretion systems,c di gmp,stringent response,protein localisation,epifluorescence microscopy,inter species interactions,bacterial envelope complexes,secondary messengers,bacterial growth,bacterial cell division,bacterial cell envelope,bdellovibrio bacteriovorus,caulobacter crescentus