Israeli scientists find bacteria’s ‘switchboard’ — and a new way to stop infections

By targeting the formation of these compartments, future treatments could prevent bacteria from switching into their virulent mode, stopping infections before they take hold.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Offering a potential new strategy for fighting disease without relying on traditional antibiotics, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a surprising mechanism bacteria use to regulate when they become infectious.

The findings raise the possibility of preventing infections by keeping bacteria in a harmless state.

The breakthrough, led by Prof. Ilan Rosenshine from Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, centers on a protein known as CsrA, long recognized for its role in controlling bacterial virulence — the ability of bacteria to cause disease.

Until now, researchers believed CsrA operated freely within bacterial cells.

However, the new study reveals that CsrA actually gathers into a droplet-like, membrane-less compartment inside the cell, forming a temporary “control center” that manages the activation of disease-causing genes.

“This compartment acts like a temporary control center,” said Rosenshine. “It helps bacteria shift gears — either gearing up to infect or slowing down to conserve energy.”

Using fluorescent markers, Rosenshine’s team tracked CsrA inside live bacterial cells and observed that these control hubs formed naturally under certain environmental conditions, especially those mimicking the human gut.

The structures also contained other crucial molecules involved in gene regulation, suggesting a sophisticated level of genetic management occurring within the droplet.

One of the most striking implications of the research is that this system may not be unique to a single bacterial species.

“We believe similar compartments may be common across many types of pathogenic bacteria,” Rosenshine said. “This could represent a universal strategy used by bacteria to regulate virulence.”

The findings not only shed new light on the internal organization of bacterial cells but also suggest several promising practical applications.

By targeting the formation of these compartments, future treatments could prevent bacteria from switching into their virulent mode, stopping infections before they take hold.

Such an approach would differ from traditional antibiotics by disabling the bacteria’s ability to cause disease rather than killing them outright — potentially reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance.

If the CsrA compartment system proves widespread, it could lead to broad-spectrum therapies effective against a range of bacterial infections.

Beyond drugs, this discovery gives scientists a new way to study how bacteria sense and adapt to their environment, which could improve how to manage infections, especially in hospitals where antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a big problem.

Moreover, if scientists can mimic or engineer these kinds of compartments, it might help in building custom bacteria for medical or industrial purposes

The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.