{
  "id": 10549410,
  "title": "Assembly pathway reveals how bacteria build protein coils that extend in acid",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/assembly-pathway-reveals-how-bacteria-build-protein-coils-that-extend",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-28T22:40:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pathway-reveals-bacteria-protein-acid.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers from Science Tokyo have unraveled the assembly pathway behind refractile-body proteins, which are complex protein coils found in certain bacteria. These protein machines can extend rapidly when exposed to acidic conditions, generating enough force to disrupt cell membranes. The study, published in Biomacromolecules, investigated how four proteins - RebA, RebB, RebC, and RebD - work together to create the characteristic architecture of Type 51 R-bodies, which remain coiled under neutral pH and extend into a spiral when acidic. Using genetic engineering and various protein analysis techniques, the researchers found that RebD and RebC are crucial components, with RebD guiding the early formation of an ordered structure and RebC being necessary for the overall assembly. Without either protein, the proteins clump together instead of forming the functional, extensible R-body. The findings provide valuable insights for engineering dynamic protein systems as biotechnological tools, offering design principles for creating stimuli-responsive materials and microscopic protein-based machines capable of sensing environmental changes and generating mechanical motion.",
  "summary": "The assembly pathway behind refractile-body proteins may have finally been resolved, researchers from Science Tokyo report. Using genetic engineering and several techniques for analyzing protein structure, they investigated how four proteins work together to produce the correct architecture of these complex, pH-responsive protein machines, from the nanoscale to the microscale. The findings could…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}