Using the power of cryo-EM to elucidate the molecular mechanism of Cannibalism in Clostridium difficile

Sporulating bacteria possess an unusual trait, termed "Cannibalism": they secrete a toxin,
which kills non-sporulating cells, allowing the sporulating cells to scavenge their nutrients.
However, the molecular details of how this toxin kills bacteria, and how sporulating cells are
immune to it, is not understood. The aim of this project is to use cryo-EM, a transformative
technology that has revolutionized our capacity to understand biological processes at the
molecular level, combined with other biophysical and in-vivo assays, to decipher the details
of Cannibalism in the human pathogen C. difficile. This could have major implications for
obtaining new antimicrobial therapeutics.