Vesicular trafficking

In prokaryotes

Unlike in eukaryotes, membrane vesicular trafficking in prokaryotes is an emerging area in interactive biology for intra-species (quorum sensing) and inter-species signaling at the host–pathogen interface, as most prokaryotes (except anammox and cyanobacteria) lack internal membrane-compartmentalization of their cytoplasm. Bacterial outer membrane vesicle dispersion along the cell surface was measured in live Escherichia coli, commensal bacteria common in the human gut. Antibiotic treatment altered vesicle dynamics, vesicle-to-membrane affinity, and surface properties of the cell membranes, generally enhancing vesicle transport along the surfaces of bacterial membranes and suggesting that their motion properties could be a signature of antibiotic stress.