In what they labeled a “surprising” finding, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein’s essential role in maintaining the germ’s shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial cells envelope or enclosure is key to its survival, the finding could advance the search for new and better antibiotics. In what they labeled a “surprising” finding, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein’s essential role in maintaining the germ’s shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial cells envelope or enclosure is key to its survival, the finding could advance the search for new and better antibiotics. Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories