A contractile injection system is required for developmentally regulated cell death in Streptomyces coelicolor

Abstract

Bacteria can use extracellular contractile injection systems (eCISs) to inject toxic proteins into eukaryotic cells. Here, Vladimirov et al. provide evidence that the main role of eCISs in Streptomyces is not to attack other species, but to modulate the complex Streptomyces developmental process.