Abstract
The outer membrane protects Gram-negative bacteria against the immune systems of plants and animals and excludes many classes of antibiotics. Using advanced microscopy on live and growing Escherichia coli, we have recently discovered that this outer membrane is organised in various domains, the function of which remains unknown. We will determine how this biological/biophysical finding translates to Acinetobacter baumannii, as a much less well characterised bacterium that is of substantial and growing clinical importance. We will determine how the A. baumannii outer membrane is organised and how that organisation relates to bacterial resistance to antibiotics and immune effectors.
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