Bacterial type VI secretion system helps prevent cheating in microbial communities

Abstract

In their paper, “Trojan horse-like T6SS effector TepC mediates both interference competition and exploitative competition”, Song and colleagues (2024) remind us of an important societal principle that everyone contributes to benefit the collective population [1]. This challenging task is reflected in penal codes and civil rights, so that proper conduct and goodwill of all individuals serves the community as a whole. Although microbial “societies” do not have such rules codified, they nonetheless implement molecular strategies to restrict foes and cheaters within their respective populations and communities.