Venkadesaperumal Gopu

This study visualizes bacterial nanotube formation in Bacillus subtilis, revealing a novel membranous organelle called the tubeosome that facilitates intercellular communication.

The paper identifies YokF, a nuclease that blocks plasmid transfer via nanotubes in Bacillus subtilis, and shows its homologs in other bacteria restrict NPex.

The paper shows that the plasmid pLS20 uses flagella rotation to trigger conjugation in Gram-positive bacteria, enabling DNA transfer in liquid environments.