Last Tuesday, April 1, theBiblioteca Mestre Martí Tauler of Rubí hosted the conference "In what we resemble and in what we differentiate humans and bacteria?", organized by Nexe AmicsUAB. The event was led by Jordi Barbé García, member of the SGR Group of Molecular Microbiology and professor of the Department of Genetics and Microbiology. His research focuses on bacterial virulence factors and the development of alternatives to antibiotics. In addition, among the audience as a companion, Núria Gaju attended the doctor in Biological Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
During the conference, Barbé explored the commons and fundamental differences between humans and bacteria, establishing key concepts to better understand our relationship with these microorganisms. It was noted that, for any living organism, proteins are essential for both the functioning and the structure of the body, and that the information to manufacture them is found in the genetic material (DNA) of cells. In this sense, he talked about ribosomes as essential elements in protein synthesis and how viruses, which do not have them, should use the ribosomes of host cells, which makes them non-autonomous organisms.
Barbé also addressed the evolution of living beings, introducing the concept of LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), an organism that existed about 3.5 billion years ago and from which all living beings today descend. In addition, he explained the theory of serial endosymbiosis, which describes how some cells incorporated other organisms to form more complex structures such as mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Another important aspect of the talk was the comparison between the world of music and the types of multicellular organisms, where functions are distributed between different specialized cells, just as in an orchestra each musician has a specific role. The difference between unicellular and multicellular organisms and the different biological cycles they present were also treated. An example of this was the life cycle of a fly compared to that of a bacterium, highlighting that bacteria can be considered "immortal" in the sense that they reproduce by division and do not have a programmed death as the most complex organisms. In addition, the characteristics of the viruses and how their life cycle differs from that of bacteria and other living beings were discussed.
Finally, the different types of metabolism were analyzed according to the type of organism. Barbé remarked that the great variety, quantity, distribution and metabolic versatility of bacteria not only make them protagonists of the geological evolution of the Earth and the living beings that inhabit it, but also in "rectors" of these processes.
The conference generated an enriching debate among the attendees, who reflected on how the understanding of bacteria can influence human health and the development of new tools to combat infections. This session served as an introduction to future in-depth meetings on the subject.
In addition, for those interested in deepening in this field, on Tuesdays from April 22 to May 27, the course "Invisible Power: Microbes" will be held by the University of Abbast UAB, which will take place in the Sabadell University Extension Classroom. This course will deal with topics such as the differences between viruses, bacteria and fungi, resistance to antibiotics, alternative methods to combat infections and the role of microbes as producers of goods and food.
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