Study details a common bacterial defense against viral infection

One of the many secrets to bacteria’s success is their ability to defend themselves from viruses, called . 

The two proteins that make up this defense system are called Gabija A and Gabija B, or GajA and GajB for short. 

Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the biochemical structures of GajA and GajB individually and of what is called a supramolecular complex, GajAB, created when the two bind to form a cluster consisting of four molecules from each protein.