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The cell wall provides structural support and protection, while the capsule, found in some bacteria, plays a crucial role in resisting host immune attacks, adaptation to new niches and pathogenesis.

Xu and his team used extracellular vesicles to target DR5 because these nano-sized capsules—about a million times smaller than a T cell—are naturally produced and secreted by virtually all cells.

and he observed that these bacteria had the smooth capsules characteristic of the S strain. Based on these observations, Griffith hypothesized that a chemical component from the virulent S cells ...