Researchers have gained new insights into the mechanisms with which certain proteins help the immune defence mechanism in the human body. Pathogens such as viruses or bacteria are wrapped in membrane blebs and rendered harmless there. What are known as guanylate-binding proteins are crucial in this. How they contribute to the process that was investigated by researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the University of Cologne, together with other partners from Erlangen and Geneva.