Like all cells, bacteria have a membrane that shields them from the outside like a skin. This barrier is not static, but has to allow transport of substances in and out and be flexible so that the bacterial cells can grow. In order to implement these properties, different types of proteins are active in cells, including the so-called flotillins. These proteins are present in cells from bacteria to humans. Until now, scientists assumed that these flotillins mainly help in the formation of other functional protein complexes and confine highly ordered areas of the cell membrane.