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Updated: Jan 28, 2026
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An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay
Published on: February 1, 2019
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[Colonial organization and intercellular communication of microorganisms]
A V Oleskin1, I V Botvinko, E A Tsavkelova
1Cell Physiology and Immunology Department, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Russia. oleskin@AOleskin.home.bio.msu.ru
Mikrobiologiia
|August 2, 2000
Summary
Microbial communities function as cohesive "super-organisms," exhibiting complex behaviors like altruism and communication. This organization is crucial for their interactions with multicellular hosts.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Systems Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Context:
- Microbial populations exhibit collective behaviors beyond individual cell functions.
- Understanding microbial communities is vital for fields ranging from medicine to ecology.
- Recent data highlight the sophisticated organization within microbial colonies and biofilms.
Purpose:
- To review modern concepts and data on microbial populations as unified entities.
- To emphasize phenomena like apoptosis, bacterial altruism, and quorum sensing.
- To explore intercellular communication and its role in microbial organization.
Summary:
- Microbial colonies and biofilms act as
- super-organisms
- demonstrating integrity and coherence.
- Key phenomena include apoptosis, bacterial altruism, quorum sensing, collective differentiation, and extracellular matrix formation.
- Intercellular communication channels and conserved interaction patterns are central to microbial population-level structures and functions.
Impact:
- Highlights the role of colonial organization and communication in host-microbe interactions (parasite/commensal/symbiont).
- Provides insights into the evolution of cooperation and collective behavior in microorganisms.
- Underscores the importance of understanding microbial communities as complex, integrated systems.
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