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Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Signaling01:30

Bacterial Signaling

Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
Paracrine Signaling01:21

Paracrine Signaling

Paracrine signaling allows cells to communicate with their immediate neighbors via secretion of signaling molecules. Such a signal can only trigger a response in nearby target cells because the signal molecules degrade quickly or are inactivated if not taken up. Prominent examples of paracrine signaling include nitric oxide signaling in blood vessels, synaptic signaling of neurons, the blood clotting system, tissue repair/wound healing, and local allergic skin reactions. Nitric oxide as a...
Paracrine Signaling01:21

Paracrine Signaling

Paracrine signaling allows cells to communicate with their immediate neighbors via secretion of signaling molecules. Such a signal can only trigger a response in nearby target cells because the signal molecules degrade quickly or are inactivated if not taken up. Prominent examples of paracrine signaling include nitric oxide signaling in blood vessels, synaptic signaling of neurons, the blood clotting system, tissue repair/wound healing, and local allergic skin reactions. Nitric oxide as a...
Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
Autocrine Signaling01:01

Autocrine Signaling

Autocrine signaling is one of the many signaling mechanisms that function inside multicellular organisms to carry out intercellular communication. In this type of signaling mechanism, the same cell that secretes an extracellular signaling molecule also expresses the receptors to bind and respond to that signaling molecule.
Autocrine Signaling in Macrophages
Under normal physiological conditions, autocrine signaling is essential for maintaining homeostasis. This process is well characterized in...
Autocrine Signaling01:01

Autocrine Signaling

Autocrine signaling is one of the many signaling mechanisms that function inside multicellular organisms to carry out intercellular communication. In this type of signaling mechanism, the same cell that secretes an extracellular signaling molecule also expresses the receptors to bind and respond to that signaling molecule.
Autocrine Signaling in Macrophages
Under normal physiological conditions, autocrine signaling is essential for maintaining homeostasis. This process is well characterized in...

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A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells
08:17

A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells

Published on: August 28, 2018

Paracrine signaling in a bacterium.

Daniel López1, Hera Vlamakis, Richard Losick

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Genes & Development
|July 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals paracrine signaling in bacteria, where specific cells produce signals that only certain other cells respond to, maintaining distinct cell types over generations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology
  • Bacterial Communication

Background:

  • Cellular differentiation is typically induced by external signals.
  • Bacterial differentiation often relies on autocrine signaling, where cells signal themselves.
  • Paracrine signaling, involving distinct signaling and responding cell populations, is less common in bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate paracrine signaling in bacterial populations.
  • To elucidate the roles of ComX and surfactin in Bacillus differentiation.
  • To understand how bacterial cell fates are maintained.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated signaling pathways involving ComX and surfactin in Bacillus.
  • Analyzed the response of different cell subpopulations to signaling molecules.

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A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells
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  • Utilized mutant strains lacking extracellular matrix production for comparison.

    • Main Results:

    • ComX induces surfactin production, which triggers matrix production in a subpopulation.
    • Surfactin-producing cells do not respond to surfactin; matrix-producing cells become insensitive to ComX.
    • Extracellular matrix production confers insensitivity to ComX, maintaining cell type stability.

    Conclusions:

    • Demonstrated unidirectional paracrine signaling in bacterial populations.
    • Paracrine signaling ensures the long-term maintenance of specialized bacterial cell types.
    • This mechanism allows for cell-type stability despite differentiation-inducing signals.