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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...
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
Global Regulatory Systems01:28

Global Regulatory Systems

Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
Yeast Signaling01:28

Yeast Signaling

Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence01:28

Regulation of Bacterial Virulence

Pathogenic bacteria employ a range of regulatory mechanisms to modulate the expression of virulence genes in response to environmental and host-derived signals. These mechanisms ensure that virulence factors are expressed only under favorable conditions, thereby optimizing infection and survival strategies.Mechanisms of Virulence RegulationKey regulatory strategies include:Two-Component Systems: These consist of a membrane-bound sensor kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. Environmental...
Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria01:29

Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria

The DNA replication, transcription, and translation processes are intricately coupled in bacteria, allowing efficient gene expression and rapid protein synthesis. While this physical and functional coordination is advantageous, it introduces challenges that bacteria overcome through specific regulatory mechanisms.Coupling of Replication, Transcription, and TranslationThe coupling of replication, transcription, and translation is a hallmark of bacterial gene expression. As the replisome unwinds...

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Time-lapse Imaging of Bacterial Swarms and the Collective Stress Response
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Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing.

Pankaj Mehta1, Sidhartha Goyal, Tao Long

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. pmehta@princeton.edu

Molecular Systems Biology
|November 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Bacteria use chemical signals for quorum sensing (cell communication). This study reveals how Vibrio harveyi integrates three signals, suggesting evolved strategies to minimize signal interference for effective communication.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Systems Biology
  • Information Theory

Background:

  • Bacteria communicate using secreted molecules called autoinducers through quorum sensing.
  • The marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi utilizes a complex quorum-sensing network involving three distinct autoinducers.
  • Understanding how these multiple signals are integrated and interpreted by bacterial cells remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel framework for analyzing signal integration using information theory.
  • To quantify information transfer within the Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing circuit.
  • To explain the observed input-output relationship in this bacterial communication system.

Main Methods:

  • Application of an information-theoretic framework to analyze signal integration.
  • Quantification of cellular information acquisition regarding individual autoinducers.
  • Analysis of the V. harveyi quorum-sensing circuit's input-output dynamics.

Main Results:

  • The study quantifies the information bacteria can acquire about individual autoinducers.
  • The developed framework successfully explains the experimentally observed input-output relationship in V. harveyi.
  • Results indicate that minimizing signal interference is a key constraint on bacterial network architecture.

Conclusions:

  • Signal interference poses significant constraints on the design of bacterial signal-integration networks.
  • Bacteria likely employ active strategies to mitigate interference between autoinducer signals.
  • Two potential strategies identified include autoinducer production manipulation and feedback on receptor ratios.