Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026

07:47
Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
12.2K
Diffusible signal factor-dependent quorum sensing in pathogenic bacteria and its exploitation for disease control
1School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Journal of Applied Microbiology
|September 30, 2016
Summary
Diffusible signal factor (DSF) family signals regulate bacterial functions and can be targeted for disease control. Understanding DSF molecular mechanisms is key to developing new anti-bacterial strategies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial communication
- Molecular mechanisms
Background:
- Diffusible signal factor (DSF) family molecules are cis-2-unsaturated fatty acids.
- DSF signaling regulates virulence, biofilm formation, and antibiotic tolerance in various bacterial pathogens.
- DSF can mediate interspecies and interkingdom communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent molecular insights into DSF signaling pathways.
- To explore the potential of targeting DSF signaling for bacterial disease control.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of DSF signaling mechanisms.
- Analysis of recent research on DSF synthesis, perception, and turnover.
- Discussion of potential therapeutic strategies targeting DSF.
Main Results:
- DSF signaling is a conserved mechanism across diverse bacteria, impacting key pathogenic traits.
- DSF molecules exhibit variations in chain length and branching, influencing their function.
- DSF can engage in complex signaling networks with other microbes.
Conclusions:
- Targeting DSF signaling presents a promising avenue for novel antibacterial therapies.
- Further elucidation of DSF molecular mechanisms is crucial for effective disease control strategies.
- Understanding DSF signaling can lead to innovative approaches to combat bacterial infections.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
833
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,...
833
Bacterial Signaling
42.7K
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...
42.7K
Global Regulatory Systems
838
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...
838
Yeast Signaling
18.4K
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...
18.4K
Translational Regulation
754
Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...
754
Overview of Cell Signaling
25.7K
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...
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
25.7K

