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Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Signaling01:30

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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...
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What is Cell Signaling?02:03

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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 to respond to the environment.
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Hormones—or any molecule that binds to a receptor, known as a ligand—that are lipid-insoluble (water-soluble) are not able to diffuse across the cell membrane. In order to be able to affect a cell without entering it, these hormones bind to receptors on the cell membrane. When a first messenger, a hormone, binds to a receptor, a signal cascade is set off, causing second messengers, proteins inside the cell, to become activated, resulting in downstream effects.
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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.
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Cell Signaling in Plants01:25

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Bacterial Cellulose Spheres that Encapsulate Solid Materials
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Engineered cell-to-cell signalling within growing bacterial cellulose pellicles.

Kenneth T Walker1,2, Vivianne J Goosens1,2, Akashaditya Das1

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.

Microbial Biotechnology
|November 22, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Researchers engineered communication between bacteria to create structured bacterial cellulose materials. This synthetic biology approach enables patterned growth for advanced biomaterials in healthcare and electronics.

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Area of Science:

  • Synthetic Biology
  • Biomaterials Engineering
  • Microbial Biotechnology

Background:

  • Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a high-yield biomaterial with diverse applications.
  • Current BC production yields unstructured networks, limiting complex material design.
  • Engineering localized bacterial responses is crucial for structured BC development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer synthetic cell-to-cell communication in Komagataeibacter rhaeticus for structured BC production.
  • To enable bacteria to sense proximity and trigger differential gene expression for patterned growth.
  • To establish a foundation for pattern formation in engineered living materials.

Main Methods:

  • Engineered Sender and Receiver strains of K. rhaeticus using synthetic biology tools.
  • Introduced production and response to acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling molecules.
  • Demonstrated communication within and between growing BC pellicles.

Main Results:

  • Successfully established synthetic cell-to-cell communication in K. rhaeticus.
  • Showcased boundary detection by spliced and rejoined BC pellicles sensing their original interface.
  • Validated AHL-mediated communication for spatial patterning in BC.

Conclusions:

  • Synthetic cell-to-cell communication is feasible within bacterial cellulose.
  • This breakthrough enables precise pattern formation in engineered living materials.
  • Opens new avenues for advanced BC applications in healthcare, biotechnology, and electronics.