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Intercellular communication and social behaviors in mycobacteria
Seenivasan Boopathi1,2, Subbiah Ramasamy3, B Haridevamuthu2
1Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|September 30, 2022
Summary
Mycobacteria in cystic fibrosis patients communicate using cell-to-cell signaling, enabling cooperative behaviors like biofilm formation. Understanding this bacterial communication is key to developing new anti-mycobacterial drugs.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Communication
- Quorum Sensing
Background:
- Mycobacterial populations in cystic fibrosis sputum exhibit significant genetic diversity.
- Heterogeneity arises from changes in morphology, gene expression, and distributive conjugal transfer (DCT).
- Diverse mycobacteria display hetero-resistance, making them difficult to treat with antibiotics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on mycobacterial cell-to-cell communication.
- To explore how genetically diverse mycobacteria coordinate communal behaviors.
- To highlight the role of quorum sensing (QS) in mycobacterial persistence and virulence.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on mycobacterial communication.
- Analysis of mechanisms driving genetic diversity and heterogeneity.
- Examination of quorum sensing (QS) signaling pathways in mycobacteria.
Main Results:
- Mycobacteria engage in cell-to-cell communication to coordinate communal behaviors like biofilm production.
- Division of labor among sub-clonal populations facilitates the exchange of products for community benefit.
- Quorum sensing (QS) signals likely mediate contact-independent communication between neighboring cells.
Conclusions:
- Understanding mycobacterial communication is crucial for deciphering their persistence and virulence strategies.
- Targeting bacterial communication pathways offers a promising avenue for novel anti-mycobacterial drug development.
- Further research into QS mechanisms could reveal new therapeutic targets.
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