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Review
. 2005 Aug;187(16):5507-19.
doi: 10.1128/JB.187.16.5507-5519.2005.

Decoding microbial chatter: cell-cell communication in bacteria

Karen L Visick  1 , Clay Fuqua
Affiliations
Review

Decoding microbial chatter: cell-cell communication in bacteria

Karen L Visick et al. J Bacteriol. 2005 Aug.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Examples of bacterial signal diversity. Several different signal types are depicted. N∼C indicates either linear or cyclized peptides, AHLs are acylated homoserine lactones, GBLs are γ-butyrolactones, AI-2 is the furanosyl borate diester, and cis-DA is cis-11-methyl-2-dodecenoic acid. Peptides may be externalized by the general secretion pathway (GSP) or through other more specific mechanisms. Arrows indicate transit of signals across the bacterial envelope. Arrowheads that contact the envelope indicate signals that are bound by membrane-associated receptors. Dashed arrows indicate active transport into cells. Peptides and AI-2 may be perceived externally but can also transported into the cell.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Mechanisms of signal perception. Generalized signal is depicted as a filled circle. Pathways 1a and 1b involve external perception of the signal either through an external binding protein intermediate that presents the signal to the transmembrane receptor (1a) or through direct interaction of the signal with a transmembrane receptor (1b). Receipt of the external signal is transduced to target processes within the cell. In pathways 2a and 2b, the signal is internalized through passive diffusion (2a) or through specific import mechanisms (2b) and interacts with an intracellular receptor, which in turn modulates cellular processes.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
A model for three-way signal convergence in Vibrio harveyi. The three recognized signals are indicated prior to association with their cognate transmembrane receptors. In the absence of signal, receptors initiate the LuxU-LuxO phosphorelay, resulting in elevated levels of the Qrr regulatory RNAs, which block LuxR translation, thus preventing activation of lux genes and other target functions. Signal perception reverses phosphate flow, limiting qrr expression and allowing LuxR activation of target genes (see model in reference for details).
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
Diffusible signaling in bacteria-host associations. (A) Not only do bacteria recognize their own secreted signals (gray circles) to coordinate a response (black diamonds), but eukaryotic cells in the vicinity may also recognize these signals and produce a response. Some of the potential interactions are diagrammed. Various host cells may alter cytokine production (open triangles), mucus production (shaded gray), or other developmental events, such as apoptosis, in response to either the signal itself or the bacterial product of the signal transduction pathway. Hosts may also induce or constitutively synthesize signal-degrading enzymes. (B) Symbiotic Euprymna scolopes-V. fischeri interaction during light organ colonization. LuxA activity is dependent on AHL quorum sensing. The locations at which bacterial cell-cell signaling likely occurs are labeled as 1 and 2. Region 1 is the site of the initial attachment, or aggregation, by bacteria on the surface of the light organ. Region 2 is the site of colonization inside, where the bacteria multiply to high cell density and induce developmental changes, such as the AHL-dependent LuxA activity that is required for host epithelial cell swelling.
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