TY - CHAP
T1 - Extracellular communication in bacteria
AU - Chhabra, S.R.
AU - Philipp, B.
AU - Eberl, L.
AU - Givskov, Michael Christian
AU - Williams, P.
AU - Camara, M.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Populations of bacterial cells often coordinate their responses to changes in their local environmental conditions through "quorum sensing", a cell-to-cell communication system employing small diffusible signal molecules. While there is considerable diversity in the chemistry of such signal molecules, in different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria they control pathogenicity, secondary metabolite production, biofilm differentiation, DNA transfer and bioluminescence. The development of biosensors for the detection of these signal molecules has greatly facilitated their subsequent chemical analysis which in turn has resulted in significant progress in understanding the molecular basis of quorum sensing-dependent gene expression. Consequently, the discovery and characterisation of natural molecules which antagonize quorum sensing-mediated responses has created new opportunities for the design of novel anti-infective agents which control infection through the attenuation of bacterial virulence.
AB - Populations of bacterial cells often coordinate their responses to changes in their local environmental conditions through "quorum sensing", a cell-to-cell communication system employing small diffusible signal molecules. While there is considerable diversity in the chemistry of such signal molecules, in different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria they control pathogenicity, secondary metabolite production, biofilm differentiation, DNA transfer and bioluminescence. The development of biosensors for the detection of these signal molecules has greatly facilitated their subsequent chemical analysis which in turn has resulted in significant progress in understanding the molecular basis of quorum sensing-dependent gene expression. Consequently, the discovery and characterisation of natural molecules which antagonize quorum sensing-mediated responses has created new opportunities for the design of novel anti-infective agents which control infection through the attenuation of bacterial virulence.
KW - N-acylhomoserine lactones
KW - quorum sensing
KW - antibacterial agents
KW - bacterial pheromones
KW - cell-cell signalling
U2 - 10.1007/b98319
DO - 10.1007/b98319
M3 - Book chapter
T3 - Topics in Current Chemistry
SP - 279
EP - 315
BT - Chemistry of Pheromones and Other Semiochemicals Ii
PB - Springer-verlag Berlin
CY - Berlin
ER -