How bacteria communicate with each other
March 3rd, 2011 - 1:24 pm ICT by ANIWashington, March 03 (ANI): Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a pathway whereby bacteria communicate with each other.
The discovery has important implications for efforts to cope with the spread of harmful bacteria in the body.
Bacteria are known to communicate in nature primarily via the secretion and receipt of extracellular signalling molecules, said Prof. Sigal Ben-Yehuda of the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, head of the research team on the phenomenon, whose work is currently reported in the journal Cell. This communication enables bacteria to execute sophisticated tasks such as dealing with antibiotic production and secretion of virulence factors.
Ben-Yehuda’s group identified a previously uncharacterized type of bacterial communication mediated by nanotubes that bridge neighboring cells. The researchers showed that these nanotubes connect bacteria of the same and different species. Via these tubes, bacteria are able to exchange small molecules, proteins and even small genetic elements (known as plasmids).
This mechanism can facilitate the acquisition of new features in nature, such as antibiotic resistance. In this view, gaining a better molecular understanding of nanotube formation could lead to the development of novel strategies to fight against pathogenic bacteria, said Ben-Yehuda. (ANI)
- Antibiotic resistance spreads rapidly between bacteria: Study - Apr 12, 2011
- Secret of bacteria's immune system unlocked - Nov 05, 2010
- Antibiotic shows promise in silencing resistant bugs - Oct 30, 2011
- Some bugs doze off to outwit antibiotics - Apr 26, 2011
- Disarming bugs can combat antibiotic resistance - Apr 05, 2012
- New drugs that disarm MRSA discovered - Sep 17, 2010
- Major advance in fight against autoimmune diseases and allergies - Apr 24, 2011
- New approach to study potentially deadly disease-causing bacteria - Dec 24, 2010
- Scientists trick bacteria to incorporate foreign small molecules into cell wall - Oct 09, 2010
- Cholesterol-lowering statins 'kill bacteria' - Nov 18, 2010
- Some bacteria 'go to sleep to hide from antibiotics' - Apr 26, 2011
- New compound found effective against resistant microbes - May 28, 2010
- Scientists jam bacterial chat to fight virulent infections - Dec 25, 2009
- Infectious bugs alter DNA to become resistant - Nov 14, 2011
- How pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells - Jan 27, 2011
Tags: antibiotic production, antibiotic resistance, ben yehuda, faculty of medicine, genetic elements, harmful bacteria, hebrew university faculty, hebrew university of jerusalem, medical research, medicine head, molecules, nanotubes, novel strategies, pathogenic bacteria, pathway, proteins, secretion, sigal, sophisticated tasks, virulence factors