Virulence
December 2025
Many bacterial pathogens utilize quorum sensing (QS) signals to modulate the biological functions in a cell density-dependent manner. is a harmful pathogen and a major cause of hospital-acquired infections due to its severe drug-resistance and pathogenic nature. Therefore, the development of innovative antibacterial strategies for infections is important.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuorum sensing (QS) is a widely conserved cell-cell communication mechanism through which bacterial cells control physiological functions and pathogenesis. Additionally, nucleotide second messengers (NSMs) have been shown to regulate diverse bacterial functions. is now a substantial threat and a considerable challenge worldwide, and recent research indicates that not only utilizes QS systems but also employs NSMs to regulate phenotypes and virulence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Environ Microbiol
June 2025
Unlabelled: Quorum sensing (QS) is widely utilized by both bacteria and fungi to mediate cell-cell communication. Previous studies have demonstrated that the indole derivative indole-3-ethanol (also known as tryptophol) controls morphogenesis as a QS molecule in fungi. However, whether this QS signal is involved in the modulation of biological functions in bacteria remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStimulating adipose tissue thermogenesis has emerged as a promising strategy for combating obesity, with uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) playing a central role in this process. However, the mechanisms that suppress adipose thermogenesis and energy dissipation in obesity are not fully understood. This study identifies mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2), an obesity susceptibility gene, as a negative regulator of energy homeostasis across flies, rodents, and humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Bacterial pathogens frequently encounter host-derived metabolites during their colonization and invasion processes, which can serve as nutrients, antimicrobial agents, or signaling molecules for the pathogens. The essential nutrient choline (Cho) is widely known to be utilized by a diverse range of bacteria and may undergo conversion into the disease-associated metabolite trimethylamine (TMA). However, the impact of choline metabolism on bacterial physiology and virulence remains largely unexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
December 2024
Candida albicans infection poses a significant global health threat. It is imperative to exploit new antifungal agents against C. albicans infections without leading to drug resistance, so that these potential agents can complement or combine with current medications to effectively treat diseases caused by C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSTAR Protoc
December 2024
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
September 2024
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widespread nosocomial pathogen with a significant to cause both severe planktonic acute and biofilm-related chronic infections. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are noncoding regulatory molecules that are stabilized by the RNA chaperone Hfq to trigger various virulence-related signaling pathways. Here, we identified an Hfq-binding sRNA in P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Plant Pathol
August 2024
Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) includes soilborne bacterial plant pathogens with worldwide distribution and wide host ranges. Virulence factors are regulated via four hierarchically organized cell-cell contact independent quorum-sensing (QS) signalling systems: the Phc, which uses as signals (R)-methyl 3-hydroxypalmitate [(R)-3-OH PAME] or (R)-methyl 3-hydroxymyristate [(R)-3-OH MAME], the N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent RasI/R and SolI/R systems, and the recently identified anthranilic acid-dependent system. The unique Phc QS system has been extensively studied; however, the role of the two AHL QS systems has only recently been addressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism mediated by small diffusible signaling molecules. Previous studies showed that RpfR controls Burkholderia cenocepacia virulence as a cis-2-dodecenoic acid (BDSF) QS signal receptor. Here, we report that the fatty acyl-CoA ligase DsfR (BCAM2136), which efficiently catalyzes in vitro synthesis of lauryl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA from lauric acid and oleic acid, respectively, acts as a global transcriptional regulator to control B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci
February 2024
Appl Environ Microbiol
December 2023
is a major human enteric pathogen that causes bacillary dysentery. The increasing spread of drug-resistant strains has caused an emergent need for the development of new antimicrobial agents against this pathogenic bacterium. In this study, we demonstrate that Stattic employs two antibacterial mechanisms against .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies have demonstrated that bis-(3',5')-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (bis-3',5'-c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger employed by bacteria. Here, we report that 2',3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (2',3'-cGMP) controls the important biological functions, quorum sensing (QS) signaling systems and virulence in Ralstonia solanacearum through the transcriptional regulator RSp0980. This signal specifically binds to RSp0980 with high affinity and thus abolishes the interaction between RSp0980 and the promoters of target genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Environ Microbiol
October 2023
Outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-delivered quinolone signal (PQS) plays a critical role in cell-cell communication in . However, the functions and mechanisms of membrane-enclosed PQS in interspecies communication in microbial communities are not clear. Here, we demonstrate that PQS delivered by both OMVs from and liposome reduces the competitiveness of , which usually shares the same niche in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, by interfering with quorum sensing (QS) in through the LysR-type regulator ShvR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis an important opportunistic pathogenic fungus that frequently causes serious systemic infection in humans. Due to the vital roles of biofilm formation and the yeast-to-hypha transition in the infection process, we have selected a series of diaryl chalcogenides and tested their efficacy against SC5314 pathogenicity by the inhibition of biofilm formation and the yeast-to-hypha transition. The compounds 5-sulfenylindole and 5-selenylindole were found to have excellent abilities to inhibit both biofilm formation and hyphal formation in SC5314.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndole is an important signal employed by many bacteria to modulate intraspecies signaling and interspecies or interkingdom communication. Our recent study revealed that indole plays a key role in regulating the physiology and virulence of However, it is not clear how perceives and responds to the indole signal in modulating biological functions. Here, we report that indole controls the physiology and virulence of through a previously uncharacterized response regulator designated as AbiR (A1S_1394), which contains a cheY-homologous receiver (REC) domain and a helix-turn-helix (HTH) DNA-binding domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe "death cap", Amanita phalloides, is the world's most poisonous mushroom, responsible for 90% of mushroom-related fatalities. The most fatal component of the death cap is α-amanitin. Despite its lethal effect, the exact mechanisms of how α-amanitin poisons humans remain unclear, leading to no specific antidote available for treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
June 2023
Many bacteria use small molecules, such as quorum sensing (QS) signals, to perform intraspecies signaling and interspecies or interkingdom communication. Previous studies demonstrated that some bacteria regulate their physiology and pathogenicity by employing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA). Here, we report that 4-HBA controls biological functions, virulence, and anthranilic acid production in Shigella sonnei.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCandida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen. Our previous study disclosed that aryloxy-phenylpiperazine skeleton was a promising molecule to suppress C. albicans virulence by inhibiting hypha formation and biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2022
Cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is widely used by bacteria to control biological functions in response to diverse signals or cues. A previous study showed that potential c-di-GMP metabolic enzymes play a role in the regulation of biofilm formation and motility in . However, it was unclear whether and how cells use c-di-GMP signaling to modulate biological functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Microbiol
January 2023
Many bacteria utilize quorum sensing (QS) to control group behavior in a cell density-dependent manner. Previous studies have demonstrated that Acinetobacter baumannii employs an N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL)-based QS system to control biological functions and virulence. Here, we report that indole controls biological functions, virulence and AHL signal production in A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
August 2022
Burkholderia cenocepacia is a human opportunistic pathogen that mostly employs two types of quorum-sensing (QS) systems to regulate its various biological functions and pathogenicity: the -2-dodecenoic acid (BDSF) system and the -acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) system. In this study, we reported that oridonin, which was screened from a collection of natural products, disrupted important B. cenocepacia phenotypes, including motility, biofilm formation, protease production, and virulence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuorum sensing (QS) is widely employed by bacterial cells to control gene expression in a cell density-dependent manner. A previous study revealed that anthranilic acid from Ralstonia solanacearum plays a vital role in regulating the physiology and pathogenicity of R. solanacearum.
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