Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Thieves, assassins and spies of the microbial world

Nature Cell Biology volume 7, pages 933–934 (2005)Cite this article

Extracellular signalling regulates a plethora of multicellular processes. For microbes, maintaining a specific cell–cell signal in an extracellular environment crowded by other species can be extremely challenging. Two recent papers demonstrate how different bacteria have adapted to avoid, or exploit, species cross-signalling.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Examples of signalling within and between species.

References

  1. Mashburn, L.M. & Whiteley, M. Nature 437, 422–425 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Xavier, K.B. & Bassler, B.L. Nature 10.1038/nature03960 (2005).

  3. Waters, C.M. & Bassler, B.L. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. (in the press).

  4. Xavier, K.B. & Bassler, B.L. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 6, 191–197 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Taga, M.E., Semmelhack, J.L. & Bassler, B.L. Mol. Microbiol. 42, 777–793 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Duan, K., Dammel, C., Stein, J., Rabin, H. & Surette, M.G. Mol. Microbiol. 50, 1477–1491 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ahmer, B.M. Mol. Microbiol. 52, 933–945 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pappas, K.M., Weingart, C.L. & Winans, S.C. Mol. Microbiol. 53, 755–769 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bauer, W.D. & Robinson, J.B. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 13, 234–237 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kadurugamuwa, J.L. & Beveridge, T.J. J. Bacteriol. 177, 3998–4008 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wai, S.N. et al. Cell 115, 25–35 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Yaron, S., Kolling, G.L., Simon, L. & Matthews, K.R. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 4414–4420 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pesci, E.C. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 96, 11229–11234 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA

    Hera C. Vlamakis & Roberto Kolter

Authors
  1. Hera C. Vlamakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roberto Kolter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vlamakis, H., Kolter, R. Thieves, assassins and spies of the microbial world. Nat Cell Biol 7, 933–934 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1005-933

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1005-933

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing