Bacteria produce specialized metabolites to compete with other microbes. Though the biological activities of many specialized metabolites have been determined, our understanding of their ecology is limited, particularly within the human microbiome. …
This article focuses on chemical forms of communication that occur within and between species of bacteria. In their natural environments, bacteria predominantly exist in multi-cellular and even multi-species communities. Bacteria gain advantages from …
The study of interactions between microorganisms has led to numerous discoveries, from novel antimicrobials to insights in microbial ecology. Many approaches used for the study of microbial interactions require specialized equipment and are expensive …
The linearmycin family of polyketides was originally classified as antifungal metabolites. However, in addition to antifungal activity, we previously found that linearmycins cause cellular lysis and colony degradation of the Gram-positive bacterium …
Specialized metabolites support bacterial competitive fitness as antibiotics, signals, pigments, and metal scavengers. Little is known about how specialized metabolites are processed and trafficked for their diverse competitive functions. …
Bacteria use two-component signaling systems to adapt and respond to their competitors and changing environments. For instance, competitor bacteria may produce antibiotics and other bioactive metabolites and sequester nutrients. To survive, some …
Throughout history, especially beginning in the mid-twentieth century, humans have adapted numerous specialized metabolites produced by microbes as therapeutics. Since their inception, antibiotics have been a powerful tool used in science and …
Microbial communities span many orders of magnitude, ranging in scale from hundreds of cells on a single particle of soil to billions of cells within the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. Bacterial cells in all habitats are members of densely …
Bacteria have diverse mechanisms for competition that include biosynthesis of extracellular enzymes and antibiotic metabolites, as well as changes in community physiology, such as biofilm formation or motility. Considered collectively, networks of …