Dunn Anne K, Handelsman Jo
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, USA.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2002 Aug;81(1-4):565-74. doi: 10.1023/a:1020565807627.
Bacteria receive signals from diverse members of their biotic environment. They sense their own species through the process of quorum sensing, which detects the density of bacterial cells and regulates functions such as bioluminescence, virulence, and competence. Bacteria also respond to the presence of other microorganisms and eukaryotic hosts. Most studies of microbial communication focus on signaling between the microbe and one other organism for empirical simplicity and because few experimental systems offer the opportunity to study communication among various types of organisms. But in the real biological world, microorganisms must carry on multiple molecular conversations simultaneously between diverse organisms, thereby constructing communication networks. We propose that biocontrol of plant disease, the process of suppressing disease through application of a microorganism, offers a model for the study of communication among multiple organisms. Successful biocontrol requires the sending and receiving of signals between the biocontrol agent and the pathogen, plant host, and microbial community surrounding the host. We are using Bacillus cereus, a biocontrol agent, and the organisms it must interact with, to dissect a communication network. This system offers an excellent starting point for study because its members are defined and well studied. An understanding of signaling in the B. cereus biocontrol system may provide a model for network communication among organisms that share a habitat and provide a new angle of analysis for understanding the interconnections that define communities.
细菌从其生物环境中的不同成员接收信号。它们通过群体感应过程感知自身物种，该过程可检测细菌细胞的密度并调节诸如生物发光、毒力和感受态等功能。细菌也会对其他微生物和真核宿主的存在做出反应。大多数关于微生物通讯的研究都集中在微生物与另一种生物之间的信号传递上，这是出于实验简单性的考虑，而且因为很少有实验系统提供研究不同类型生物之间通讯的机会。但在真实的生物世界中，微生物必须同时在不同生物之间进行多种分子对话，从而构建通讯网络。我们提出，植物病害的生物防治，即通过应用微生物来抑制病害的过程，为研究多种生物之间的通讯提供了一个模型。成功的生物防治需要在生物防治剂与病原体、植物宿主以及宿主周围的微生物群落之间发送和接收信号。我们正在利用蜡样芽孢杆菌这种生物防治剂及其必须相互作用的生物体来剖析一个通讯网络。这个系统为研究提供了一个绝佳的起点，因为其成员是明确且经过充分研究的。了解蜡样芽孢杆菌生物防治系统中的信号传递可能为共享栖息地的生物之间的网络通讯提供一个模型，并为理解定义群落的相互联系提供一个新的分析角度。
