McNab Rod, Lamont Richard J
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, St George's Avenue, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0DE, UK 2Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0424, USA.
J Med Microbiol. 2003 Jul;52(Pt 7):541-545. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.05128-0.
Bacteria have a tendency to be gregarious by nature. Whether on abiotic surfaces in the environment or on the mucosal surfaces of humans, bacteria accumulate in complex multi-species communities. In these dynamic accretions, bacteria can be densely packed and often depend on each other for the provision of metabolic substrates. Under these circumstances, it will be advantageous for bacteria to be able to detect the presence of their neighbours, to communicate with them and to co-ordinate various physiological activities. Such cell-cell sensing and communication systems can be established through the release and detection of chemical signalling molecules. While originally considered a feature characteristic of eukaryotes, the exchange of chemical signals has now been demonstrated in many bacterial species and ecosystems. Indeed, it has even been suggested that assemblages of bacterial species can be considered as proto-multicellular organisms, whereby biological processes are controlled for the benefit of the entire community. Regardless of the extent to which bacterial communication represents a step on the road to multicellularity, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the signalling systems devised by bacteria are essential for successful relationships with other bacteria and with eukaryotic hosts.
细菌生性倾向于群居。无论是在环境中的非生物表面还是在人类的粘膜表面，细菌都会在复杂的多物种群落中聚集。在这些动态聚集体中，细菌可以紧密堆积，并且常常相互依赖以提供代谢底物。在这种情况下，细菌若能够检测到其邻居的存在、与它们进行交流并协调各种生理活动，将是有利的。这种细胞间传感和通信系统可以通过化学信号分子的释放和检测来建立。虽然化学信号交换最初被认为是真核生物的特征，但现在已在许多细菌物种和生态系统中得到证实。事实上，甚至有人提出细菌物种的集合可以被视为原始多细胞生物，其中生物过程是为了整个群落的利益而受到控制。无论细菌通讯在通往多细胞性的道路上代表了多大的进步，越来越明显的是，细菌设计的信号系统对于与其他细菌以及真核宿主建立成功关系至关重要。
