Providing a comprehensive insight into cellular signaling processes in bacteria with a special focus on biotechnological implications, this is the first book to cover intercellular as well as intracellular signaling and its relevance for biofilm formation, host pathogen interactions, symbiotic relationships, and photo- and chemotaxis. In addition, it deals in detail with principal bacterial signaling mechanisms -- making this a valuable resource for all advanced students in microbiology. Dr. Krämer is a world-renowned expert in intracellular signaling and its implications for biotechnology processes, while Dr. Jung is an expert on intercellular signaling and its relevance for biomedicine and agriculture.
This fascinating book encourages many microbiologists and students to enter the new world of signal transduction in microbiology. Over the past decade, a vast amount of exciting new information on the signal transduction pathway in bacteria has been unearthed.
Throughout the biological world, bacteria thrive predominantly in surface-attached, matrix-enclosed, multicellular communities or biofilms, as opposed to isolated planktonic cells. This choice of lifestyle is not trivial, as it involves major shifts in the use of genetic information and cellular energy, and has profound consequences for bacterial physiology and survival. Growth within a biofilm can thwart immune function and antibiotic therapy and thereby complicate the treatment of infectious diseases, especially chronic and foreign device-associated infections. Modern studies of many important biofilms have advanced well beyond the descriptive stage, and have begun to provide molecular details of the structural, biochemical, and genetic processes that drive biofilm formation and its dispersion. There is much diversity in the details of biofilm development among various species, but there are also commonalities. In most species, environmental and nutritional conditions greatly influence biofilm development. Similar kinds of adhesive molecules often promote biofilm formation in diverse species. Signaling and regulatory processes that drive biofilm development are often conserved, especially among related bacteria. Knowledge of such processes holds great promise for efforts to control biofilm growth and combat biofilm-associated infections. This volume focuses on the biology of biofilms that affect human disease, although it is by no means comprehensive. It opens with chapters that provide the reader with current perspectives on biofilm development, physiology, environmental, and regulatory effects, the role of quorum sensing, and resistance/phenotypic persistence to antimicrobial agents during biofilm growth.
A Top 25 CHOICE 2016 Title, and recipient of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) Award. How much energy is released in ATP hydrolysis? How many mRNAs are in a cell? How genetically similar are two random people? What is faster, transcription or translation?Cell Biology by the Numbers explores these questions and dozens of others provid
Over the last fifteen years it has become increasingly obvious that bacteria are not as simple and solitary as once believed. Rather, an accumulating body of work shows that bacteria are highly complicated and social organisms, constantly sensing their surroundings and altering both their environments and behaviors to ensure survival. Direct communication between bacteria turns out to be quite common, as are coordinated intra- and interspecies responses that include the formation of highly sophisticated microbial communities. In fact, threats to bacterial survival from assaults ranging from nutrient deprivation and oxygen depletion tothe defenses of eukaryotic hostsare all managed through the integration of a dizzying array of complex sensory and communication systems with the appropriate bacterial behaviors. This volume provides an update of the current knowledgeinthe expanding field ofbacterial sensing and signaling, highlighting its most important and interesting aspects. In twelve state-of-the-art articles, respected international experts address topics such as quorum sensing and secondary messengers, chemotaxis and magnetoaerotaxis, two-component phosphotransferase systems, bacterial virulence mechanisms, thermoregulation, and more. The final chapter represents a unique description of the tools available to manipulate many of the sensing and signaling systems described in this volume. Bacterial Sensing and Signaling is recommended reading for students, scientists and clinicians with interests in microbiology, immunology, ecology, biotechnology and a range of other disciplines.
Many bacterial diseases are caused by organisms growing together as communities or biofilms. These microorganisms have the capacity to coordinately regulate specific sets of genes by sensing and communicating amongst themselves utilizing a variety of signals. This book examines the mechanisms of quorum sensing and cell-to-cell communication in bacteria and the roles that these processes play in regulating virulence, bacterial interactions with host tissues, and microbial development. Recent studies suggest that microbial cell-to-cell communication plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a variety of disease processes.
Established almost 30 years ago, Methods in Microbiology is the most prestigious series devoted to techniques and methodology in the field. Now totally revamped, revitalized, with a new format and expanded scope, Methods in Microbiology will continue to provide you with tried and tested, cutting-edge protocols to directly benefit your research. - Focuses on the methods most useful for the microbiologist interested in the way in which bacteria cause disease - Includes section devoted to 'Approaches to characterising pathogenic mechanisms' by Stanley Falkow - Covers safety aspects, detection, identification and speciation - Includes techniques for the study of host interactions and reactions in animals and plants - Describes biochemical and molecular genetic approaches - Essential methods for gene expression and analysis - Covers strategies and problems for disease control
The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.
This book explores the broad and diverse biological and physiological impacts of established and newly discovered cyclic di-nucleotide second messenger signaling systems, while also providing descriptions of the intriguing biochemical characteristics of multiple turnover enzymes and receptors. The respective chapters discuss the commonalities and diversity of cyclic di-GMP, cyclic di-AMP and recently discovered cyclic GMP-AMP signaling systems in manifold Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The global human pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae, the facultative human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, global plant pathogens as exemplified by Xanthomonas campestris and Burkholderia spp., and the omnipresent probiotic Lactobacilli, as well as environmentally important photoautotrophic cyanobacteria, the multicellular Myxococcus xanthus, and chemolithotrophic Acidithiobacillus are among the representatives of the microbial kingdom that are described. In turn, the various aspects of bacterial physiology affected by these signaling systems– e.g. biofilm formation and dispersal, the cell cycle, motility, virulence, production of antimicrobials, fundamental metabolism and osmohomeostasis – are discussed in detail in the context of different microorganisms. Dedicated chapters focus on the population diversity of cyclic dinucleotide signaling systems, their tendency to be horizontally transferred, the cyclic di-GMP signaling system in the social amoeba Dictyostelium, honorary cyclic (di)nucleotides, and the development of strategies for interfering with cyclic dinucleotide signaling in order to manipulate microbial behavior. Taken together, the chapters provide an authoritative source of information for a broad readership: beginners and advanced researchers from various disciplines; individuals seeking a broad overview of cyclic di-nucleotide signaling; and those who want to learn more about specific aspects. Also featuring reviews with a forward-looking perspective, the book offers a valuable source of inspiration for future research directions.
