From strings of nucleotides to collective behavior: “Lessons from Vibrio cholerae and its phages”
Sprecher: Kai Papenfort (Universität Jena)
Gastgeber: Andreas Peschel
Datum & Uhrzeit: 06.06.2024 | 12:30 – 14:00 Uhr
Ort: Hörsaal 3M07, GUZ
Öffentliche Veranstaltung. Keine Anmeldung erforderlich.
Abstract:
Quorum-sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial cell-to-cell communication that relies on the production, release, and population-wide detection of extracellular signal molecules. Processes controlled by QS are unproductive when undertaken by an individual bacterium but become effective when undertaken by the group. More recently QS has also been discovered in phages. Phages can produce communication molecules of their own, or “listen in” on the host’s communication processes, in order to switch between lytic and lysogenic modes of infection. In this presentation, I will discuss the molecular principles underlying QS signaling in the major human pathogen, Vibrio cholerae. Specifically, I will focus on the roles of QS in biofilm formation and virulence gene expression in V. cholerae and highlight the regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs in this process. Further, I will elaborate on how QS and non-coding RNAs affect the interplay of phages with their hosts and the processes underlying RNA-mediated phage defense in bacteria.