As our understanding of the human microbiome progresses, so does the need for natural
experimental animal models that promote a mechanistic understanding of beneficial …

Horizontal gene transfer can trigger rapid shifts in bacterial evolution. Driven by a variety of
mobile genetic elements—in particular bacteriophages and plasmids—the ability to share …

Quorum sensing is a chemical communication process that bacteria use to regulate
collective behaviors. Disabling quorum-sensing circuits with small molecules has been …

Abstract Vibrio cholerae biotype El Tor is perpetuating the longest cholera pandemic in
recorded history. The genomic islands VSP-1 and VSP-2 distinguish El Tor from previous …

The association of Vibrio fischeri and Euprymna scolopes provides insights into traits
essential for symbiosis, and the signals and pathways of bacteria-induced host …

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) acting in concert with the RNA chaperone Hfq are prevalent
in many bacteria and typically act by base-pairing with multiple target transcripts. In the …

Two chemical signaling systems, quorum sensing (QS) and 3′, 5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-
di-GMP), reciprocally control biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. QS is the process by which …

The evolutionary arms race between bacteria and phages led to the emergence of bacterial
immune systems whose diversity and dynamics remain poorly understood. Here we use …

Bacteria sense their environment using receptors of the histidine sensor kinase family, but
how kinase activity is regulated by ligand binding is not well understood. Autoinducer-2 (AI …

Symbiosis has significantly contributed to organismal adaptation and diversification. For
establishment and maintenance of such host–symbiont associations, host organisms must …