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Deciphering a protolanguage for bacteria–host communication

Nature Chemical Biology volume 4, pages 452–454 (2008)Cite this article

Many of the phenotypes shown by bacteria at high population densities are only beneficial when they are associated with eukaryotic hosts. A new study confirms that some bacteria may couple quorum sensing to host-derived signals to refine such interactions.

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Figure 1: Model of the synthesis and activity of p-coumaroyl-L-homoserine lactone (pC-HSL), an autoinducer synthesized by bacteria from an exogenously supplied substrate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrew G. Palmer and Helen E. Blackwell are in the Department of Chemistry, 1101 University Avenue, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. blackwell@chem.wisc.edu,

    Andrew G Palmer & Helen E Blackwell

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  1. Andrew G Palmer
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  2. Helen E Blackwell
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Palmer, A., Blackwell, H. Deciphering a protolanguage for bacteria–host communication. Nat Chem Biol 4, 452–454 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0808-452

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