Chemosensory Signaling Systems That Control Bacterial Survival

摘要

Recent studies have revealed that several Gram-negative species utilize variations of the well-known chemotaxis signaling cascade to switch lifestyles in order to survive environmental stress. Two survival strategies covered in this review are the development of dormant cyst cells and biofilm formation. Both of these two types of structures involve exopolysaccharide-mediated cell-cell interactions which result in multicellular communities that confer resistance to stress conditions such as desiccation and antibiotics. This review is centered on recent advances in the understanding of phosphate flow and novel output signals in chemosensory signaling pathways that are involved in cyst formation and biofilms.