Abstract
Microorganisms and their hosts communicate with each other through an array of hormonal signals. This cross-kingdom cell-to-cell signalling involves small molecules, such as hormones that are produced by eukaryotes and hormone-like chemicals that are produced by bacteria. Cell-to-cell signalling between bacteria, usually referred to as quorum sensing, was initially described as a means by which bacteria achieve signalling in microbial communities to coordinate gene expression within a population. Recent evidence shows, however, that quorum-sensing signalling is not restricted to bacterial cell-to-cell communication, but also allows communication between microorganisms and their hosts.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 111-120 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Nature Reviews Microbiology |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2008 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases