When bacteria encounter challenges such as antibiotics, toxins, or stress, they activate a defense system through cell-to-cell communication to alert neighboring bacteria. This allows the unaffected bacteria to prepare, protect themselves, and transmit the alert signal.
When bacteria face threats like antibiotics, toxins, or stress, they trigger a defense mechanism via cell-to-cell communication to warn nearby bacteria. This unique mechanism1 has recently been identified by a team of researchers2 from CNRS and Université de Toulouse III — Paul Sabatier. It opens up possibilities for developing innovative antibiotic treatments that can target this communication system among bacteria.
When exposed to stressors, bacteria respond by altering gene expression and physiological properties to become more resilient to harmful substances. They also release small signaling proteins called ‘alarmone’ on their surface to communicate with and activate neighboring bacteria. Unaffected bacteria can change their state only when a sufficient level of the alarmone is present. Therefore, stress signals are transmitted effectively only when a critical mass of bacteria perceives the threat4.
This defense mechanism offers multiple benefits: conserving energy, facilitating a swift and coordinated response across the bacterial population, and introducing diversity over time to enhance survival chances.
These significant findings, disclosed on 10 July in Nature Communications, were derived from experiments involving various antibiotics on populations of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium responsible for causing pneumococcal infections.
Notes
1 — Identified as Self Induction and Propagation (SI&P)
2 — Conducted at the Laboratoire de microbiologie et de génétique moléculaires (CNRS/ Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier)
3 — Also referred to as Competence Stimulating Peptide (CSP)
4 — This ensures that the mechanism is not activated by individual bacterial cells experiencing internal stressors. For instance, activation does not occur when only one bacterial cell is affected by an exclusive internal stressor.
