Mechanisms of multi-species bacterial interactions

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

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Abstract

Over the past year our laboratory was focused on two main projects: 1) Identify how the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can adapt to toxins secreted by the co-infecting pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In a study we published last year, we determined that mutations in a global regulator can lead to multifaceted defenses against a specific toxin. We are currently characterizing a complementary pathway of survival against the P. aeruginosa toxin. 2) Characterize how bacteria sense other species and alter their behaviors and fitness. Specifically, we found that the opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia senses a specific signaling molecules from P. aeruginosa and forms multicellular aggregates, thereby increasing its survival and fitness when the two species are together. We are currently investigating the specific signaling pathways and effectors of this behavior.