Intercellular Signaling in Vibrio Harveyi

群体感应是一种允许细菌使用被称为自身诱导物的分泌化学信号分子进行交流的过程。这一过程使一群细菌能够集体调节基因表达，从而调节行为。一般而言，群体感应控制的过程是指由单个细菌进行时不具生产力，但在集体进行时变得有效的过程。例如，群体感应控制生物发光、毒力因子的分泌、产孢量和接合作用。我们现在知道，物种内和物种间的细胞-细胞通讯是发生的，这种通讯能力的组合是在发光细菌哈维氏弧菌模型中首次描述并得到最彻底的研究。该项目以哈维氏弧菌为重点，旨在探索群体感应控制基因调控的分子机制，进一步定义群体感应调节子的成员，确定基因表达的层次结构，并探索来自种内和种间自动诱导子的信息如何被整合、处理和转导，以控制整个社区的行为。作为该项目的一部分，正在开展与教学和服务有关的活动。这些活动包括指导本科生、研究生和博士后研究员，指导普林斯顿大学本科生和研究生课程，指导普林斯顿大学分子生物学研究生项目，主持普林斯顿大学生物学伞开发项目，以及科学指导、课程开发和教师招聘委员会。目前正在制定一项高中推广计划，向当地儿童和青少年教授科学知识。正在为纽约市的科学博物馆开发科学展品。编辑职责将在《分子微生物学》、《遗传学》、《细菌学杂志》和《细胞和分子蛋白质组学》的董事会中完成。将对NSF、Keck、Damon Runyon、ASM和AAM进行赠款和奖学金审查工作。

Quorum sensing is a process that allows bacteria to communicate using secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers. This process enables a population of bacteria to collectively regulate gene expression, and therefore behavior. In general, processes controlled by quorum sensing are ones that are unproductive when undertaken by an individual bacterium but become effective when undertaken by the group. For example, quorum sensing controls bioluminescence, secretion of virulence factors, sporulation, and conjugation. We now know that intra- and inter-species cell-cell communication occurs, and this combination of communication abilities was first described, and has been most thoroughly studied, in the model luminous bacterium Vibrio harveyi. The project focuses on V. harveyi, with the aims of exploring the molecular mechanisms used for quorum sensing controlled gene regulation, further defining the members of the quorum sensing regulon, determining the hierarchy of gene expression, and exploring how information from the intra- and inter-species autoinducers is integrated, processed and transduced to control community-wide behavior. Teaching and service related activities are being undertaken as part of this project. These activities include mentoring of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows, instruction in Princeton University undergraduate and graduate courses, Direction of the Princeton Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, and Chairing of the Princeton University Biology Umbrella Development Program, and the Committee for Scientific Direction, Curriculum Development, and Faculty Recruitment. A high school outreach program is being developed for teaching science to local children and teens. Science exhibits are being developed for Science Museum in NYC. Editorial duties will be fulfilled on the boards of Molecular Microbiology, Genetics, Journal of Bacteriology, and Cellular an Molecular Proteomics. Grant and fellowship review work will be performed for NSF, Keck, Damon Runyon, ASM and AAM.