Molecular basis and mechanisms of the interspecies interactions between pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus spp

我们关于微生物基因表达、调控和生理学的知识大多是在特定的实验室条件下对分离物种的研究中获得的。然而，微生物很少孤立地存在，而是在微生物群落中存在；它们的基因表达、行为甚至生存都受到物种间相互作用的影响。微生物群落成员之间的相互作用往往会给微生物带来许多新的生理功能。因此，剖析微生物的相互作用和潜在的分子机制对于我们从根本上理解微生物的生命过程至关重要。这项研究是基于观察到铜绿假单胞菌与链球菌或葡萄球菌的相互作用影响了铜绿假单胞菌中一些重要基因的表达。本研究的目的是：1)详细研究铜绿假单胞菌和链球菌相互作用的分子基础和遗传途径；2)研究群体感应、抗生素亚抑制浓度和种间相互作用所介导的调控途径之间的联系；3)探讨III型分泌系统(T3SS)在微生物群落中的生态作用。本研究以铜绿假单胞菌与链球菌之间的相互作用为模型系统，旨在阐明微生物-微生物相互作用的分子基础和机制，加深对微生物种间相互作用的理解。

Our knowledge of microbial gene expression, regulation, and physiology are mostly obtained from the study of isolated species in defined laboratory conditions. However, microbes rarely exist in isolation but instead in microbial communities; their gene expression, behaviours and even survival are affected by interspecies interactions. The interactions between the members in a microbial community often result in many new physiological functions for the microbes. Therefore, dissecting microbial interactions and the underlying molecular mechanisms is critical to our fundamental understanding of the microbial life process. The proposed research is based on the observation that interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus spp or Staphylococcus spp affected the expression of a number of important genes in P. aeruginosa. The objectives of the proposed research are: 1) to investigate in detail the molecular basis and genetic pathways of the interactions between P. aeruginosa and Streptococcus; 2) to examine the connections of the regulatory pathways mediated by quorum sensing, subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics and interspecies interaction; and 3) to probe the ecological roles of the type III secretion system (T3SS) in microbial communities. This research program focuses on elucidating the molecular basis and mechanisms of microbe-microbe interactions using the interaction between P. aeruginosa and Streptococcus as a model system, and will enhance our understanding of the microbial interspecies interactions.