[Colonial organization and intercellular communication of microorganisms].
This review covers the modern concepts and recent data demonstrating the integrity and coherence of microbial populations (colonies, biofilms, etc.) as peculiar "super-organisms." Special attention is given to such relevant phenomena as apoptosis, bacterial altruism, quorum effects, collective differentiation of microbial cells, and the formation of population-level structures such as an extracellular matrix. Emphasis is placed on the channels in colonies and agents of intercellular communication in microbial populations. The involvement of a large number of evolutionarily conserved communicational facilities and patterns of intercellular interactions is underscored. Much attention is also given to the role of colonial organization and intercellular communication in parasite/commensal/symbiont-multicellular host organism systems.
Cell Physiology and Immunology Department, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Russia. oleskin@AOleskin.home.bio.msu.ru
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Oleskin
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Botvinko
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Tsavkelova
D017209:Apoptosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D018441:Biofilms; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D013559:Symbiosis