title: Peptide signaling in Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram-positive bacteria.
abstract: There are two basic types of bacterial communication systems--those in which the signal is directed solely at other organisms and those in which the signal is sensed by the producing organism as well. The former are involved primarily in conjugation; the latter in adaptation to the environment. Gram-positive bacteria use small peptides for both types of signaling, whereas Gram-negative bacteria use homoserine lactones. Since adaptation signals are autoinducers the response is population-density-dependent and has been referred to as "quorum-sensing". Gram-negative bacteria internalize the signals which act upon an intracellular receptor, whereas Gram-positive bacteria use them as ligands for the extracellular receptor of a two-component signaling module. In both cases, the signal activates a complex adaptation response involving many genes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Synthetic Protein Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Gholson J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Novick
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000737:chemistry; D002450:Cell Communication; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D011485:Protein Binding; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C095698:Agr protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C414533:AgrB protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001430:Bacteriocins; D008024:Ligands; D010455:Peptides; D015534:Trans-Activators; D011494:Protein Kinases; D000071677:Histidine Kinase