title: Bacterial signal destruction.
abstract: Many bacteria use a molecule known as autoinducer-2 for interspecies communication, a form of quorum sensing. Enteric bacteria secrete this molecule and later import and degrade it. A new study explores the molecular mechanism behind this curious signal-destroying process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. taga@mit.edu
authors.forename: Michiko E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Taga
mesh_terms: D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006714:Homoserine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D007783:Lactones / Q000378:metabolism*; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D007783:Lactones; C091088:N-octanoylhomoserine lactone; D006714:Homoserine