title: Antibiotics as signalling molecules.
abstract: We present the argument that the majority of low-molecular-weight organic compounds made and secreted by microbes play roles as cell-signalling molecules in the environment. Of the large number of compounds isolated to date, only a small fraction have been shown to possess useful therapeutic antibiotic activity. However, most microbial metabolites modulate gene transcription at low concentrations, and this is proposed to be the primary effect of the compounds in the maintenance of microbial communities in the environment. Thus, microbial metabolites constitute a large collection of cell-signalling molecules that regulate gene expression in microbial populations and possibly the interactions of these populations with the surrounding organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yim
authors.forename: Helena Huimi
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents