title: The peptide pheromone-inducible conjugation system of Enterococcus faecalis plasmid pCF10: cell-cell signalling, gene transfer, complexity and evolution.
abstract: Expression of a large set of gene products required for conjugative transfer of the antibiotic resistance plasmid pCF10 is controlled by cell-cell communication between plasmid-free recipient cells and plasmid-carrying donor cells using a peptide mating pheromone cCF10. Most of the recent experimental analysis of this system has focused on the molecular events involved in initiation of the pheromone response in the donor cells, and on the mechanisms by which the donor cells control self-induction by endogenously produced pheromone. Recently, studies of the molecular machinery of conjugation encoded by the pheromone-inducible genes have been initiated. In addition, the system may serve as a useful bacterial model for addressing the evolution of biological complexity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. dunny001@umn.edu
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Dunny
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010675:Pheromones; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; C090554:iCF10 peptide precursor, Plasmid pCF10