Entry |
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Name |
Biofilm formation - Vibrio cholerae
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Description |
Surface colonization and subsequent biofilm formation and development provide numerous advantages to microorganisms. On the other hand, biofilm formation is an energetically costly process and therefore must be tightly regulated and plastic, enabling biofilm bacteria to be responsive to the various environmental cues. The quorum sensing (QS) pathway of Vibrio cholerae activates the expression of VpsR, VpsT and AphA (the main activators of biofilm formation) at low cell density and HapR (the main repressor) at high cell density. At low cell density, biofilm genes, including Vibrio polysaccharide (VPS) biosynthesis genes and the major extracellular matrix genes RbmA, RbmC, and Bap1, are expressed. The QS pathway also leads to induction of virulence factors such as toxin coregulated pilus (TCP) and cholera toxin (CTX), essential for colonization of the host and enterotoxicity, respectively. The VarS/VarA signaling system responds to an unknown environmental cue and represses biofilm production by process which involves the regulatory sRNAs CsrB, CsrC and CsrD and the RNA-binding protein CsrA, interfering with LuxO of the QS pathway. The second messenger cAMP acts as a repressor of biofilm formation. cAMP is generated by adenylate cyclase CyaA, and in complex with cAMP receptor protein (CRP), this nucleotide has been shown to upregulate HapR production through the positive regulation of the CAI-I synthase CqsA and the negative regulation of Fis. The second messenger c-di-GMP is a key signalling molecule controlling motility and biofilm matrix production. High cellular levels of c-di-GMP promote enhanced transcription of genes involved in biofilm formation, possibly by promoting VpsT-mediated transcriptional activation of vps genes.
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Class |
Cellular Processes; Cellular community - prokaryotes
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Pathway map |
map05111 | Biofilm formation - Vibrio cholerae |

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Module |
M00852 | Vibrio cholerae pathogenicity signature, toxin coregulated pilus [PATH:map05111] |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Teschler JK, Zamorano-Sanchez D, Utada AS, Warner CJ, Wong GC, Linington RG, Yildiz FH |
Title |
Living in the matrix: assembly and control of Vibrio cholerae biofilms. |
Journal |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Dang H, Lovell CR |
Title |
Microbial Surface Colonization and Biofilm Development in Marine Environments. |
Journal |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Hengge R |
Title |
Principles of c-di-GMP signalling in bacteria. |
Journal |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Liang ZX |
Title |
The expanding roles of c-di-GMP in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides and secondary metabolites. |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Sandkvist M, Michel LO, Hough LP, Morales VM, Bagdasarian M, Koomey M, DiRita VJ, Bagdasarian M |
Title |
General secretion pathway (eps) genes required for toxin secretion and outer membrane biogenesis in Vibrio cholerae. |
Journal |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Lenz DH, Miller MB, Zhu J, Kulkarni RV, Bassler BL |
Title |
CsrA and three redundant small RNAs regulate quorum sensing in Vibrio cholerae. |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Houot L, Watnick PI |
Title |
A novel role for enzyme I of the Vibrio cholerae phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system in regulation of growth in a biofilm. |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Liang W, Silva AJ, Benitez JA |
Title |
The cyclic AMP receptor protein modulates colonial morphology in Vibrio cholerae. |
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Reference |
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Authors |
Lenz DH, Bassler BL |
Title |
The small nucleoid protein Fis is involved in Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing. |
Journal |
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Related pathway |
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KO pathway |
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LinkDB |
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