Luminous Bacterium Vibrio Fischeri Vibrio Research Paper

The chemical was found to turn on quorum sensing in V. fischeri, whereas it inhibited pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Also, the slow-release was shown to be far more effective than by applying the chemical directly as an aqueous solution. Since quorum sensing is also important for pathogen establishment this application could be important for inhibiting pathogenic bacteria from colonization of internal medical devices.

In summary, the V. fischeri and squid symbiotic relationship is an important model host-bacteria system. Aspects of colonization of host-symbiont and host-pathogen have been shown, using the V. fisheri and squid model, to be the same. Therefore, understanding the mechanism and complex transcriptional regulatory systems of V. fischeri could lead to potential new therapies and pharmaceutical applications. Likewise, understanding the environmental factors necessary for successful host-bacteria interactions could lead to novel drug targets. In addition to being important in understanding other harmful host-bacteria relationships the V. fischeri and squid model is important in understanding population ecology. Since V. fischeri must adapt to and successfully live in both aquatic environments and within the squid light organ they must be highly adaptable to change. Somehow both V. fischeri and their host squids are able to balance strict specificity with enough flexibility to allow adaptation. Understanding this ability to adapt and change to widely varying, or rapidly changing environments could be very important in the future. One of the challenges presented by global warming is the potential extinction of species that are not able to adapt. The study of the V. fischeri and squid model offers us a chance to determine how quickly organisms can adapt to change and also whether global climate change is likely to lead to an increase or decrease in biodiversity (Nyholm, 2008).Both will be important in identifying species that are more susceptible to extinction than others and even potentially a way to prevent this form occurring.

References:

Breitbach, a.S., Broderick, a.H., Jewell, C.M., Gunasekaran, S., Lin, Q., Lynn, D.M., & Blackwell, H.E. 2010. Surface-mediated release of a synthetic small-molecule modulator of bacterial quorum sensing: Gradual release enhances activity. Chem Comm.

Chun, C.K, Troll, J.V., Koroleva, I., Brown, B., Manzella, L., Snir, E., Almabraz, H, Scheetz, T.E., Bonaldo, M.F., Casavant, T.L., Soares, M.B., Ruby, E.G., & McFall-Ngai, M.J. 2008. Effects of colonization, luminescence, and autoinducer on host transcription during development of the squid-vibrio association. PNAS 105(32): 11323-11328.

Lyell, N.L., Dunn, a.K., Bose, J.L., Stabb, E.V. 2010. Bright mutants of Vibrio fischeri ES114 reveal conditions and regulators that control bioluminescence and expression of the lux Operon. J. Bacteriol. 192(19): 5103-5114.

Murray, P.R., Rosenthal, K.S., Kobayashi, G.S., Pfaller, M.A. 1998. Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Plesiomonas. In M. Brown (Ed.), Medical Microbiology Third Edition (pp. 245-250). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

Nyholm, S.V., Nishiguchi, M.K. 2008. The evolutionary ecology of a sepiolid squid-vibrio association: from cell to environment. Vie Milieu Paris 58(2): 175-184.

Sea and Sky. 2010. Creatures of the Deep Sea: Deep Sea Bioluminescence. Retrieved from http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/biolumiscence.html.

Visick, K.L. 2009. An intricate network of regulators controls biofilm formation and colonization by Vibrio fischeri. Molec. Microbiol. 74(4): 782-789......