Biofilm Production Regulates Horizontal Gene Transfer in Vibrio cholerae

Sarah Wilson, Eryn Bernardy & Brian Hammer, PhD

Abstract

The waterborne bacterial pathogen Vibrio cholerae utilizes a cell-cell communication system called quorum sensing to coordinate group behavior in both a human host and aquatic environments. Virulence genes like the cholera toxin, biofilm genes for sticky secreted attachment factors, and competence genes for DNA uptake are all regulated through this population density-dependent system.

Full text of this article is available in the PDF edition of Volume 6, Issue 2.