Small molecule control of bacterial communication pathways

ORGN 32

Helen E. Blackwell, blackwell@chem.wisc.edu, Grant D. Geske, geske@chem.wisc.edu, and Rachel J. Wezeman. Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1322
The broad goal of our work is the synthesis, identification, and evaluation of new chemical inducers that modulate communication mechanisms in plant- and animal-associated bacteria. The recent discovery that bacteria have well-defined systems for intercellular communication has contributed to an evolving understanding of host-microbe interactions. The ‘language' that bacteria use for cell-cell communication is diffusible small molecules (or ‘autoinducers') and their cognate protein receptors. Bacteria use this chemical language to sense local population densities in a process known as ‘quorum sensing'. The development of molecules that disrupt or promote autoinducer/receptor binding represents a powerful strategy for the modulation of quorum sensing in bacteria and, subsequently, host-microbe interactions. We are designing and synthesizing such molecules using the full arsenal of computational, synthetic organic, and combinatorial chemistry techniques. This talk will present our on-going work in this area.