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Inhibitors of Bacterial Swarming Behavior
Author(s) -
Rütschlin Sina,
Böttcher Thomas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201901961
Subject(s) - swarming (honey bee) , swarming motility , biology , virulence , swarm behaviour , bacteria , flagellum , biofilm , microbiology and biotechnology , computational biology , ecology , quorum sensing , genetics , gene
Bacteria can migrate in groups of flagella‐driven cells over semisolid surfaces. This coordinated form of motility is called swarming behavior. Swarming is associated with enhanced virulence and antibiotic resistance of various human pathogens and may be considered as favorable adaptation to the diverse challenges that microbes face in rapidly changing environments. Consequently, the differentiation of motile swarmer cells is tightly regulated and involves multi‐layered signaling networks. Controlling swarming behavior is of major interest for the development of novel anti‐infective strategies. In addition, compounds that block swarming represent important tools for more detailed insights into the molecular mechanisms of the coordination of bacterial population behavior. Over the past decades, there has been major progress in the discovery of small‐molecule modulators and mechanisms that allow selective inhibition of swarming behavior. Herein, an overview of the achievements in the field and future directions and challenges will be presented.