Adhesion and biofilm forming ability of symbiotic bacteria play a crucial role in host colonization and tissue infection. Bacteria benefit by adhering to their host in a manner that allows them to successfully maintain contact for the exchange of nutrients, hormones, or other necessary products. This study examined pili morphology, motility, and biofilm formation exhibited by Vibrio fischeri st...

The role of small RNAs as critical components of global regulatory networks has been highlighted by several recent studies. An important class of such small RNAs is represented by CsrB and CsrC of Escherichia coli, which control the activity of the global regulator CsrA. Given the critical role played by CsrA in several bacterial species, an important problem is the identification of CsrA-regul...

We resolved the intraspecific diversity of Vibrio fischeri, the bioluminescent symbiont of the Hawaiian sepiolid squid Euprymna scolopes, at two previously unexplored morphological and geographical scales. These scales ranged from submillimeter regions within the host light organ to the several kilometers encompassing two host populations around Oahu. To facilitate this effort, we employed both...

Harmful and beneficial bacterium-host interactions induce similar host-tissue changes that lead to contrasting outcomes of association. A life-long association between Vibrio fischeri and the light organ of its host Euprymna scolopes begins when the squid collects bacteria from the surrounding seawater using mucus secreted from ciliated epithelial appendages. Following colonization, the bacteri...

All members of the Vibrionaceae harbour LuxO, a response regulator that integrates outputs from various signalling systems, ultimately controlling specific traits that are crucial to the distinct biology of each species. LuxO is phosphorylated in response to low cell density, activating the transcription of a family of small RNAs called Qrrs, which in turn, control the levels of a global regula...

We investigated the toxicological effect of seven novel cholinium, guanidinium, and tetramethylguanidinium carboxylate ionic liquids (ILs) from an ecotoxicological point of view. The emphasis was on the potential structure-toxicity dependency of these surface-active ILs in aqueous environment. The median effective concentrations (EC50) were defined for each IL using Vibrio (Aliivibrio) fischeri...