Bonnie L. Bassler

Chair, Department of Molecular Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Contact
bbassler@princeton.eduFaculty Assistant
Jennifer MunkoEducation
- Ph.D. Biochemistry, Johns Hopkins University
- B.S. Biochemistry, University of California, Davis
Research Area
Microbiology & VirologyResearch Focus
Cell-to-Cell Communication in BacteriaThe research in my laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intercellular communication. Our goal is to understand how bacteria detect multiple environmental cues, and how the integration and processing of this information results in the precise regulation of gene expression.
The bacterial communication phenomenon that we study is called quorum sensing, which is a process that allows bacteria to communicate using secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers. This process enables a population of bacteria to collectively regulate gene expression and, therefore, behavior. In quorum sensing, bacteria assess their population density by detecting the concentration of a particular autoinducer, which is correlated with cell density. This "census-taking" enables the group to express specific genes only at particular population densities. Quorum sensing is widespread; it occurs in numerous Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In general, processes controlled by quorum sensing are ones that are unproductive when undertaken by an individual bacterium but become effective when undertaken by the group. For example, quorum sensing controls bioluminescence, secretion of virulence factors, sporulation, and conjugation. Thus, quorum sensing is a mechanism that allows bacteria to function as multi-cellular organisms.
We have shown that the model luminous bacterium Vibrio harveyi and the related pathogen Vibrio cholerae each produce two different autoinducers, called AI-1 and AI-2, each of which is detected by its own sensor protein. Both sensors transduce information to a shared integrator protein to control the output, light emission in V. harveyi and virulence in V. cholerae. We have cloned the genes for signal production, detection and response in both species and have shown that the mechanism of signal relay is a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cascade. Our recent studies combining genetics and bioinformatics (in collaboration with the Wingreen lab) show that the small RNA chaperone protein Hfq, together with multiple small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), act at the center of these quorum sensing cascades. They function as an ultrasensitive regulatory switch that controls the critical transition into and out of quorum sensing mode.
V. harveyi and V. cholerae use the AI-1 quorum sensing circuit for intra-species communication and the AI-2 quorum sensing circuit for inter-species communication. To investigate the mechanism of AI-2 signaling, we constructed mutants and cloned the gene responsible for AI-2 production from several bacteria. The gene we identified in each case is highly homologous, and we named it luxS. We found that luxS homologues and AI-2 production are widespread in the bacterial world, suggesting that communication via an AI-2 signal response system could be a common mechanism that bacteria employ for inter-species interaction in natural environments. We determined the biosynthetic pathway for AI-2 production as well as the AI-2 identity by solving the crystal structures of the V. harveyi and S. typhimurium sensor proteins in complex with their cognate AI-2 signals. The structural work was performed in collaboration with the Hughson lab. The V. harveyi AI-2 is a furanosylborate diester. Finding boron in the active molecule was surprising because boron, while widely available in nature has almost no known role in biology. The S. typhimurium crystal showed that its receptor binds a chemically distinct AI-2 that lacks borate. Importantly, the active signal molecules spontaneously inter-convert upon release from their respective receptors, revealing a surprising level of sophistication in the chemical lexicon used by bacteria for inter-species cell-cell communication.
Finally, we are focused on developing molecules that are structurally related to AI-2. Such molecules have potential use as anti-microbial drugs aimed at bacteria that use AI-2 quorum sensing to control virulence. Similarly, the biosynthetic enzymes involved in AI-2 production and the AI-2 detection apparatuses are viewed as potential targets for novel anti-microbial drug design.
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Signal Transduction Network Principles Underlying Bacterial Collective Behaviors. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2022 ;76:235-257. .
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The PqsE Active Site as a Target for Small Molecule Antimicrobial Agents against . Biochemistry. 2022 ;61(17):1894-1903. .
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Protein Interaction Networks of Catalytically Active and Catalytically Inactive PqsE in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mBio. 2022 ;13(5):e0155922. .
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Synergy between c-di-GMP and Quorum-Sensing Signaling in Vibrio cholerae Biofilm Morphogenesis. J Bacteriol. 2022 ;204(10):e0024922. .
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Quorum-sensing- and type VI secretion-mediated spatiotemporal cell death drives genetic diversity in Vibrio cholerae. Cell. 2022 ;185(21):3966-3979.e13. .
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Phage Infection Restores PQS Signaling and Enhances Growth of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Mutant. J Bacteriol. 2022 ;204(5):e0055721. .
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Quantitative input-output dynamics of a c-di-GMP signal transduction cascade in Vibrio cholerae. PLoS Biol. 2022 ;20(3):e3001585. .
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The PqsE-RhlR Interaction Regulates RhlR DNA Binding to Control Virulence Factor Production in . Microbiol Spectr. 2022 ;10(1):e0210821. .
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Natural and synthetic inhibitors of a phage-encoded quorum-sensing receptor affect phage-host dynamics in mixed bacterial communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 ;119(49):e2217813119. .
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Evidence for biosurfactant-induced flow in corners and bacterial spreading in unsaturated porous media. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 ;118(38). .
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Hierarchical transitions and fractal wrinkling drive bacterial pellicle morphogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 ;118(20). .
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Mechanism underlying the DNA-binding preferences of the Vibrio cholerae and vibriophage VP882 VqmA quorum-sensing receptors. PLoS Genet. 2021 ;17(7):e1009550. .
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Quorum sensing across bacterial and viral domains. PLoS Pathog. 2021 ;17(1):e1009074. .
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Secreted Proteases Control the Timing of Aggregative Community Formation in Vibrio cholerae. mBio. 2021 ;12(6):e0151821. .
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Inverse regulation of biofilm dispersal by polyamine signals. Elife. 2021 ;10. .
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LuxT controls specific quorum-sensing-regulated behaviors in Vibrionaceae spp. via repression of qrr1, encoding a small regulatory RNA. PLoS Genet. 2021 ;17(4):e1009336. .
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Mechanism underlying autoinducer recognition in the DPO-VqmA quorum-sensing pathway. J Biol Chem. 2020 ;295(10):2916-2931. .
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From Biochemistry to Genetics in a Flash of Light. Genetics. 2020 ;215(2):287-289. .
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Cell position fates and collective fountain flow in bacterial biofilms revealed by light-sheet microscopy. Science. 2020 ;369(6499):71-77. .
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Discovery of PqsE Thioesterase Inhibitors for Using DNA-Encoded Small Molecule Library Screening. ACS Chem Biol. 2020 ;15(2):446-456. .
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Identification of signaling pathways, matrix-digestion enzymes, and motility components controlling biofilm dispersal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 ;117(51):32639-32647. .
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Vibrio fischeri siderophore production drives competitive exclusion during dual-species growth. Mol Microbiol. 2020 ;114(2):244-261. .
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Separating Functions of the Phage-Encoded Quorum-Sensing-Activated Antirepressor Qtip. Cell Host Microbe. 2020 ;27(4):629-641.e4. .
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Nonuniform growth and surface friction determine bacterial biofilm morphology on soft substrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 ;117(14):7622-7632. .
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The intragenus and interspecies quorum-sensing autoinducers exert distinct control over Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation and dispersal. PLoS Biol. 2019 ;17(11):e3000429. .
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An Autoinducer Analogue Reveals an Alternative Mode of Ligand Binding for the LasR Quorum-Sensing Receptor. ACS Chem Biol. 2019 ;14(3):378-389. .
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Bacterial quorum sensing in complex and dynamically changing environments. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2019 ;17(6):371-382. .
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An autoinducer-independent RhlR quorum-sensing receptor enables analysis of RhlR regulation. PLoS Pathog. 2019 ;15(6):e1007820. .
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Surviving as a Community: Antibiotic Tolerance and Persistence in Bacterial Biofilms. Cell Host Microbe. 2019 ;26(1):15-21. .
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A Host-Produced Quorum-Sensing Autoinducer Controls a Phage Lysis-Lysogeny Decision. Cell. 2019 ;176(1-2):268-280.e13. .
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Photosensing and quorum sensing are integrated to control Pseudomonas aeruginosa collective behaviors. PLoS Biol. 2019 ;17(12):e3000579. .
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Identification of a Molecular Latch that Regulates Staphylococcal Virulence. Cell Chem Biol. 2019 ;26(4):548-558.e4. .
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Verticalization of bacterial biofilms. Nat Phys. 2018 ;14(9):954-960. .
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The PqsE and RhlR proteins are an autoinducer synthase-receptor pair that control virulence and biofilm development in . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 ;115(40):E9411-E9418. .
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Bacterial Biofilm Material Properties Enable Removal and Transfer by Capillary Peeling. Adv Mater. 2018 ;30(46):e1804153. .
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SnapShot: Bacterial Quorum Sensing. Cell. 2018 ;174(5):1328-1328.e1. .
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Not just Salk. Science. 2017 ;357(6356):1105-1106. .
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Surface-attached molecules control Staphylococcus aureus quorum sensing and biofilm development. Nat Microbiol. 2017 ;2:17080. .
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A Vibrio cholerae autoinducer-receptor pair that controls biofilm formation. Nat Chem Biol. 2017 ;13(5):551-557. .
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Asymmetric regulation of quorum-sensing receptors drives autoinducer-specific gene expression programs in Vibrio cholerae. PLoS Genet. 2017 ;13(5):e1006826. .
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Flavonoids Suppress Virulence through Allosteric Inhibition of Quorum-sensing Receptors. J Biol Chem. 2017 ;292(10):4064-4076. .
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Environmental fluctuation governs selection for plasticity in biofilm production. ISME J. 2017 ;11(7):1569-1577. .
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Quorum sensing controls the Pseudomonas aeruginosa CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 ;114(1):131-135. .
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Extracellular-matrix-mediated osmotic pressure drives Vibrio cholerae biofilm expansion and cheater exclusion. Nat Commun. 2017 ;8(1):327. .
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Vibrio cholerae biofilm growth program and architecture revealed by single-cell live imaging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 ;113(36):E5337-43. .
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Structure, Regulation, and Inhibition of the Quorum-Sensing Signal Integrator LuxO. PLoS Biol. 2016 ;14(5):e1002464. .
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Time-resolved proteomic analysis of quorum sensing in . Chem Sci. 2016 ;7(3):1797-1806. .
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Local and global consequences of flow on bacterial quorum sensing. Nat Microbiol. 2016 ;1:15005. .
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Social Evolution Selects for Redundancy in Bacterial Quorum Sensing. PLoS Biol. 2016 ;14(2):e1002386. .
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Quorum sensing signal-response systems in Gram-negative bacteria. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2016 ;14(9):576-88. .
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A Host-Produced Autoinducer-2 Mimic Activates Bacterial Quorum Sensing. Cell Host Microbe. 2016 ;19(4):470-80. .
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Architectural transitions in Vibrio cholerae biofilms at single-cell resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 ;113(14):E2066-72. .
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Comprehensive analysis reveals how single nucleotides contribute to noncoding RNA function in bacterial quorum sensing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 ;112(44):E6038-47. .
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The mechanical world of bacteria. Cell. 2015 ;161(5):988-997. .
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A qrr noncoding RNA deploys four different regulatory mechanisms to optimize quorum-sensing dynamics. Cell. 2015 ;160(1-2):228-40. .
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Quorum sensing regulates the osmotic stress response in Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 2015 ;197(1):73-80. .
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Adhesion as a weapon in microbial competition. ISME J. 2015 ;9(1):139-49. .
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Determinants governing ligand specificity of the Vibrio harveyi LuxN quorum-sensing receptor. Mol Microbiol. 2015 ;95(1):127-42. .
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Differential RNA-seq of Vibrio cholerae identifies the VqmR small RNA as a regulator of biofilm formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 ;112(7):E766-75. .
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Development of potent inhibitors of pyocyanin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Med Chem. 2015 ;58(3):1298-306. .
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Extracellular matrix structure governs invasion resistance in bacterial biofilms. ISME J. 2015 ;9(8):1700-9. .
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Caenorhabditis elegans recognizes a bacterial quorum-sensing signal molecule through the AWCON neuron. J Biol Chem. 2014 ;289(38):26566-26573. .
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Working together at the interface of physics and biology. Phys Biol. 2014 ;11(5):053010. .
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Filaments in curved streamlines: Rapid formation of biofilm streamers. New J Phys. 2014 ;16(6):065024. .
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Quorum regulatory small RNAs repress type VI secretion in Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol. 2014 ;92(5):921-30. .
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Solutions to the public goods dilemma in bacterial biofilms. Curr Biol. 2014 ;24(1):50-55. .
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Highly Potent, Chemically Stable Quorum Sensing Agonists for . Chem Sci. 2014 ;5(1):151-155. .
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CqsA-CqsS quorum-sensing signal-receptor specificity in Photobacterium angustum. Mol Microbiol. 2014 ;91(4):821-33. .
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A quorum-sensing inhibitor blocks Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 ;110(44):17981-6. .
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Cutting through the complexity of cell collectives. Proc Biol Sci. 2013 ;280(1755):20122770. .
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Biofilm streamers cause catastrophic disruption of flow with consequences for environmental and medical systems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 ;110(11):4345-50. .
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Functional determinants of the quorum-sensing non-coding RNAs and their roles in target regulation. EMBO J. 2013 ;32(15):2158-71. .
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Individual and combined roles of the master regulators AphA and LuxR in control of the Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing regulon. J Bacteriol. 2013 ;195(3):436-43. .
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Role of the CAI-1 fatty acid tail in the Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing response. J Med Chem. 2012 ;55(22):9669-81. .
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Bacterial quorum sensing: its role in virulence and possibilities for its control. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2012 ;2(11). .
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Ligand and antagonist driven regulation of the Vibrio cholerae quorum-sensing receptor CqsS. Mol Microbiol. 2012 ;83(6):1095-108. .
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Quorum-sensing non-coding small RNAs use unique pairing regions to differentially control mRNA targets. Mol Microbiol. 2012 ;83(3):599-611. .
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Broad spectrum pro-quorum-sensing molecules as inhibitors of virulence in vibrios. PLoS Pathog. 2012 ;8(6):e1002767. .
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Signal production and detection specificity in Vibrio CqsA/CqsS quorum-sensing systems. Mol Microbiol. 2011 ;79(6):1407-17. .
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AphA and LuxR/HapR reciprocally control quorum sensing in vibrios. Genes Dev. 2011 ;25(4):397-408. .
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A strategy for antagonizing quorum sensing. Mol Cell. 2011 ;42(2):199-209. .
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Mechanism of Vibrio cholerae autoinducer-1 biosynthesis. ACS Chem Biol. 2011 ;6(4):356-65. .
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Small cells--big future. Mol Biol Cell. 2010 ;21(22):3786-7. .
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Measurement of the copy number of the master quorum-sensing regulator of a bacterial cell. Biophys J. 2010 ;98(9):2024-31. .
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Probing bacterial transmembrane histidine kinase receptor-ligand interactions with natural and synthetic molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 ;107(12):5575-80. .
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Negative feedback loops involving small regulatory RNAs precisely control the Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing response. Mol Cell. 2010 ;37(4):567-79. .
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Control of the type 3 secretion system in Vibrio harveyi by quorum sensing through repression of ExsA. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010 ;76(15):4996-5004. .
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Quantifying the integration of quorum-sensing signals with single-cell resolution. PLoS Biol. 2009 ;7(3):e68. .
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A quorum-sensing antagonist targets both membrane-bound and cytoplasmic receptors and controls bacterial pathogenicity. Mol Cell. 2009 ;35(2):143-53. .
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Distinct sensory pathways in Vibrio cholerae El Tor and classical biotypes modulate cyclic dimeric GMP levels to control biofilm formation. J Bacteriol. 2009 ;191(1):169-77. .
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Gene dosage compensation calibrates four regulatory RNAs to control Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing. EMBO J. 2009 ;28(4):429-39. .
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The Vibrio cholerae quorum-sensing autoinducer CAI-1: analysis of the biosynthetic enzyme CqsA. Nat Chem Biol. 2009 ;5(12):891-5. .
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Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing. Mol Syst Biol. 2009 ;5:325. .
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Bacterial quorum-sensing network architectures. Annu Rev Genet. 2009 ;43:197-222. .
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Observing bacteria through the lens of social evolution. J Biol. 2008 ;7(7):27. .
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A small-RNA-mediated negative feedback loop controls quorum-sensing dynamics in Vibrio harveyi. Mol Microbiol. 2008 ;70(4):896-907. .
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A negative feedback loop involving small RNAs accelerates Vibrio cholerae's transition out of quorum-sensing mode. Genes Dev. 2008 ;22(2):226-38. .
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Deducing receptor signaling parameters from in vivo analysis: LuxN/AI-1 quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Cell. 2008 ;134(3):461-73. .
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Quorum sensing controls biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae through modulation of cyclic di-GMP levels and repression of vpsT. J Bacteriol. 2008 ;190(7):2527-36. .
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The quorum-sensing molecule autoinducer 2 regulates motility and flagellar morphogenesis in Helicobacter pylori. J Bacteriol. 2007 ;189(17):6109-17. .
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Regulatory small RNAs circumvent the conventional quorum sensing pathway in pandemic Vibrio cholerae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 ;104(27):11145-9. .
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Multiple small RNAs act additively to integrate sensory information and control quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Genes Dev. 2007 ;21(2):221-33. .
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Phosphorylation and processing of the quorum-sensing molecule autoinducer-2 in enteric bacteria. ACS Chem Biol. 2007 ;2(2):128-36. .
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Playing the game with nature. Biotechniques. 2007 ;42(2):123. .
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The small nucleoid protein Fis is involved in Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing. Mol Microbiol. 2007 ;63(3):859-71. .
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Ligand-induced asymmetry in histidine sensor kinase complex regulates quorum sensing. Cell. 2006 ;126(6):1095-108. .
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Bacterial small-molecule signaling pathways. Science. 2006 ;311(5764):1113-6. .
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Bacterially speaking. Cell. 2006 ;125(2):237-46. .
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Interference with AI-2-mediated bacterial cell-cell communication. Nature. 2005 ;437(7059):750-3. .
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Regulation of LuxPQ receptor activity by the quorum-sensing signal autoinducer-2. Mol Cell. 2005 ;18(5):507-18. .
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Solution structure and dynamics of LuxU from Vibrio harveyi, a phosphotransferase protein involved in bacterial quorum sensing. J Mol Biol. 2005 ;347(2):297-307. .
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Regulation of uptake and processing of the quorum-sensing autoinducer AI-2 in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 2005 ;187(1):238-48. .
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An expeditious synthesis of DPD and boron binding studies. Org Lett. 2005 ;7(4):569-72. .
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Quorum sensing: cell-to-cell communication in bacteria. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2005 ;21:319-46. .
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Cell-to-cell communication in bacteria: a chemical discourse. Harvey Lect. 2004 ;100:123-42. .
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Salmonella typhimurium recognizes a chemically distinct form of the bacterial quorum-sensing signal AI-2. Mol Cell. 2004 ;15(5):677-87. .
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Three parallel quorum-sensing systems regulate gene expression in Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 2004 ;186(20):6902-14. .
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Bacterial social engagements. Trends Cell Biol. 2004 ;14(11):648-56. .
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Quorum sensing regulates type III secretion in Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J Bacteriol. 2004 ;186(12):3794-805. .
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Boron binding with the quorum sensing signal AI-2 and analogues. Org Lett. 2004 ;6(15):2635-7. .
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1H, 15N, and 13C chemical shift assignments of the Vibrio harveyi histidine phosphotransferase protein LuxU. J Biomol NMR. 2004 ;29(4):551-2. .
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Quorum sensing controls biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol. 2003 ;50(1):101-4. .
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Chemical communication among bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 ;100 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):14549-54. .
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Chemical synthesis of S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine and activity assay as a LuxS substrate. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2003 ;13(22):3897-900. .
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Lsr-mediated transport and processing of AI-2 in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol. 2003 ;50(4):1411-27. .
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Interspecies communication in bacteria. J Clin Invest. 2003 ;112(9):1291-9. .
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Vibrio harveyi quorum sensing: a coincidence detector for two autoinducers controls gene expression. EMBO J. 2003 ;22(4):870-81. .
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LuxS quorum sensing: more than just a numbers game. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2003 ;6(2):191-7. .
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Quorum-sensing regulators control virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 ;99(5):3129-34. .
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Structural identification of a bacterial quorum-sensing signal containing boron. Nature. 2002 ;415(6871):545-9. .
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Mob psychology. J Bacteriol. 2002 ;184(4):873-83. .
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Parallel quorum sensing systems converge to regulate virulence in Vibrio cholerae. Cell. 2002 ;110(3):303-14. .
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The LuxS-dependent autoinducer AI-2 controls the expression of an ABC transporter that functions in AI-2 uptake in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol. 2001 ;42(3):777-93. .
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The languages of bacteria. Genes Dev. 2001 ;15(12):1468-80. .
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The LuxS family of bacterial autoinducers: biosynthesis of a novel quorum-sensing signal molecule. Mol Microbiol. 2001 ;41(2):463-76. .
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Quorum sensing in bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2001 ;55:165-99. .
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Regulation of quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi by LuxO and sigma-54. Mol Microbiol. 2000 ;36(4):940-54. .
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Evidence for a signaling system in Helicobacter pylori: detection of a luxS-encoded autoinducer. J Bacteriol. 2000 ;182(13):3638-43. .
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A genetic analysis of the functions of LuxN: a two-component hybrid sensor kinase that regulates quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Mol Microbiol. 2000 ;35(1):139-49. .
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Regulation of autoinducer production in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol. 1999 ;31(2):585-95. .
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Quorum sensing in Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Vibrio harveyi: a new family of genes responsible for autoinducer production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 ;96(4):1639-44. .
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Quorum sensing in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 ;95(12):7046-50. .
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Cross-species induction of luminescence in the quorum-sensing bacterium Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 1997 ;179(12):4043-5. .
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Bonnie L. Bassler is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. Bassler received a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Johns Hopkins University. She performed postdoctoral work in Genetics at the Agouron Institute, and she joined the Princeton faculty in 1994. The research in her laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intercellular communication. This process is called quorum sensing. Bassler’s research is paving the way to the development of novel therapies for combating bacteria by disrupting quorum-sensing-mediated communication. At Princeton, Dr. Bassler teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. Dr. Bassler directed the Molecular Biology Graduate Program from 2002-2008 and she currently chairs Princeton University’s Council on Science and Technology which has revamped the science curriculum for humanists. Bassler is a passionate advocate for diversity in the sciences and she is actively involved in and committed to educating lay people in science. Dr. Bassler was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2002. She was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2002 and made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004. She was given the 2003 Theobald Smith Society Waksman Award and she is the 2006 recipient of the American Society for Microbiology’s Eli Lilly Investigator Award for fundamental contributions to microbiological research. In 2008, Bassler was given Princeton University’s President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. She is the 2009 recipient of the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Science for her paradigm-changing scientific research. She is the 2011 recipient of the National Academies’ Richard Lounsbery Award. She is the 2012 UNESCO-L’Oreal Woman in Science for North America. In 2012, Bassler was also elected to the Royal Society and to the American Philosophical Society. Bassler was the President of the American Society for Microbiology in 2010-2011. She is currently the Chair of the American Academy of Microbiology Board of Governors. She is a member of the National Science Board and was nominated to that position by President Barack Obama. The Board oversees the NSF and prioritizes the nation’s research and educational priorities in science, math and engineering. She was an editor for a decade for Molecular Microbiology, and is currently an editor of mBio, and Chief Editor of Annual Reviews of Genetics. She is an associate editor for Cell, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Bacteriology, and other journals. Among other duties, she serves on the National Academies Board on Life Sciences, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Committee, and Discovery Communications’ Science Channel Scientific Advisory Board. She serves on oversight, grant, fellowship, and award panels for the National Academies of Sciences, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Society for Microbiology, American Academy of Microbiology, Keck Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Trust, Jane Coffin Childs Fund, PEW Charitable Trust, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the MIT Whitehead Institute.
2022
- Microbiology Society Prize Medal
- Wolf Prize in Chemistry
2021
- Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
2020
- Feodor Lynen Award
- Genetics Society of America Medal
- Gruber Genetics Prize
2018
- The Dickson Prize in Medicine
- Ernst Schering Prize
2016
- FASEB Excellence in Science Award, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
- Elected member, National Academy of Medicine
- Max Planck Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society
- Pearl Meister Greengard Prize
2015
- The Shaw Laureate, Shaw Foundation - Hong Kong
2014
- Excellence in Teaching Award, American Society for Microbiology
- EMD Millipore Alice C. Evans Award, American Society for Microbiology
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Phi Beta Kappa
2012
- American Philosophical Society Award, American Philosophical Society
- Royal Society Fellowship Award, The Royal Society
- Honorary Degree , Tufts University
- Honorary Degree, Bates College
2011
- Richard Lounsbery Award, The National Academy of Sciences
- L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Award, L'Oréal and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization