Bacteria communicate with one another using chemical signal molecules. As in higher
organisms, the information supplied by these molecules is critical for synchronizing the activities …

The recovery of an intact epithelium following lung injury is critical for restoration of lung
homeostasis. The initial processes following injury include an acute inflammatory response, …

Two chemical signaling systems, quorum sensing (QS) and 3′,5′-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP),
reciprocally control biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. QS is the process by …

The quorum-sensing bacterium Vibrio harveyi produces and responds to three autoinducers
(AIs), and this sensory information converges to control the expression of bioluminescence, …

Binding of a growth factor (GF) to its specific receptor on the cell surface causes the initiation
of a signal transduction cascade which eventually results in mitosis. GF:receptor complexes …

Overdistention of lung tissue during mechanical ventilation may be one of the factors that
initiates ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). We hypothesized that cyclic mechanical stretch (…

STING (stimulator of interferon [IFN] genes) initiates type I IFN responses in mammalian
cells through the detection of microbial nucleic acids. The membrane-bound obligate …

Gelatinase (GelE), a secreted Zn-metalloprotease of Enterococcus faecalis, has been
implicated as a virulence factor by both epidemiological data and animal model studies. …

The pulmonary alveolus, terminal gas-exchange unit of the lung, is composed of alveolar
epithelial and endothelial cells separated by a thin basement membrane and interstitial space. …

Clostridium difficile -associated disease is increasing in incidence and is costly to treat. Our
understanding of how this organism senses its entry into the host and adapts for growth in …