Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology
Chair, Department of Molecular Biology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator

Contact

bbassler@princeton.edu
609-258-2857
Thomas Laboratory, 329
Bassler Lab

Faculty Assistant

Jennifer Munko

Education

Ph.D. Biochemistry, Johns Hopkins University
B.S. Biochemistry, University of California, Davis

Curriculum Vitae

Research Area

Microbiology & Virology

Research Focus

Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria



Research
Selected Publications
Biography
Honors & Awards
The 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.




Taylor IR, Murray-Nerger LA, Greco TM, Liu D, Cristea IM, Bassler BL. Protein Interaction Networks of Catalytically Active and Catalytically Inactive PqsE in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mBio. 2022 ;:e0155922. PubMed
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Bridges AA, Prentice JA, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Signal Transduction Network Principles Underlying Bacterial Collective Behaviors. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2022 ;76:235-257. PubMed
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Eickhoff MJ, Fei C, Cong J-P, Bassler BL. LuxT Is a Global Regulator of Low-Cell-Density Behaviors, Including Type III Secretion, Siderophore Production, and Aerolysin Production, in Vibrio harveyi. mBio. 2022 ;:e0362121. PubMed
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Taylor IR, Jeffrey PD, Moustafa DA, Goldberg JB, Bassler BL. The PqsE Active Site as a Target for Small Molecule Antimicrobial Agents against . Biochemistry. 2022 ;61(17):1894-1903. PubMed
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H?yland-Kroghsbo NMolin, Bassler BL. Phage Infection Restores PQS Signaling and Enhances Growth of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Mutant. J Bacteriol. 2022 ;204(5):e0055721. PubMed
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Bridges AA, Prentice JA, Fei C, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Quantitative input-output dynamics of a c-di-GMP signal transduction cascade in Vibrio cholerae. PLoS Biol. 2022 ;20(3):e3001585. PubMed
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Simanek KA, Taylor IR, Richael EK, Lasek-Nesselquist E, Bassler BL, Paczkowski JE. The PqsE-RhlR Interaction Regulates RhlR DNA Binding to Control Virulence Factor Production in . Microbiol Spectr. 2022 ;10(1):e0210821. PubMed
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Jemielita M, Mashruwala AA, Valastyan JS, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Secreted Proteases Control the Timing of Aggregative Community Formation in Vibrio cholerae. mBio. 2021 ;12(6):e0151821. PubMed
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Yang JQ, Sanfilippo JE, Abbasi N, Gitai Z, Bassler BL, Stone HA. Evidence for biosurfactant-induced flow in corners and bacterial spreading in unsaturated porous media. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 ;118(38). PubMed
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Duddy OP, Huang X, Silpe JE, Bassler BL. Mechanism underlying the DNA-binding preferences of the Vibrio cholerae and vibriophage VP882 VqmA quorum-sensing receptors. PLoS Genet. 2021 ;17(7):e1009550. PubMed
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Wong GCL, Antani JD, Lele PP, Chen J, Nan B, Kühn MJ, et al.. Roadmap on emerging concepts in the physical biology of bacterial biofilms: from surface sensing to community formation. Phys Biol. 2021 ;18(5). PubMed
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Qin B, Fei C, Wang B, Stone HA, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Hierarchical transitions and fractal wrinkling drive bacterial pellicle morphogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 ;118(20). PubMed
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Taylor IR, Paczkowski JE, Jeffrey PD, Henke BR, Smith CD, Bassler BL. Inhibitor Mimetic Mutations in the PqsE Enzyme Reveal a Protein-Protein Interaction with the Quorum-Sensing Receptor RhlR That Is Vital for Virulence Factor Production. ACS Chem Biol. 2021 ;16(4):740-752. PubMed
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Bridges AA, Bassler BL. Inverse regulation of biofilm dispersal by polyamine signals. Elife. 2021 ;10. PubMed
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Eickhoff MJ, Fei C, Huang X, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Valastyan JS, Kraml CM, Pelczer I, Ferrante T, Bassler BL. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Requires To Produce 4-Hydroxy-5-Methylfuran-3(2H)-One, a Mimic of the Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Autoinducer AI-2. mBio. 2021 ;12(2). PubMed
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Duddy OP, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing across bacterial and viral domains. PLoS Pathog. 2021 ;17(1):e1009074. PubMed
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Bridges AA, Fei C, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Eickhoff MJ, Bassler BL. Vibrio fischeri siderophore production drives competitive exclusion during dual-species growth. Mol Microbiol. 2020 ;114(2):244-261. PubMed
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Mashruwala AA, Bassler BL. The Vibrio cholerae Quorum-Sensing Protein VqmA Integrates Cell Density, Environmental, and Host-Derived Cues into the Control of Virulence. mBio. 2020 ;11(4). PubMed
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Qin B, Fei C, Bridges AA, Mashruwala AA, Stone HA, Wingreen NS, et al. Cell position fates and collective fountain flow in bacterial biofilms revealed by light-sheet microscopy. Science. 2020 ;369(6499):71-77. PubMed
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Bassler BL. From Biochemistry to Genetics in a Flash of Light. Genetics. 2020 ;215(2):287-289. PubMed
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Silpe JE, Bridges AA, Huang X, Coronado DR, Duddy OP, Bassler BL. Separating Functions of the Phage-Encoded Quorum-Sensing-Activated Antirepressor Qtip. Cell Host Microbe. 2020 ;27(4):629-641.e4. PubMed
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Fei C, Mao S, Yan J, Alert R, Stone HA, Bassler BL, et al. Nonuniform growth and surface friction determine bacterial biofilm morphology on soft substrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 ;117(14):7622-7632. PubMed
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Huang X, Duddy OP, Silpe JE, Paczkowski JE, Cong J, Henke BR, et al. Mechanism underlying autoinducer recognition in the DPO-VqmA quorum-sensing pathway. J Biol Chem. 2020 ;295(10):2916-2931. PubMed
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Valastyan JS, Tota MR, Taylor IR, Stergioula V, Hone GAB, Smith CD, et al. Discovery of PqsE Thioesterase Inhibitors for Using DNA-Encoded Small Molecule Library Screening. ACS Chem Biol. 2020 ;15(2):446-456. PubMed
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Yan J, Bassler BL. Surviving as a Community: Antibiotic Tolerance and Persistence in Bacterial Biofilms. Cell Host Microbe. 2019 ;26(1):15-21. PubMed
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Mukherjee S, Jemielita M, Stergioula V, Tikhonov M, Bassler BL. Photosensing and quorum sensing are integrated to control Pseudomonas aeruginosa collective behaviors. PLoS Biol. 2019 ;17(12):e3000579. PubMed
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Bridges AA, Bassler BL. The intragenus and interspecies quorum-sensing autoinducers exert distinct control over Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation and dispersal. PLoS Biol. 2019 ;17(11):e3000429. PubMed
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Mukherjee S, Bassler BL. Bacterial quorum sensing in complex and dynamically changing environments. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2019 ;17(6):371-382. PubMed
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McCready AR, Paczkowski JE, Cong J-P, Bassler BL. An autoinducer-independent RhlR quorum-sensing receptor enables analysis of RhlR regulation. PLoS Pathog. 2019 ;15(6):e1007820. PubMed
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Xie Q, Zhao A, Jeffrey PD, Kim MKevin, Bassler BL, Stone HA, et al. Identification of a Molecular Latch that Regulates Staphylococcal Virulence. Cell Chem Biol. 2019 ;26(4):548-558.e4. PubMed
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Silpe JE, Bassler BL. Phage-Encoded LuxR-Type Receptors Responsive to Host-Produced Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Autoinducers. mBio. 2019 ;10(2). PubMed
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Paczkowski JE, McCready AR, Cong J-P, Li Z, Jeffrey PD, Smith CD, et al. An Autoinducer Analogue Reveals an Alternative Mode of Ligand Binding for the LasR Quorum-Sensing Receptor. ACS Chem Biol. 2019 ;14(3):378-389. PubMed
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Yan J, Fei C, Mao S, Moreau A, Wingreen NS, Ko?mrlj A, et al.. Mechanical instability and interfacial energy drive biofilm morphogenesis. Elife. 2019 ;8. PubMed
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Silpe JE, Bassler BL. A Host-Produced Quorum-Sensing Autoinducer Controls a Phage Lysis-Lysogeny Decision. Cell. 2019 ;176(1-2):268-280.e13. PubMed
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Beroz F, Yan J, Sabass B, Stone HA, Bassler BL, Wingreen NS, et al. Verticalization of bacterial biofilms. Nat Phys. 2018 ;14(9):954-960. PubMed
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Yan J, Moreau A, Khodaparast S, Perazzo A, Feng J, Fei C, et al. Bacterial Biofilm Material Properties Enable Removal and Transfer by Capillary Peeling. Adv Mater. 2018 ;30(46):e1804153. PubMed
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Mukherjee S, Moustafa DA, Stergioula V, Smith CD, Goldberg JB, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Eickhoff MJ, Bassler BL. SnapShot: Bacterial Quorum Sensing. Cell. 2018 ;174(5):1328-1328.e1. PubMed
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Kim MKevin, Zhao A, Wang A, Brown ZZ, Muir TW, Stone HA, et al. Surface-attached molecules control Staphylococcus aureus quorum sensing and biofilm development. Nat Microbiol. 2017 ;2:17080. PubMed
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Hurley A, Bassler BL. Asymmetric regulation of quorum-sensing receptors drives autoinducer-specific gene expression programs in Vibrio cholerae. PLoS Genet. 2017 ;13(5):e1006826. PubMed
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Mukherjee S, Moustafa D, Smith CD, Goldberg JB, Bassler BL. The RhlR quorum-sensing receptor controls Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis and biofilm development independently of its canonical homoserine lactone autoinducer. PLoS Pathog. 2017 ;13(7):e1006504. PubMed
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Greider C, Hopkins N, Steitz J, Amon A, Asai D, Barres B, et al. Not just Salk. Science. 2017 ;357(6356):1105-1106. PubMed
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Yan J, Nadell CD, Stone HA, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Extracellular-matrix-mediated osmotic pressure drives Vibrio cholerae biofilm expansion and cheater exclusion. Nat Commun. 2017 ;8(1):327. PubMed
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Yan J, Nadell CD, Bassler BL. Environmental fluctuation governs selection for plasticity in biofilm production. ISME J. 2017 ;11(7):1569-1577. PubMed
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Papenfort K, Silpe JE, Schramma KR, Cong J-P, Seyedsayamdost MR, Bassler BL. A Vibrio cholerae autoinducer-receptor pair that controls biofilm formation. Nat Chem Biol. 2017 ;13(5):551-557. PubMed
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Paczkowski JE, Mukherjee S, McCready AR, Cong J-P, Aquino CJ, Kim H, et al. Flavonoids Suppress Virulence through Allosteric Inhibition of Quorum-sensing Receptors. J Biol Chem. 2017 ;292(10):4064-4076. PubMed
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Nadell CD, Ricaurte D, Yan J, Drescher K, Bassler BL. Flow environment and matrix structure interact to determine spatial competition in biofilms. Elife. 2017 ;6. PubMed
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H?yland-Kroghsbo NM, Paczkowski J, Mukherjee S, Broniewski J, Westra E, Bondy-Denomy J, et al.. Quorum sensing controls the Pseudomonas aeruginosa CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 ;114(1):131-135. PubMed
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Bagert JD, van Kessel JC, Sweredoski MJ, Feng L, Hess S, Bassler BL, et al. Time-resolved proteomic analysis of quorum sensing in . Chem Sci. 2016 ;7(3):1797-1806. PubMed
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Kim MKevin, Ingremeau F, Zhao A, Bassler BL, Stone HA. Local and global consequences of flow on bacterial quorum sensing. Nat Microbiol. 2016 ;1:15005. PubMed
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Even-Tov E, Bendori SOmer, Valastyan J, Ke X, Pollak S, Bareia T, et al. Social Evolution Selects for Redundancy in Bacterial Quorum Sensing. PLoS Biol. 2016 ;14(2):e1002386. PubMed
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Ismail AS, Valastyan JS, Bassler BL. A Host-Produced Autoinducer-2 Mimic Activates Bacterial Quorum Sensing. Cell Host Microbe. 2016 ;19(4):470-80. PubMed
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Drescher K, Dunkel J, Nadell CD, van Teeffelen S, Grnja I, Wingreen NS, et al. Architectural transitions in Vibrio cholerae biofilms at single-cell resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 ;113(14):E2066-72. PubMed
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Yan J, Sharo AG, Stone HA, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Papenfort K, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing signal-response systems in Gram-negative bacteria. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2016 ;14(9):576-88. PubMed
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Boyaci H, Shah T, Hurley A, Kokona B, Li Z, Ventocilla C, et al. Structure, Regulation, and Inhibition of the Quorum-Sensing Signal Integrator LuxO. PLoS Biol. 2016 ;14(5):e1002464. PubMed
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Rutherford ST, Valastyan JS, Taillefumier T, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Persat A, Nadell CD, Kim MKevin, Ingremeau F, Siryaporn A, Drescher K, et al. The mechanical world of bacteria. Cell. 2015 ;161(5):988-997. PubMed
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Feng L, Rutherford ST, Papenfort K, Bagert JD, van Kessel JC, Tirrell DA, et al. A qrr noncoding RNA deploys four different regulatory mechanisms to optimize quorum-sensing dynamics. Cell. 2015 ;160(1-2):228-40. PubMed
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van Kessel JC, Rutherford ST, Cong J-P, Quinodoz S, Healy J, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing regulates the osmotic stress response in Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 2015 ;197(1):73-80. PubMed
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Schluter J, Nadell CD, Bassler BL, Foster KR. Adhesion as a weapon in microbial competition. ISME J. 2015 ;9(1):139-49. PubMed
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Ke X, Miller LC, Bassler BL. Determinants governing ligand specificity of the Vibrio harveyi LuxN quorum-sensing receptor. Mol Microbiol. 2015 ;95(1):127-42. PubMed
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Papenfort K, F?rstner KU, Cong J-P, Sharma CM, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Miller LC, O'Loughlin CT, Zhang Z, Siryaporn A, Silpe JE, Bassler BL, et al. Development of potent inhibitors of pyocyanin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Med Chem. 2015 ;58(3):1298-306. PubMed
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Nadell CD, Drescher K, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Extracellular matrix structure governs invasion resistance in bacterial biofilms. ISME J. 2015 ;9(8):1700-9. PubMed
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Werner KM, Perez LJ, Ghosh R, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL. Caenorhabditis elegans recognizes a bacterial quorum-sensing signal molecule through the AWCON neuron. J Biol Chem. 2014 ;289(38):26566-26573. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Wingreen NS. Working together at the interface of physics and biology. Phys Biol. 2014 ;11(5):053010. PubMed
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Kim MKevin, Drescher K, Pak OShun, Bassler BL, Stone HA. Filaments in curved streamlines: Rapid formation of biofilm streamers. New J Phys. 2014 ;16(6):065024. PubMed
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Shao Y, Bassler BL. Quorum regulatory small RNAs repress type VI secretion in Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol. 2014 ;92(5):921-30. PubMed
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Drescher K, Nadell CD, Stone HA, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Solutions to the public goods dilemma in bacterial biofilms. Curr Biol. 2014 ;24(1):50-55. PubMed
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Perez LJ, Karagounis TK, Hurley A, Bassler BL, Semmelhack MF. Highly Potent, Chemically Stable Quorum Sensing Agonists for . Chem Sci. 2014 ;5(1):151-155. PubMed
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Ke X, Miller LC, Ng W-L, Bassler BL. CqsA-CqsS quorum-sensing signal-receptor specificity in Photobacterium angustum. Mol Microbiol. 2014 ;91(4):821-33. PubMed
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O'Loughlin CT, Miller LC, Siryaporn A, Drescher K, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL. A quorum-sensing inhibitor blocks Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 ;110(44):17981-6. PubMed
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Nadell CD, Bucci V, Drescher K, Levin SA, Bassler BL, Xavier JB. Cutting through the complexity of cell collectives. Proc Biol Sci. 2013 ;280(1755):20122770. PubMed
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Drescher K, Shen Y, Bassler BL, Stone HA. 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. PubMed
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Shao Y, Feng L, Rutherford ST, Papenfort K, Bassler BL. Functional determinants of the quorum-sensing non-coding RNAs and their roles in target regulation. EMBO J. 2013 ;32(15):2158-71. PubMed
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van Kessel JC, Ulrich LE, Zhulin IB, Bassler BL. Analysis of activator and repressor functions reveals the requirements for transcriptional control by LuxR, the master regulator of quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. mBio. 2013 ;4(4). PubMed
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van Kessel JC, Rutherford ST, Shao Y, Utria AF, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Perez LJ, Ng W-L, Marano P, Brook K, Bassler BL, Semmelhack MF. Role of the CAI-1 fatty acid tail in the Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing response. J Med Chem. 2012 ;55(22):9669-81. PubMed
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Rutherford ST, Bassler BL. Bacterial quorum sensing: its role in virulence and possibilities for its control. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2012 ;2(11). PubMed
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Wei Y, Ng W-L, Cong J, Bassler BL. Ligand and antagonist driven regulation of the Vibrio cholerae quorum-sensing receptor CqsS. Mol Microbiol. 2012 ;83(6):1095-108. PubMed
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Shao Y, Bassler BL. Quorum-sensing non-coding small RNAs use unique pairing regions to differentially control mRNA targets. Mol Microbiol. 2012 ;83(3):599-611. PubMed
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Ng W-L, Perez L, Cong J, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL. Broad spectrum pro-quorum-sensing molecules as inhibitors of virulence in vibrios. PLoS Pathog. 2012 ;8(6):e1002767. PubMed
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Ng W-L, Perez LJ, Wei Y, Kraml C, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL. Signal production and detection specificity in Vibrio CqsA/CqsS quorum-sensing systems. Mol Microbiol. 2011 ;79(6):1407-17. PubMed
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Rutherford ST, van Kessel JC, Shao Y, Bassler BL. AphA and LuxR/HapR reciprocally control quorum sensing in vibrios. Genes Dev. 2011 ;25(4):397-408. PubMed
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Chen G, Swem LR, Swem DL, Stauff DL, O'Loughlin CT, Jeffrey PD, et al. A strategy for antagonizing quorum sensing. Mol Cell. 2011 ;42(2):199-209. PubMed
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Wei Y, Perez LJ, Ng W-L, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL. Mechanism of Vibrio cholerae autoinducer-1 biosynthesis. ACS Chem Biol. 2011 ;6(4):356-65. PubMed
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Bassler BL. Small cells--big future. Mol Biol Cell. 2010 ;21(22):3786-7. PubMed
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Teng S-W, Wang Y, Tu KC, Long T, Mehta P, Wingreen NS, et al. Measurement of the copy number of the master quorum-sensing regulator of a bacterial cell. Biophys J. 2010 ;98(9):2024-31. PubMed
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Ng W-L, Wei Y, Perez LJ, Cong J, Long T, Koch M, et al. 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. PubMed
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Tu KC, Long T, Svenningsen SL, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Negative feedback loops involving small regulatory RNAs precisely control the Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing response. Mol Cell. 2010 ;37(4):567-79. PubMed
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Waters CM, Wu JT, Ramsey ME, Harris RC, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Long T, Tu KC, Wang Y, Mehta P, Ong NP, Bassler BL, et al. Quantifying the integration of quorum-sensing signals with single-cell resolution. PLoS Biol. 2009 ;7(3):e68. PubMed
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Swem LR, Swem DL, O'Loughlin CT, Gatmaitan R, Zhao B, Ulrich SM, et al. A quorum-sensing antagonist targets both membrane-bound and cytoplasmic receptors and controls bacterial pathogenicity. Mol Cell. 2009 ;35(2):143-53. PubMed
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Hammer BK, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Svenningsen SL, Tu KC, Bassler BL. Gene dosage compensation calibrates four regulatory RNAs to control Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing. EMBO J. 2009 ;28(4):429-39. PubMed
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Kelly RC, Bolitho ME, Higgins DA, Lu W, Ng W-L, Jeffrey PD, et al. The Vibrio cholerae quorum-sensing autoinducer CAI-1: analysis of the biosynthetic enzyme CqsA. Nat Chem Biol. 2009 ;5(12):891-5. PubMed
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Mehta P, Goyal S, Long T, Bassler BL, Wingreen NS. Information processing and signal integration in bacterial quorum sensing. Mol Syst Biol. 2009 ;5:325. PubMed
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Ng W-L, Bassler BL. Bacterial quorum-sensing network architectures. Annu Rev Genet. 2009 ;43:197-222. PubMed
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Nadell CD, Bassler BL, Levin SA. Observing bacteria through the lens of social evolution. J Biol. 2008 ;7(7):27. PubMed
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Pompeani AJ, Irgon JJ, Berger MF, Bulyk ML, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. The Vibrio harveyi master quorum-sensing regulator, LuxR, a TetR-type protein is both an activator and a repressor: DNA recognition and binding specificity at target promoters. Mol Microbiol. 2008 ;70(1):76-88. PubMed
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Tu KC, Waters CM, Svenningsen SL, Bassler BL. A small-RNA-mediated negative feedback loop controls quorum-sensing dynamics in Vibrio harveyi. Mol Microbiol. 2008 ;70(4):896-907. PubMed
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Svenningsen SL, Waters CM, Bassler BL. A negative feedback loop involving small RNAs accelerates Vibrio cholerae's transition out of quorum-sensing mode. Genes Dev. 2008 ;22(2):226-38. PubMed
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Swem LR, Swem DL, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Deducing receptor signaling parameters from in vivo analysis: LuxN/AI-1 quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Cell. 2008 ;134(3):461-73. PubMed
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Waters CM, Lu W, Rabinowitz JD, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Rader BA, Campagna SR, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL, Guillemin K. The quorum-sensing molecule autoinducer 2 regulates motility and flagellar morphogenesis in Helicobacter pylori. J Bacteriol. 2007 ;189(17):6109-17. PubMed
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Hammer BK, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Tu KC, Bassler BL. Multiple small RNAs act additively to integrate sensory information and control quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi. Genes Dev. 2007 ;21(2):221-33. PubMed
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Xavier KB, Miller ST, Lu W, Kim JHwan, Rabinowitz J, Pelczer I, et al. Phosphorylation and processing of the quorum-sensing molecule autoinducer-2 in enteric bacteria. ACS Chem Biol. 2007 ;2(2):128-36. PubMed
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Bassler BL. Playing the game with nature. Biotechniques. 2007 ;42(2):123. PubMed
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Lenz DH, Bassler BL. The small nucleoid protein Fis is involved in Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing. Mol Microbiol. 2007 ;63(3):859-71. PubMed
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Neiditch MB, Federle MJ, Pompeani AJ, Kelly RC, Swem DL, Jeffrey PD, et al. Ligand-induced asymmetry in histidine sensor kinase complex regulates quorum sensing. Cell. 2006 ;126(6):1095-108. PubMed
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Camilli A, Bassler BL. Bacterial small-molecule signaling pathways. Science. 2006 ;311(5764):1113-6. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Losick R. Bacterially speaking. Cell. 2006 ;125(2):237-46. PubMed
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Xavier KB, Bassler BL. Interference with AI-2-mediated bacterial cell-cell communication. Nature. 2005 ;437(7059):750-3. PubMed
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Neiditch MB, Federle MJ, Miller ST, Bassler BL, Hughson FM. Regulation of LuxPQ receptor activity by the quorum-sensing signal autoinducer-2. Mol Cell. 2005 ;18(5):507-18. PubMed
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Ulrich DL, Kojetin D, Bassler BL, Cavanagh J, J Loria P. 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. PubMed
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Xavier KB, Bassler BL. Regulation of uptake and processing of the quorum-sensing autoinducer AI-2 in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 2005 ;187(1):238-48. PubMed
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Semmelhack MF, Campagna SR, Federle MJ, Bassler BL. An expeditious synthesis of DPD and boron binding studies. Org Lett. 2005 ;7(4):569-72. PubMed
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Waters CM, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing: cell-to-cell communication in bacteria. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2005 ;21:319-46. PubMed
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Bassler BL. Cell-to-cell communication in bacteria: a chemical discourse. Harvey Lect. 2004 ;100:123-42. PubMed
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Miller ST, Xavier KB, Campagna SR, Taga ME, Semmelhack MF, Bassler BL, et al. Salmonella typhimurium recognizes a chemically distinct form of the bacterial quorum-sensing signal AI-2. Mol Cell. 2004 ;15(5):677-87. PubMed
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Henke JM, Bassler BL. Three parallel quorum-sensing systems regulate gene expression in Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 2004 ;186(20):6902-14. PubMed
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Henke JM, Bassler BL. Bacterial social engagements. Trends Cell Biol. 2004 ;14(11):648-56. PubMed
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Henke JM, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing regulates type III secretion in Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. J Bacteriol. 2004 ;186(12):3794-805. PubMed
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Semmelhack MF, Campagna SR, Hwa C, Federle MJ, Bassler BL. Boron binding with the quorum sensing signal AI-2 and analogues. Org Lett. 2004 ;6(15):2635-7. PubMed
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Lenz DH, Mok KC, Lilley BN, Kulkarni RV, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. The small RNA chaperone Hfq and multiple small RNAs control quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio cholerae. Cell. 2004 ;118(1):69-82. PubMed
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Ulrich DL, Thompson R, Bassler B, Cavanagh J, J Loria P. 1H, 15N, and 13C chemical shift assignments of the Vibrio harveyi histidine phosphotransferase protein LuxU. J Biomol NMR. 2004 ;29(4):551-2. PubMed
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Hammer BK, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing controls biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol. 2003 ;50(1):101-4. PubMed
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Taga ME, Bassler BL. Chemical communication among bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 ;100 Suppl 2:14549-54. PubMed
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Zhao G, Wan W, Mansouri S, Alfaro JF, Bassler BL, Cornell KA, et al. Chemical synthesis of S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine and activity assay as a LuxS substrate. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2003 ;13(22):3897-900. PubMed
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Federle MJ, Bassler BL. Interspecies communication in bacteria. J Clin Invest. 2003 ;112(9):1291-9. PubMed
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Taga ME, Miller ST, Bassler BL. Lsr-mediated transport and processing of AI-2 in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol. 2003 ;50(4):1411-27. PubMed
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Mok KC, Wingreen NS, Bassler BL. Vibrio harveyi quorum sensing: a coincidence detector for two autoinducers controls gene expression. EMBO J. 2003 ;22(4):870-81. PubMed
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Xavier KB, Bassler BL. LuxS quorum sensing: more than just a numbers game. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2003 ;6(2):191-7. PubMed
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Zhu J, Miller MB, Vance RE, Dziejman M, Bassler BL, Mekalanos JJ. Quorum-sensing regulators control virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 ;99(5):3129-34. PubMed
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Chen X, Schauder S, Potier N, Van Dorsselaer A, Pelczer I, Bassler BL, et al. Structural identification of a bacterial quorum-sensing signal containing boron. Nature. 2002 ;415(6871):545-9. PubMed
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Winans SC, Bassler BL. Mob psychology. J Bacteriol. 2002 ;184(4):873-83. PubMed
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Miller MB, Skorupski K, Lenz DH, Taylor RK, Bassler BL. Parallel quorum sensing systems converge to regulate virulence in Vibrio cholerae. Cell. 2002 ;110(3):303-14. PubMed
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Taga ME, Semmelhack JL, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Schauder S, Bassler BL. The languages of bacteria. Genes Dev. 2001 ;15(12):1468-80. PubMed
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Schauder S, Shokat K, Surette MG, Bassler BL. The LuxS family of bacterial autoinducers: biosynthesis of a novel quorum-sensing signal molecule. Mol Microbiol. 2001 ;41(2):463-76. PubMed
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Miller MB, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing in bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2001 ;55:165-99. PubMed
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Lilley BN, Bassler BL. Regulation of quorum sensing in Vibrio harveyi by LuxO and sigma-54. Mol Microbiol. 2000 ;36(4):940-54. PubMed
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Joyce EA, Bassler BL, Wright A. Evidence for a signaling system in Helicobacter pylori: detection of a luxS-encoded autoinducer. J Bacteriol. 2000 ;182(13):3638-43. PubMed
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Freeman JA, Lilley BN, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Surette MG, Bassler BL. Regulation of autoinducer production in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol. 1999 ;31(2):585-95. PubMed
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Surette MG, Miller MB, Bassler BL. 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. PubMed
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Surette MG, Bassler BL. Quorum sensing in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 ;95(12):7046-50. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Greenberg EP, Stevens AM. Cross-species induction of luminescence in the quorum-sensing bacterium Vibrio harveyi. J Bacteriol. 1997 ;179(12):4043-5. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Wright M, Silverman MR. Sequence and function of LuxO, a negative regulator of luminescence in Vibrio harveyi. Mol Microbiol. 1994 ;12(3):403-12. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Wright M, Silverman MR. Multiple signalling systems controlling expression of luminescence in Vibrio harveyi: sequence and function of genes encoding a second sensory pathway. Mol Microbiol. 1994 ;13(2):273-86. PubMed
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Yu C, Bassler BL, Roseman S. Chemotaxis of the marine bacterium Vibrio furnissii to sugars. A potential mechanism for initiating the chitin catabolic cascade. J Biol Chem. 1993 ;268(13):9405-9. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Wright M, Showalter RE, Silverman MR. Intercellular signalling in Vibrio harveyi: sequence and function of genes regulating expression of luminescence. Mol Microbiol. 1993 ;9(4):773-86. PubMed
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Yu C, Lee AM, Bassler BL, Roseman S. Chitin utilization by marine bacteria. A physiological function for bacterial adhesion to immobilized carbohydrates. J Biol Chem. 1991 ;266(36):24260-7. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Yu C, Lee YC, Roseman S. Chitin utilization by marine bacteria. Degradation and catabolism of chitin oligosaccharides by Vibrio furnissii. J Biol Chem. 1991 ;266(36):24276-86. PubMed
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Bassler BL, Gibbons PJ, Yu C, Roseman S. Chitin utilization by marine bacteria. Chemotaxis to chitin oligosaccharides by Vibrio furnissii. J Biol Chem. 1991 ;266(36):24268-75. PubMed
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Bassler B, Gibbons P, Roseman S. Chemotaxis to chitin oligosaccharides by Vibrio furnissii, a chitinivorous marine bacterium. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1989 ;161(3):1172-6. PubMed
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Hallenbeck PC, Vimr ER, Yu F, Bassler B, Troy FA. Purification and properties of a bacteriophage-induced endo-N-acetylneuraminidase specific for poly-alpha-2,8-sialosyl carbohydrate units. J Biol Chem. 1987 ;262(8):3553-61. PubMed
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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

Genetics Society of America Medal
Gruber Genetics Prize
Feodor Lynen Award

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

Royal Society Fellowship Award, The Royal Society
Honorary Degree , Tufts University
Honorary Degree, Bates College
American Philosophical Society Award, American Philosophical Society

2011

L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Award, L'Oréal and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Richard Lounsbery Award, The National Academy of Sciences