Microbial interactions: ecology in a molecular perspective

Abstract

The microorganism–microorganism or microorganism–host interactions are the key strategy to colonize and establish in a variety of different environments. These interactions involve all ecological aspects, including physiochemical changes, metabolite exchange, metabolite conversion, signaling, chemotaxis and genetic exchange resulting in genotype selection. In addition, the establishment in the environment depends on the species diversity, since high functional redundancy in the microbial community increases the competitive ability of the community, decreasing the possibility of an invader to establish in this environment. Therefore, these associations are the result of a co-evolution process that leads to the adaptation and specialization, allowing the occupation of different niches, by reducing biotic and abiotic stress or exchanging growth factors and signaling. Microbial interactions occur by the transference of molecular and genetic information, and many mechanisms can be involved in this exchange, such as secondary metabolites, siderophores, quorum sensing system, biofilm formation, and cellular transduction signaling, among others. The ultimate unit of interaction is the gene expression of each organism in response to an environmental (biotic or abiotic) stimulus, which is responsible for the production of molecules involved in these interactions. Therefore, in the present review, we focused on some molecular mechanisms involved in the microbial interaction, not only in microbial–host interaction, which has been exploited by other reviews, but also in the molecular strategy used by different microorganisms in the environment that can modulate the establishment and structuration of the microbial community.

Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria with Biochemical and Pharmacological Importance from Soil Samples of Dhaka City

“…These microorganisms are of very diverse that includes bacteria, archaea, yeast, fungi, algae, and protozoa. 1 Microorganisms can live in environment along with human and in extreme conditions such hot springs, miles deep in the ocean, inside rocks and in extreme cold temperature. 2 Although the number of microorganisms varies in different places, it has been indicated that mass of carbon from these microorganisms could be trillions of tons.…”

Comments on bacterial and fungal interactions in medicine, agriculture and the environment

“…Also, the environmental establishment is dependent on species diversity as increased microbial community functional redundancy enhances the community competitive potential lowering the threshold of an invader to establish in the ambient or niche. These relationships are consequent upon co-evolution process that results in the adaptation and specialization with latitude to occupy diverse niches via the reduction of biotic and abiotic stress or in the exchange of growth factors and signaling (Braga et al, 2016). Microbial interactions take place via molecular and genetic information transfer with numerous mechanisms inculcated in the exchange, such as inter alia secondary metabolites, siderophores, quorum sensing system, biofilm formation and cellular transduction signaling.…”

Inhibitory and nutrient use phenotypes among coexisting Fusarium and Streptomyces populations suggest local coevolutionary interactions in soil

“…Although specific microbial interactions are difficult to discern in highly complex environment, and their understanding requires the incorporation of broader influences on microbiome composition and functioning, such as those emanating from soil edaphics and plantmicrobe and microbe-microbe interactions; some microbes possess mechanisms and molecules that enable identifiable mutual interplays in complex habitats (Braga et al, 2016). Recently, members of the fungal genus Fusarium and the bacterial genus Streptomyces, notable for their capacities to produce a diverse array of antimicrobial compounds (Challis and Hopwood, 2003;Joshi, 2012), were shown to possess significant inhibitory activities against each other .…”