Bonnie Bassler wants to understand how bacteria communicate and orchestrate group behaviors. This process, known as quorum sensing, relies on chemical “words” and enables populations of bacteria to regulate gene expression, and therefore behavior, on a community-wide scale. Through a range of approaches, Bassler and her team are providing insight into: intra-species, inter-species, and inter-domain communication; population-level cooperation; and the principles underlying signal transduction and information processing at the population and individual cell levels. One objective of Bassler’s team is to develop quorum-sensing interference strategies to combat pathogenic bacteria that use this process to regulate virulence.
Over the course of 30 years, HHMI Investigator Bonnie Bassler has helped usher in a new branch of science centered on quorum sensing, the process by which bacteria communicate with one another and orchestrate collective tasks. One day, this work could lead to alternatives to traditional antibiotics – a pressing need in the war against multi-drug resistant bacteria. HHMI is known for our “people, not projects” philosophy. In this newly launched video series, we’re shining the spotlight on several of our scientists to share their stories and offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what makes their work – and their labs – unique. Three HHMI investigators and two HHMI professors have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine. Bassler shares prestigious honor for discovery of quorum sensing, a process that allows bacteria to communicate with each other. Bonnie Bassler and Jack Dixon are among eight newly elected foreign members.