The European Night of Researchers in Košice was held in the Optima Shopping Center on September 29. Our Institute – the Institute of Animal Physiology – also participated in this event. RNDr. Dobroslava Bujňáková, Ph.D. and her colleagues MVDr. Lívia Karahutová, Ph.D., MVDr. Lucia Štempelová, Ph.D., and Ing. Ľudmila Hamarová, Ph.D., of the Laboratory of Microbial Genetics, presented the topic entitled: Bacterial Fight for Survival. The visitors learned that bacteria can communicate together even though they are only single-celled organisms. For communication, they use small molecules – autoinducers – which represent bacteria’s chemical language. This communication is called Quorum Sensing and has a variety of functions in microbial communities. It enables bacterial cells to create and synchronize behavior. Also, it affects various processes such as bioluminescence, sporulation, conjugation, motility, and antibiotic production and turns on the virulence factors or biofilm formation. Quorum Sensing also regulates the acquisition of iron by microbes, which is necessary for their growth and survival. All these ways of bacterial communication lead to one goal – to adapt and survive.
We are delighted with the interest of young and adult visitors and look forward to seeing them again next year.
Author: Lívia Karahutová
