ArticlePloS one2008
Marine biofilm bacteria evade eukaryotic predation by targeted chemical defense.
Article in PloS one, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 84 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
84 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The role of Acanthamoeba spp. in biofilm communities: a systematic review.Parasitology research · 2021Pooled it
- Genomic and phenotypic diversification ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Pangenome Dynamics and Functional Diversification in the Marine Genus Pseudoalteromonas: Association to Colony Pigmentation.Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Rational assembly of synthetic marine biofilm community with chitinase production.Research square · 2026Article
- The Role of Biofilm-Derived Compounds in Microbial and Protozoan Interactions.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Experimental assessment of interactions between marine bacteria and model protists: from predator-prey relationships to bacterial-mediated lysis.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Disentangling the feedback loops driving spatial patterning in microbial communities.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Review
- Virulence traits and bacterial interactions within the complex microbial population in urinary double-J catheters.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Pleiotropic regulation of bacterial toxin production and Allee effect govern microbial predator-prey interactions.ISME communications · 2025Article
- Cell shape affects bacterial colony growth under physical confinement.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Improvement of violacein production using abiotic stresses and microbial adaptation.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2024Article
- Genomic and transcriptomic insights into complex virus-prokaryote interactions in marine biofilms.The ISME journal · 2023Article
- Nonribosomal peptides protectChemical science · 2023Article
- Electrostatic interactions mediate the nucleation and growth of a bacterial functional amyloid.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2023Article
- Article
- Exploring Diversity and Polymer Degrading Potential of Epiphytic Bacteria Isolated from Marine Macroalgae.Microorganisms · 2022Article
- Review
- Marine Antimicrobial Peptides-Based Strategies for Tackling Bacterial Biofilm and Biofouling Challenges.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Bacterial pigments: A colorful palette reservoir for biotechnological applications.Biotechnology and applied biochemistry · 2022Review
- Impacts of UV-C Irradiation on Marine Biofilm Community Succession.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2022Article
24 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many plants and animals are defended from predation or herbivory by inhibitory secondary metabolites, which in the marine environment are very common among sessile organisms. Among bacteria, where there is the greatest metabolic potential, little is known about chemical defenses against bacterivorous consumers. An emerging hypothesis is that sessile bacterial communities organized as biofilms serve as bacterial refuge from predation. By testing growth and survival of two common bacterivorous nanoflagellates, we find evidence that chemically mediated resistance against protozoan predators is common among biofilm populations in a diverse set of marine bacteria. Using bioassay-guided chemical and genetic analysis, we identified one of the most effective antiprotozoal compounds as violacein, an alkaloid that we demonstrate is produced predominately within biofilm cells. Nanomolar concentrations of violacein inhibit protozoan feeding by inducing a conserved eukaryotic cell death program. Such biofilm-specific chemical defenses could contribute to the successful persistence of biofilm bacteria in various environments and provide the ecological and evolutionary context for a number of eukaryote-targeting bacterial metabolites.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.