William P. J. Smith, Benjamin R. Wucher, Carey D. Nadell, Kevin R. Foster
{"title":"Bacterial defences: mechanisms, evolution and antimicrobial resistance","authors":"William P. J. Smith, Benjamin R. Wucher, Carey D. Nadell, Kevin R. Foster","doi":"10.1038/s41579-023-00877-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Throughout their evolutionary history, bacteria have faced diverse threats from other microorganisms, including competing bacteria, bacteriophages and predators. In response to these threats, they have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms that today also protect bacteria against antibiotics and other therapies. In this Review, we explore the protective strategies of bacteria, including the mechanisms, evolution and clinical implications of these ancient defences. We also review the countermeasures that attackers have evolved to overcome bacterial defences. We argue that understanding how bacteria defend themselves in nature is important for the development of new therapies and for minimizing resistance evolution. In this Review, Smith, Foster and colleagues explore the protective strategies of bacteria, including the mechanisms, evolution and clinical implications of these ancient defences. They discuss new therapies for treating disease and how to minimize resistance evolution.","PeriodicalId":18838,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":69.2000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"10","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-023-00877-3","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 10
Abstract
Throughout their evolutionary history, bacteria have faced diverse threats from other microorganisms, including competing bacteria, bacteriophages and predators. In response to these threats, they have evolved sophisticated defence mechanisms that today also protect bacteria against antibiotics and other therapies. In this Review, we explore the protective strategies of bacteria, including the mechanisms, evolution and clinical implications of these ancient defences. We also review the countermeasures that attackers have evolved to overcome bacterial defences. We argue that understanding how bacteria defend themselves in nature is important for the development of new therapies and for minimizing resistance evolution. In this Review, Smith, Foster and colleagues explore the protective strategies of bacteria, including the mechanisms, evolution and clinical implications of these ancient defences. They discuss new therapies for treating disease and how to minimize resistance evolution.
期刊介绍:
At Nature Reviews Microbiology, our goal is to become the leading source of reviews and commentaries for the scientific community we cater to. We are dedicated to publishing articles that are not only authoritative but also easily accessible, supplementing them with clear and concise figures, tables, and other visual aids. Our objective is to offer an unparalleled service to authors, referees, and readers, and we continuously strive to maximize the usefulness and impact of each article we publish. With a focus on Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments spanning the entire field of microbiology, our wide scope ensures that the work we feature reaches the widest possible audience.