Intercellular signaling in microbial world: A panoramic view

In the microbial world, there are various communicative interactions via secreted chemical intermediates. Some of these interactions can be considered as signaling, as they trigger specific physiological responses by modulating transcription of cognate gens. This review briefly presents the history of the studies on microbial intercellular signaling along with current concepts of the signaling mechanisms of yeast mating, as well as of intraand interspecies communication in bacteria.