Bacteria are constantly communicating with each other, using a process called quorum sensing. This process allows bacteria to coordinate their activities, such as producing toxins or forming biofilms.

Scientists have long known that bacteria use quorum sensing, but they have not been able to directly observe how it works. Now, a team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a new imaging technique that allows them to visualize quorum sensing in real time.

The new technique, called quorum sensing microscopy, uses a fluorescent dye that binds to a protein that is involved in quorum sensing. This allows the researchers to see how the protein moves within the cell and how it interacts with other proteins.

The researchers used quorum sensing microscopy to study two different species of bacteria, *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* and *Vibrio cholerae*. They found that both species use quorum sensing to coordinate the production of toxins.

In *P. aeruginosa*, quorum sensing controls the production of a toxin called pyocyanin. Pyocyanin is a pigment that gives *P. aeruginosa* its characteristic blue-green color. It is also a virulence factor, meaning that it helps the bacterium to cause disease.

In *V. cholerae*, quorum sensing controls the production of a toxin called cholera toxin. Cholera toxin is responsible for the severe diarrhea that is characteristic of cholera.

The researchers believe that quorum sensing microscopy could be used to develop new drugs that target quorum sensing. These drugs could prevent bacteria from communicating with each other, and thus prevent them from causing disease.

Source:

* [Visualizing Quorum Sensing in Bacteria](https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)31037-8)