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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Emerg Top Life Sci. 2017 Apr 21;1(1):75–83. doi: 10.1042/ETLS20160019

Figure 4. Cellular interactions mediated by CDI.

Figure 4

CDI systems mediate antagonistic and cooperative interactions in polymicrobial communities. During initial surface colonization, CDI mediates competition between strains of the same species (1). CDI+ cells (pink) use CdiA effectors (blue filaments) to inhibit CDI− strains (gray cells) of the same species. Inhibited CDI− bacteria are depicted as empty cells with dashed envelopes. CdiA adhesin activity promote auto-aggregation and the development of single-species microcolonies (2). Interactions between CdiA and its receptor also contribute to self/nonself discrimination, because unrelated species usually lack the specific receptor required for CDI-dependent cell adhesion (2). Finally, CDI appears to mediate cell-cell signaling to promote pillar formation in mature biofilms (3). Signaling entails changes in biofilm gene expression, suggesting that neutralized CdiA-CT•CdiI complexes could influence transcription as depicted in the expanded CDI+ cell.