Repression of the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) During Biofilm Formation Provides a Fitness Advantage for Vibrio cholerae
Stephan P. Ebenberger, Joao P. Pombo, Alexander Rechberger, Dominik Fleischhacker, Stefan Schild · 2026
Read Repression of the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) During Biofilm Formation Provides a Fitness Advantage for Vibrio cholerae by Stephan P. Ebenberger, Joao P. Pombo, Alexander Rechberger, Dominik Fleischhacker, Stefan Schild (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13609811.txt.
Description
Stephan Ebenberger and four co-authors found that cholera bacteria switch off their stabbing weapon while forming biofilms in a 2026 study. The weapon injects toxins into rival bacteria on contact. Across many cholera strains, weapon genes were strongly repressed in biofilm cells compared with free swimmers.
Deleting the weapon changed nothing about biofilm building. Biofilm-grown cholera also withstood attacks from a weapon-armed rival just as well with or without its own weapon. The authors read the shutdown as self-protection: a silent weapon draws fewer counterattacks from stronger neighbors. In mixed microbial crowds, they argue, knowing when not to fight is a fitness edge. The strategy may be widespread among biofilm dwellers.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Stephan P. Ebenberger, Joao P. Pombo, Alexander Rechberger, Dominik Fleischhacker, Stefan Schild |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 34 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |