Bacterial Signaling Mechanisms Contributing to Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major global health challenge by compromising the effectiveness of current therapies for infectious diseases. While horizontally transferred AMR genes and genetic mutations have traditionally been recognized as the primary drivers of resistance, accumulating evidence highlights the critical role of bacterial signaling networks in regulating adaptive resistance, tolerance, and bacterial persistence.Quorum sensing (QS), a key cell-to-cell communication system, coordinates essential bacterial processes, such as virulence factor production, biofilm formation, stress adaptation, and metabolic reprogramming. These coordinated responses contribute to antimicrobial recalcitrance and reduced susceptibility to antimicrobial stress.Moreover, signaling-regulated biofilms and persister cell populations play central roles in chronic and persistent infection phenotypes. In polymicrobial environments, interspecies communication further enhances adaptive survival and antimicrobial tolerance within complex microbial communities. Understanding these signaling pathways provides valuable mechanistic insights into non-genetic resistance strategies and may inform innovative approaches aimed at disrupting resistance-associated phenotypes without directly targeting bacterial viability.The primary goal of this Research Topic is to emphasize the regulatory role of bacterial signaling systems, particularly QS, in antimicrobial resistance, tolerance, persistence, and antimicrobial recalcitrance. Although the genetic determinants of resistance have been extensively investigated, less attention has been given to communication-driven survival strategies that enable bacteria to withstand antimicrobial stress. There is a pressing need to better understand how these signaling systems regulate adaptive behaviors, such as biofilm formation, persister cell development, and microbial interactions within polymicrobial communities in clinically relevant settings. This Research Topic aims to provide a focused platform for advancing mechanistic insights into how bacterial communication networks shape antimicrobial tolerance and chronic or persistent infection phenotypes.We welcome submissions addressing the following sub-themes:• QS as a regulator of antimicrobial resistance, tolerance, persistence, and antimicrobial recalcitrance• QS-controlled formation of persister cells and their contribution to reduced susceptibility under antimicrobial stress• Multi-omics approaches towards deciphering signalling networks contributing to antimicrobial resistance• Underexplored and less-studied pathogens such as Chromobacterium spp. or Burkholderia spp. as model organisms for QS research • Interspecies and dual-species signaling interactions, with emphasis on polymicrobial communities and communication-mediated adaptive survival• Dual-species and polymicrobial chronic infections, focusing on signaling-mediated virulence, persistence, and antimicrobial tolerance in complex microbial communities• Targeting QS and persister-associated pathways as mechanistic strategies to modulate antimicrobial tolerance and persistence-associated phenotypesThis Research Topic accepts the following article types: FAIR² DATA Direct Submission, FAIR² Data, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Review, Systematic Review, Technology and Code. Topic editors: Saptami Kanekar, James John, Saravanan Matheshwaran, Govindan Rajamohan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79206/bacterial-signaling-mechanisms-contributing-to-antimicrobial-resistance