Abstract
Quorum sensing is a cell-to-cell signaling mechanism by which bacteria coordinate gene expression in a density-dependent manner. Bacteria diffuse small signaling molecules that interact with transcription activators or sensor kinases to regulate gene transcription. By far the most extensively investigated family of intercellular signaling molecules are the N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs). These molecules, known as autoinducers, were first associated with the regulation of bioluminescence in Vibrio fischeri. In V. fischeri, above a threshold concentration AHLs interact with the transcription activator LuxR, activating the lux operon and thereby producing light. It has been shown that a wide range of bacteria produce autoinducers to regulate a variety of phenotypes, such as plasmid conjugal transfer and stationary-phase survival. However, not all bacteria communicate using AHLs alone – it has been shown that Ralstonia solanacearum uses a 3-hydroxypalmitic acid methyl ester in conjunction with AHLs to modulate pathogenicity, and in Gram-positive bacteria, many signaling molecules are in fact peptides.
Published Version
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