The Role of Quorum Sensing in Microbial Biofilm Formation

Abstract

Microbial cells do not live in isolation in their environment, but rather they communicate with each other using chemical signals. This sophisticated mode of cell-to-cell signaling, known as quorum sensing (QS), was first discovered in bacteria, and coordinates the behavior of microbial population behavior in a cell density–dependent manner. More recently, these mechanisms have been described in eukaryotes, particularly in fungi, where they regulate processes such as biofilm formation, pathogenesis, morphological differentiation, and secondary metabolite production. QS is an important mechanism used by bacteria to exchange information among themselves and as well helps in regulating the expression of related genes and other physiological processes. Bacteria are able to perceive and respond to self-produced signal molecules and regulate their behavior in response to their population size. The main role of QS is the regulation of vital processes in the cells such as virulence factor production or biofilm formation. In biofilm formation, microorganisms use QS systems to regulate their population density and as well communicate directly with other microbes, or indirectly mediate the production of molecules that affect the survival of neighboring populations. QS plays a vital role in biofilm formation during replication in biofilm development, as well as biofilm dispersal as a control to the size of microbial population.