Quorum sensing (QS), a type of chemical communication, allows bacteria to sense and coordinate activities in natural biofilm communities using N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) as one type of signaling molecule. For AHL-based communication to occur, bacteria must produce and recognize the same signals, which activate similar genes in different species. Our current understanding of AHL-QS suggests that signaling between species would arise randomly, which is not probable. We propose that AHL-QS signaling is a mutable and adaptable process, within limits. AHLs are highly-conserved signals, however, their corresponding receptor proteins (LuxR) are highly variable. We suggest that both flexibility and adaptation occur among receptor proteins, allowing for complex signaling networks to develop in biofilms over time.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2019.12.004 | DOI Listing |
mBio
January 2025
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
As a universal language across the bacterial kingdom, the quorum sensing signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) can coordinate many bacterial group behaviors. However, unknown AI-2 receptors in bacteria may be more than what has been discovered so far, and there are still many unknown functions for this signal waiting to be explored. Here, we have identified a membrane-bound histidine kinase of the pathogenic bacterium , AsrK, as a receptor that specifically detects AI-2 under low boron conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Med Chem
January 2025
Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan, H.P., India.
A planktonic population of bacteria can form a biofilm by adhesion and colonization. Proteins known as "adhesins" can bind to certain environmental structures, such as sugars, which will cause the bacteria to attach to the substrate. Quorum sensing is used to establish the population is dense enough to form a biofilm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioresour Technol
January 2025
National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, PR China. Electronic address:
There is limited understanding of the granular partial denitrification/anammox (PD/A) microbiota and metabolic hierarchy specific to municipal wastewater treatment, particularly concerning the multi-mechanisms of functional differentiation and granulation tendencies under high-loading shocks. Therefore, this study utilized fragmented mature biofilm as the exclusive inoculum to rapidly establish a granular PD/A system. Following long-term feeding with municipal wastewater, PD/A process reached a total nitrogen removal efficiency of 97.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
January 2025
Department of Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics, Tripura University (A Central University), Suryamaninagar-799022, Tripura, India. Electronic address:
Biofilm formation, extracellular substance synthesis, and virulence factor production all have a major impact on drug tolerance and infection propagation caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Flavonoid compounds have been explored as potential solutions to enhance antibiotic efficacy against the biofilm formation of pathogenic microbes. Quercetin (QER) has previously demonstrated antibacterial and antibiofilm properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
January 2025
Institute of Environmental Engineering, School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China; Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, Changsha 410083, China. Electronic address:
Quorum sensing (QS) is recognized for enhancing bacterial resistance against heavy metals by regulating the production of extracellular substances that hinder metal penetration into the intracellular environment. However, it remains unclear whether QS contributes to resistance by regulating electron transfer, thereby transforming metals from more toxic to less toxic forms. This study investigated the regulatory mechanism of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated QS on electron transfer under As(III) and Cr(VI) stress.
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