Quorum sensing mechanism in bacteria and its inhibitory system

Document Type : Review Paper

Authors

Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

Quorum sensing (QS) phenomenon is a cell density-dependent regulatory system that bacteria use to communicate with each other as a multicellular organism. Numerous Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria use this signaling system to synchronize genes expression and group behaviors including virulence factor secretion, antibiotic production, competence, biofilm formation, and bioluminescence. In this signaling system, bacterial cell-to-cell communication mediated by sending and sensing small signaling molecules known as autoinducers (AIs). For the prohibition of the quorum-sensing system in the bacterial cell, there is another regulatory system named quorum quenching (QQ). The function of this system is through the secretion of inhibitors (QSIs) and some enzymes (QQ enzymes) which interfere with communication in the quorum-sensing system. Due to the inhibitory potential of the QQ system to disrupt the communication network provided by the QS system, it introduced as a novel strategy to control plant bacterial diseases.

Keywords


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