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Antimicrobials

Silencing bacterial communication

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 11, pages 820–821 (2013)Cite this article

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Quorum sensing is a form of intercellular chemical communication that is used by bacteria to coordinate group behaviour in a cell density-dependent manner. In Gram-negative bacteria, this process typically relies on the production and group-wide perception of homoserine lactone (HSL) autoinducers, which are produced by LuxI-type enzymes and are detected by LuxR-type receptors. Binding to HSLs stabilizes LuxR-type receptors, which enables them to induce the transcription of target genes, many of which encode virulence factors.

In P. aeruginosa, virulence factor production and biofilm formation are regulated by the Las and Rhl quorum sensing systems, which have overlapping effects and are activated in tandem. LasI initiates the quorum sensing cascade by synthesizing N-3-oxododecanoyl-HSL. Binding of this HSL to the receptor, LasR, induces the transcription of several genes, including rhlR, which encodes the receptor of the Rhl system (RhlR). RhlR binds to the product of RhlI, N-butyryl-L-HSL, and regulates a large array of genes, including members of the LasR regulon. Thus, the LasI–LasR circuit controls the initial transcriptional response, whereas RhlI–RhlR controls the second phase of the response.

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References

  1. O'Loughlin, C. T. et al. A quorum-sensing inhibitor blocks Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm formation. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316981110 (2013)

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  1. Christina Tobin Kåhrström
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Kåhrström, C. Silencing bacterial communication. Nat Rev Microbiol 11, 820–821 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3163

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