Quorum Sensing Latest News
The phenomenon of bacterial communication, or “quorum sensing” could indeed be a game changer for medicine, by opening new avenues to develop anti-quorum sensing therapies instead of antibiotics.
About Quorum Sensing
- It is a mechanism by which bacteria regulate gene expression in accordance with population density through the use of signal molecules.
- Quorum sensing allows bacteria populations to communicate and coordinate group behaviour and commonly is used by pathogens (disease-causing organisms) in disease and infection processes.
- Bacterial activity involving quorum sensing was first observed in the mid-1960s by Hungarian-born microbiologist Alexander Tomasz in his studies of the ability of Pneumococcus (later known as Streptococcus pneumoniae) to take up free DNA from its environment.
- Standard quorum-sensing pathways consist of bacteria populations, signal molecules, and behavioral genes.
- The signal molecules, known as autoinducers, are secreted into the environment by bacteria and gradually increase in concentration as the bacteria population grows.
- After reaching a certain concentration threshold, the molecules become detectable to bacteria populations, which then activate corresponding response genes that regulate various behaviours, such as virulence, horizontal gene transfer, biofilm formation, and competence (the ability to take up DNA).
- Since many of these processes are effective only at certain population sizes, quorum sensing is a key behaviour-coordination mechanism in many microbes.
- Although quorum sensing is common among bacteria, the precise sensing system and class of quorum-sensing compounds used may differ.
- In addition, the manner in which different types of bacteria apply quorum sensing varies greatly.
- For example, the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause pneumonia and blood infections, uses quorum sensing to regulate disease mechanisms.
- In other organisms, quorum sensing is used for symbiotic processes and cell growth; an example is the nitrogen-fixation mechanism of the bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum.
Source: TH
Quorum Sensing FAQs
Q1: What is quorum sensing?
Ans: Quorum sensing is a mechanism by which bacteria regulate gene expression according to population density using signal molecules.
Q2: How do bacteria coordinate their group behaviour through quorum sensing?
Ans: They communicate using chemical signal molecules that increase in concentration as the population grows.
Q3: Who first observed bacterial activity involving quorum sensing?
Ans: It was first observed by Alexander Tomasz in the mid-1960s.
Q4: What are the main components of a standard quorum-sensing pathway?
Ans: It consists of bacterial populations, signal molecules, and behavioral genes.
