Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quorum-sensing regulation of gene expression: Fundamental and applied aspects and the role in bacterial communication

  • Conference Proceedings
  • Published:
Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Quorum sensing (QS) is a specific type of regulation of gene expression in bacteria; it is dependent on the population density. QS systems include two obligate components: a low-molecular-weight regulator (autoinducer), readily diffusible through the cytoplasmic membrane, and a regulatory receptor protein, which interacts with the regulator. As the bacterial population reaches a critical level of density, autoinducers accumulate to a necessary threshold value and abrupt activation (induction) of certain genes and operons occurs. By means of low-molecular-weight regulators, bacteria accomplish communication between cells belonging to the same or different species, genera, and even families. QS systems have been shown to play a key role in the regulation of various metabolic processes in bacteria and to function as global regulators of the expression of bacterial genes. Data are presented on different types of QS systems present in bacteria of various taxonomic groups, on the species specificity of these systems, and on communication of bacteria by means of QS systems. The possibility is considered of using QS regulation systems as targets while combating bacterial infections; other applied aspects of QS investigation are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fuqua, W.C., Winans, S.C., and Greenberg, E.P., Census and Consensus in Bacterial Ecosystems: The LuxR-LuxI Family of Quorum-Sensing Transcriptional Regulators, Annu. Rev. Microbiol., 1996, vol. 50, pp. 727–751.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. De Kievit, T.R. and Iglewski, B.H., Bacterial Quorum Sensing in Pathogenic Relationships, Infect. Immun., 2000, vol. 68, pp. 4839–4849.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Miller, M.B. and Bassler, B.L., Quorum Sensing in Bacteria, Annu. Rev. Microbiol., 2001, vol. 55, pp. 165–199.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Zavilgelsky, G.B. and Manukhov, I.V., Quorum Sensing, or How Bacteria “Talk” to Each Other, Mol. Biol., 2001, vol. 35, pp. 268–277 [Mol. Biol. (Engl. Transl.), vol. 35, pp. 224–232].

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Schauder, S. and Bassler, B.L., The Languages of Bacteria, Genes Devel., 2001, vol. 15, pp. 1468–1480.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Taga, M.E. and Bassler, B.L., Chemical Communication among Bacteria, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2003, vol. 100, suppl. 2, pp. 14549–14554.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gintsburg, A.L., Il’ina, T.S., and Romanova, Yu.M., “Quorum sensing,” or Social Behavior of Bacteria, Zh. Mikrobiol. Epidemiol. Immunobiol., 2003, no. 5, pp. 86–93.

  8. Ahmer, B.M.M., Cell-to-Cell Signaling in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, Mol Microbiol., 2004, vol. 52, pp. 933–945.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Khmel, I.A. and Metlitskaya, A.Z., Quorum Sensing Regulation of Gene Expression: A Promising Target for Drugs against Bacterial Pathogenicity, Mol. Biol., 2006, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 195–210 [Mol. Biol. (Engl. Transl.), vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 169–182].

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. March, J.C. and Bentley, W.E., Quorum Sensing and Bacterial Cross-Talk in Biotechnology, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., 2004, vol. 15, pp. 495–502.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Waters, C. and Bassler, B., Quorum Sensing: Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria, Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol., 2005, vol. 21, pp. 319–346.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Veselova, M., Kholmeckaya, M., Klein, S., Voronina, E., Lipasova, V., Metlitskaya, A., Mayatskaya, A., Lobanok, E., Khmel, I., and Chernin, L., Production of N-Acylhomoserine Lactone Signal Molecules by Gram-Negative Soil-Borne and Plant-Associated Bacteria, Folia Microbiol., 2003, vol. 48, pp. 794–798.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pearson, J.P., Pesci, E.C., and Iglewski, B.H., Roles of Pseudomonas aeruginosa las and rhl Quorum-Sensing Systems in Control of Elastase and Rhamnolipid Biosynthesis Genes, J. Bacteriol., 1997, vol. 179, pp. 5756–5767.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schuster, M., Lostroh, C.P., Ogi, T., and Greenberg, E.P., Identification, Timing, and Signal Specificity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Controlled Genes: A Transcriptome Analysis, J. Bacteriol., 2003, vol. 185, pp. 2066–2079.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Telford, G., Wheeler, D., Williams, P., Tomkins, P.T., Appleby, P., Sewell, H., and Stewart, G.S., Bycroft, B.W., and Pritchard, D.I., The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Signal Molecule N-(3-Oxododecanoyl)-Homoserine Lactone Has Immunomodulatory Activity, Infect. Immun., 1998, vol. 66, pp. 36–42.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Ritchie, A.J., Jansson, A., Stallberg, J., Nilsson, P., Lysaght, P., and Cooley, M.A., The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Molecule N-3-(Oxododecanoyl)-L-Homoserine Lactone Inhibits T-Cell Differentiation and Cytokine Production by a Mechanism Involving an Early Step in T-Cell Activation, Infect. Immun., 2005, vol. 73, pp. 1648–1655.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Novick, R.P., Autoinduction and Signal Transduction in the Regulation of Staphylococcal Virulence, Mol. Microbiol., 2003, vol. 48, pp. 1429–1449.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lyon, G.J. and Novick, R.P., Peptide Signaling in Staphylococcus aureus and Other Gram-Positive Bacteria, Peptides, 2004, vol. 25, pp. 1389–1403.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Gov, Y., Bitler, A., Dell’Acqua, G., Torres, J.V., and Balaban, N., RNAIII Inhibiting Peptide (RIP), a Global Inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenesis: Structure and Function Analysis, Peptides, 2001, vol. 22, pp. 1609–1620.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen, X., Schauder, S., Potler, N., Van Dorsselaer, A., Pelczer, I., Bassler, B.L., and Hughson, F.M., Structural Identification of a Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Signal Containing Boron, Nature, 2002, vol. 415, pp. 545–549.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Miller, S.T., Xavier, K.B., Campagna, S.R., Taga, M.E., Semmelhack, M.F., Bassler, B.L., and Hughson, F.M., Salmonella typhimurium Recognizes a Chemically Distinct Form of the Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Signal Al-2, Mol. Cell, 2004, vol. 15, pp. 677–687.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. DeLisa, M.P., Wu, C.F., Wang, L., Valdes, J.J., and Bentley, W.E., DNA Microarray-Based Identification of Genes Controlled by Autoinducer 2-Stimulated Quorum Sensing in Escherichia coli, J. Bacteriol., 2001, vol. 183, pp. 5239–5247.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Hentzer, M. and Givskov, M., Pharmacological Inhibition of Quorum Sensing for the Treatment of Chronic Bacterial Infections, J. Clin. Invest., 2003, vol. 112, pp. 1300–1307.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Costerton, J.W., Stewart, P.S., and Greenberg, E.P., Bacterial Biofilms: A Common Cause of Persistent Infections, Science, 1999, vol. 284, pp. 1318–1322.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Ilyina, T.S., Romanova, Yu.M., and Gintsburg, A.L., Biofilms as a Mode of Existence of Bacteria in External Environment and Host Body: The Phenomenon, Genetic Control, and Regulation Systems of Development, Genetika, 2004, vol. 40, pp. 1445–1456 [Russ. J. Genet. (Eng. Transl.), vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 1189–1198].

    Google Scholar 

  26. Davies D.G., Parsek, M.R., Pearson, J.P., Iglewski, B.H., Costerton, J.W., and Greenberg, E.P., The Involvement of Cell-to-Cell Signals in the Development of a Bacterial Biofilm, Science, 1998, vol. 280, pp. 295–298.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Hanzelka, B.L. and Greenberg, E.P., Quorum Sensing in Vibrio fischeri: Evidence That S-Adenosylmethionine Is the Amino Acid Substrate for Autoinducer Synthesis, J. Bacteriol., 1996, vol. 178, pp. 5291–5294.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Parsek, M.R., Val, D.L., Hanzelka, B.L., Cronan, J.E., and Greenberg, E.P., Acyl Homoserine-Lactone Quorum-Sensing Signal Generation, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1999, vol. 96, pp. 4360–4365.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Givskov, M., de Nys, R., Manefield, M., Gram, L., Maximilien, R., Eberl, L., Molin, S., Steinberg, P.D., and Kjelleberg, S., Eukaryotic Interference with Homoserine Lactone-Mediated Prokaryotic Signaling, J. Bacteriol., 1996, vol. 178, pp. 6618–6622.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Manefield, M., de Nys, R., Kumar, N., Read, R., Givskov, M., Steinberg, P., and Kjelleberg, S., Evidence That Halogenated Furanones from Delisea pulchra Inhibit Acylated Homoserine Lactone (AHL)-Mediated Gene Expression by Displacing the AHL Signal from its Receptor Protein, Microbiology (UK), 1999, vol. 145, pp. 283–291.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Manefield, M., Rasmussen, T.B., Hentzer, M., Anderson, J.B., Steinberg, P., Kjelleberg, S., and Givskov, M., Halogenated Furanones Inhibit Quorum Sensing through Accelerated LuxR Turnover, Microbiology (UK), 2002, vol. 148, pp. 1119–1127.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Ren, D., Bedzyk, L.A., Ye, R.W., Thomas, S.M., and Wood, T.K., Differential Gene Expression Shows Natural Brominated Furanones Interfere with the Autoinducer-2 Bacterial Signaling System of Escherichia coli, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 2004, vol. 88, pp. 630–642.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Dong, Y.H., Xu, J.L., Li, X.Z., and Zhang, L.H., AiiA, an Enzyme That Inactivates the Acylhomoserine Lactone Quorum-Sensing Signal and Attenuates the Virulence of Erwinia carotovora, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2000, vol. 97, pp. 3526–3531.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Dong, Y.H., Wang, L.H., Xu, J.L., Zhang, H.B., Zhang, X.F., and Zhang, L.H., Quenching Quorum-Sensing-Dependent Bacterial Infection by an N-Acyl Homoserine Lactonase, Nature, 2001, vol. 411, pp. 813–817.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Dong, Y.H., Zhang, X.F., Xu, J.L., and Zhang, L.H., Insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis Silences Erwinia carotovora Virulence by a New Form of Microbial Antagonism, Signal Interference, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 2004, vol. 70, pp. 954–960.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Leadbetter, J.R. and Greenberg, E.P., Metabolism of Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Quorum-Sensing Signals by Variovorax paradoxus, J. Bacteriol., 2000, vol. 182, pp. 6921–6926.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Lin, Y.N., Xu, J.L., Hu, J., Wang, L.H., Ong, S.L., Leadbetter, J.R., and Zhang, L.H., Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Acylase from Ralstonia Strain XJ12B Represents a Novel and Potent Class of Quorum-Quenching Enzymes, Mol. Microbiol., 2003, vol. 47, pp. 849–860.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Chun, C.K., Ozer, E.A., Welsh, M.J., Zabner, J., and Greenberg, E.P., Inactivation of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum-Sensing Signal by Human Airway Epithelia, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2004, vol. 101, pp. 3587–3590.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Balaban, N., Collins, L.V., Cullor, J.S., Hume, E.B., Medina-Acosta, E., Vieira Da Motta, O., O’Callaghan, R., Rossitto, P.V., Shirtliff, M.E., Serafim Da Silverira, L., Tarkowski, A., and Torres, J.V., Prevention of Diseases Caused by Staphylococcus aureus using the peptide RIP, Peptides, 2000, vol. 21, pp. 1301–1311.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Gov, Y., Bitler, A., Dell’Acqua, G., Torres, J.V., and Balaban, N., RNAIII Inhibiting Peptide (RIP), a Global Inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenesis: Structure and Function Analysis, Peptides, 2001, vol. 22, pp. 1609–1620.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Ribeiro, P.D., Ribeiro, O.D., Marcolan, A.M., and Medina-Acosta, E., Treatment Efficacy of the Lead RNAIII-Inhibiting Peptide YSPWTNF-NH2 in Acquired Staphylococcus aureus Sepsis: A Histopathological Assessment, Peptides, 2003, vol. 24, pp. 1829–1836.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Giacometti, A., Cirioni, O., Gov, Y., Ghiselli, R., Del Prete, M.S., Mocchegiani, F., Saba, V., Orlando, F., Scalise, G., Balaban, N., and Dell’Acqua, G., RNA III Inhibiting Peptide Inhibits In Vivo Biofilm Formation by Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 2003, vol. 47, pp. 1979–1983.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. McKenney, D., Brown, K.E., and Allison, D.G., Influence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exoproducts on Virulence Factor Production in Burkholderia cepacia: Evidence of Interspecies Communication, J. Bacteriol., 1995, vol. 177, pp. 6989–6992.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Lewenza, S., Visser, M.B., and Sokol, P.A., Interspecies Communication between Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Can. J. Microbiol., 2002, vol. 48, pp. 707–716.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Wood, D.W., Gong, F., Daykin, M.M., Williams, P., and Pierson, L.S., III, N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactone-Mediated Regulation of Phenazine Gene Expression by Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30–84 in the Wheat Rhizosphere, J. Bacteriol., 1997, vol. 179, pp. 7663–7670.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Pierson, E.A., Wood, D.W., Cannon, J.A., Blachere, F.M., and Pierson, L.S., III, Interpopulation Signaling via N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactones among Bacteria in the Wheat Rhizosphere, Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact., 1998, vol. 11, pp. 1078–1084.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Steidle, A., Sigl, K., Schuhegger, R., Ihring, A., Schmid, M., Gantner, S., Stoffels, M., Riedel, K., Givskov, M., Hartmann, A., Langebartels, C., and Eberl, L., Visualization of N-Acylhomoserine Lactone-Mediated Cell-Cell Communication between Bacteria Colonizing the Tomato Rhizosphere, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 2001, vol. 67, pp. 5761–5770.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Mathesius, U., Mulders, S., Gao, M., Teplitski, M., Caetano-Anolles, G., Rolfe, B.G., and Bauer, W.D., Extensive and Specific Responses of a Eukaryote to Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Signals, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2003, vol. 100, pp. 1444–1449.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Bauer, W.D. and Mathesius, U., Plant Responses to Bacterial Quorum Sensing Signals, Curr. Opin. Plant Biol., 2004, vol. 7, pp. 429–433.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Teplitski, M., Chen, H., Rajamani, S., Gao, M., Merighi, M., Sayre, R.T., Robinson, J.B., Rolfe, B.G., and Bauer, W.D., Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Secretes Compounds That Mimic Bacterial Signals and Interfere with Quorum Sensing Regulation in Bacteria, Plant Physiol., 2004, vol. 134, pp. 137–146.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 2, Moscow, 123182, Russia

    I. A. Khmel

Authors
  1. I. A. Khmel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Original Russian Text © I.A. Khmel, 2006, published in Mikrobiologiya, 2006, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 457–464.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Khmel, I.A. Quorum-sensing regulation of gene expression: Fundamental and applied aspects and the role in bacterial communication. Microbiology 75, 390–397 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261706040047

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261706040047

Key words

Search

Navigation