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N-Acyl-homoserine lactones and autoinducer-2-mediated quorum sensing during wastewater treatment

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Abstract

Bacteria can coordinate and synchronize activities through a cell density-dependent regulatory mechanism called quorum sensing (QS). Bacteria can measure their population by the synthesis, secretion, and perception of QS signal molecules to regulate specific gene expression when the population reaches a critical threshold. QS participates in various microbial processes such as marine organism bioluminescence, bacterial biofilm formation, and virulence factor expression. The use of QS systems mediated by N-acyl-homoserine lactones and autoinducer-2 has been recently recognized as a promising regulatory approach in environmental science and technology that can intrinsically promote the profound comprehension of wastewater treatment from a microbiology perspective. This article reviewed the study of QS in several environmental systems in wastewater treatment, including systems of aerobic granular sludge, biological nitrogen removal, and bioaugmentation, while several future prospects and suggestions are proposed on the basis of current studies.

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Funding

This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51608154 and 51578179), Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (No. HC201526-01), and Postdoctoral Scientific Research Development Fund of Heilongjiang Province in 2014 (No. LBH-Q14076).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People’s Republic of China

    Han Chen, Ang Li, Di Cui, Qiao Wang, Dan Wu, Chongwei Cui & Fang Ma

  2. Research Center on Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin, 150076, People’s Republic of China

    Di Cui

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  1. Han Chen
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  2. Ang Li
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  3. Di Cui
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  4. Qiao Wang
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  5. Dan Wu
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  6. Chongwei Cui
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  7. Fang Ma
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Correspondence to Ang Li.

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Chen, H., Li, A., Cui, D. et al. N-Acyl-homoserine lactones and autoinducer-2-mediated quorum sensing during wastewater treatment. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 102, 1119–1130 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8697-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8697-3

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