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Quorum Sensing, or How Bacteria “Talk” to Each Other

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Abstract

Reviewed are recent advances in studying the quorum-sensing systems, which regulate gene expression depending on population density. Low-molecular-weight acyl derivatives of L-homoserine lactone (N-AHL) freely diffuse through cell membranes and determine cell-to-cell communication in bacteria. The quorum-sensing systems have first been found to regulate bioluminescence in marine bacteria Photobacterium(Vibrio) fischeriand Vibrio harveyi. Such systems are widespread and control expression of genes for virulence factors, proteases, antibiotics, etc., in various Gram-negative bacteria, including plant, animal, and human pathogens. Quorum sensing is a prominent example of social behavior in bacteria, as signal exchange among individual cells allows the entire population to choose an optimal way of interaction with the environment and with higher organisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Research Center GosNIIGenetika, Moscow, 113545, Russia

    G. B. Zavilgelsky

  2. Department of Biochemistry, New York University Medical Canter, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    I. V. Manukhov

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  1. G. B. Zavilgelsky
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  2. I. V. Manukhov
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Zavilgelsky, G.B., Manukhov, I.V. Quorum Sensing, or How Bacteria “Talk” to Each Other. Molecular Biology 35, 224–232 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010439501530

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