The bacterial 'enigma': cracking the code of cell-cell communication - PubMed (original) (raw)
Review
The bacterial 'enigma': cracking the code of cell-cell communication
G P Salmond et al. Mol Microbiol. 1995 May.
Erratum in
- Mol Microbiol 1996 Feb;19(3):649
Abstract
In recent years it has become clear that the production of N-acyl homoserine lactones (N-AHLs) is widespread in Gram-negative bacteria. These molecules act as diffusible chemical communication signals (bacterial pheromones) which regulate diverse physiological processes including bioluminescence, antibiotic production, plasmid conjugal transfer and synthesis of exoenzyme virulence factors in plant and animal pathogens. The paradigm for N-AHL production is in the bioluminescence (lux) phenotype of Photobacterium fischeri (formerly classified as Vibrio fischeri) where the signalling molecule N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OHHL) is synthesized by the action of the LuxI protein. OHHL is thought to bind to the LuxR protein, allowing it to act as a positive transcriptional activator in an autoinduction process that physiologically couples cell density (and growth phase) to the expression of the bioluminescence genes. Based on the growing information on LuxI and LuxR homologues in other N-AHL-producing bacterial species such as Erwinia carotovora, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Yersinia enterocolitica, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium leguminosarum, it seems that analogues of the P. fischeri lux autoinducer sensing system are widely distributed in bacteria. The general physiological function of these simple chemical signalling systems appears to be the modulation of discrete and diverse metabolic processes in concert with cell density. In an evolutionary sense, the elaboration and action of these bacterial pheromones can be viewed as an example of multicellularity in prokaryotic populations.
Similar articles
- A novel strategy for the isolation of luxI homologues: evidence for the widespread distribution of a LuxR:LuxI superfamily in enteric bacteria.
Swift S, Winson MK, Chan PF, Bainton NJ, Birdsall M, Reeves PJ, Rees CE, Chhabra SR, Hill PJ, Throup JP, et al. Swift S, et al. Mol Microbiol. 1993 Nov;10(3):511-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb00923.x. Mol Microbiol. 1993. PMID: 7968529 - Multiple N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone autoinducers of luminescence in the marine symbiotic bacterium Vibrio fischeri.
Kuo A, Blough NV, Dunlap PV. Kuo A, et al. J Bacteriol. 1994 Dec;176(24):7558-65. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.24.7558-7565.1994. J Bacteriol. 1994. PMID: 8002580 Free PMC article. - Capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis and pathogenicity in Erwinia stewartii require induction by an N-acylhomoserine lactone autoinducer.
Beck von Bodman S, Farrand SK. Beck von Bodman S, et al. J Bacteriol. 1995 Sep;177(17):5000-8. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.17.5000-5008.1995. J Bacteriol. 1995. PMID: 7665477 Free PMC article. - Census and consensus in bacterial ecosystems: the LuxR-LuxI family of quorum-sensing transcriptional regulators.
Fuqua C, Winans SC, Greenberg EP. Fuqua C, et al. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1996;50:727-51. doi: 10.1146/annurev.micro.50.1.727. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1996. PMID: 8905097 Review. - Quorum regulation of luminescence in Vibrio fischeri.
Dunlap PV. Dunlap PV. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 1999 Aug;1(1):5-12. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 1999. PMID: 10941779 Review.
Cited by
- Cue-driven microbial cooperation and communication: evolving quorum sensing with honest signaling.
Czárán T, Scheuring I, Zachar I, Számadó S. Czárán T, et al. BMC Biol. 2024 Apr 2;22(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-01857-6. BMC Biol. 2024. PMID: 38561772 Free PMC article. - Innovative microbial disease biocontrol strategies mediated by quorum quenching and their multifaceted applications: A review.
Zhu X, Chen WJ, Bhatt K, Zhou Z, Huang Y, Zhang LH, Chen S, Wang J. Zhu X, et al. Front Plant Sci. 2023 Jan 12;13:1063393. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1063393. eCollection 2022. Front Plant Sci. 2023. PMID: 36714722 Free PMC article. Review. - Estimating microbial population data from optical density.
Mira P, Yeh P, Hall BG. Mira P, et al. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 13;17(10):e0276040. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276040. eCollection 2022. PLoS One. 2022. PMID: 36228033 Free PMC article. - The Cell-Cell Communication Signal Indole Controls the Physiology and Interspecies Communication of Acinetobacter baumannii.
Cui B, Chen X, Guo Q, Song S, Wang M, Liu J, Deng Y. Cui B, et al. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Aug 31;10(4):e0102722. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01027-22. Epub 2022 Jul 6. Microbiol Spectr. 2022. PMID: 35862954 Free PMC article. - Phenazines and their role in biocontrol by Pseudomonas bacteria.
Chin-A-Woeng TFC, Bloemberg GV, Lugtenberg BJJ. Chin-A-Woeng TFC, et al. New Phytol. 2003 Mar;157(3):503-523. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00686.x. New Phytol. 2003. PMID: 33873412 Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous