Interkingdom signaling: Deciphering the language of acyl homoserine lactones

Bacteria use small secreted chemicals or peptides as autoinducers to coordinately regulate gene expression within a population in a process called quorum sensing. Quorum sensing controls several important functions in different bacterial species, including the production of virulence factors and bio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology reviews 2005-11, Vol.29 (5), p.935-947
Main Authors: Shiner, Erin K., Rumbaugh, Kendra P., Williams, Simon C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acyl homoserine lactone
AHL mimics
Autoinducer
Bacteria
Bacteriology
Biofilms
Biological and medical sciences
Bioluminescence
Detection
Eukaryotic AHL receptor
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene expression
Gram-negative bacteria
Homoserine lactones
Interkingdom signaling
Lactones
Microbiology
Miscellaneous
Molecular modelling
Organic chemistry
Peptides
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Quorum sensing
Regulatory proteins
Signaling
Transcription
Vibrio fischeri
Virulence
Virulence factors
Waterborne diseases
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Summary:Bacteria use small secreted chemicals or peptides as autoinducers to coordinately regulate gene expression within a population in a process called quorum sensing. Quorum sensing controls several important functions in different bacterial species, including the production of virulence factors and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and bioluminescence in Vibrio fischeri. Many gram-negative bacterial species use acyl homoserine lactones as autoinducers that function as ligands for transcriptional regulatory proteins. Several recent reports indicate that bacterial acyl homoserine lactones can also affect gene expression in host cells. Direct signaling also appears to function in the opposite direction as some eukaryotic cell types produce mimics that interact with quorum sensing systems in bacteria. Here, we will describe the evidence to support the existence of bi-directional interkingdom signaling via acyl homoserine lactones and eukaryotic mimics and discuss the potential molecular mechanisms that mediate these responses. The functional consequences of interkingdom signaling will be discussed in relation to both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacterial–host interactions.
ISSN:0168-6445
1574-6976
1574-6976
DOI:10.1016/j.femsre.2005.03.001