Chen Lin, Yang Liang, Duan Kang-Min
Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Yi Chuan. 2012 Jan;34(1):33-40. doi: 10.3724/sp.j.1005.2012.00033.
In contrast to the individual and nonsocial organism view of bacteria, recent discoveries show that bacteria can communicate and exhibit population behaviour via a system known as quorum sensing. Some bacterial behaviour can only be initiated when the cell number reaches a certain level (Quorum sensing, QS). It is generally believed that quorum sensing is used to coordinate cooperative behaviours at the population level; however, many issues exist regarding the evolution or development of such a system. In the present paper, the evolutionary process of bacterial quorum-sensing systems is discussed based on recent events and progresses in this field. As quorum sensing systems are often affected by environ-mental factors, such as temperature, pH, and nutrient levels, it is hence proposed that the evolution of bacterial cooperation, such as the quorum sensing, is rather a dynamic and ever-changing process which is radically affected by environmental conditions, genetic exchanges, as well as by changes in microbial community. The dynamic transformation suggests the advantages of cheaters of the system might have been short-lasted and confined in certain conditions and diminish over a long run.
与细菌的个体和非社会性生物体观点不同，最近的发现表明，细菌可以通过一种称为群体感应的系统进行交流并表现出群体行为。一些细菌行为只有在细胞数量达到一定水平时才会启动（群体感应，QS）。人们普遍认为群体感应用于在群体水平上协调合作行为；然而，关于这样一个系统的进化或发展存在许多问题。在本文中，基于该领域的最新事件和进展，讨论了细菌群体感应系统的进化过程。由于群体感应系统经常受到环境因素的影响，如温度、pH值和营养水平，因此有人提出，细菌合作的进化过程，如群体感应，是一个动态且不断变化的过程，受到环境条件、基因交换以及微生物群落变化的根本影响。这种动态转变表明，该系统中作弊者的优势可能是短暂的，并且局限于某些条件下，从长远来看会逐渐减弱。
