Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization (Dalian Minzu University), Ministry of Education, Dalian 116600, China.
College of Life Science, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China.
Mar Drugs. 2019 May 8;17(5):275. doi: 10.3390/md17050275.
Quorum sensing (QS) is a phenomenon of intercellular communication discovered mainly in bacteria. A QS system consisting of QS signal molecules and regulatory protein components could control physiological behaviors and virulence gene expression of bacterial pathogens. Therefore, QS inhibition could be a novel strategy to combat pathogens and related diseases. QS inhibitors (QSIs), mainly categorized into small chemical molecules and quorum quenching enzymes, could be extracted from diverse sources in marine environment and terrestrial environment. With the focus on the exploitation of marine resources in recent years, more and more QSIs from the marine environment have been investigated. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of QSIs from marine bacteria. Firstly, screening work of marine bacteria with potential QSIs was concluded and these marine bacteria were classified. Afterwards, two categories of marine bacteria-derived QSIs were summarized from the aspects of sources, structures, QS inhibition mechanisms, environmental tolerance, effects/applications, etc. Next, structural modification of natural small molecule QSIs for future drug development was discussed. Finally, potential applications of QSIs from marine bacteria in human healthcare, aquaculture, crop cultivation, etc. were elucidated, indicating promising and extensive application perspectives of QS disruption as a novel antimicrobial strategy.
群体感应 (QS) 是一种主要在细菌中发现的细胞间通讯现象。由 QS 信号分子和调节蛋白成分组成的 QS 系统可以控制细菌病原体的生理行为和毒力基因表达。因此，QS 抑制可能是一种对抗病原体和相关疾病的新策略。QS 抑制剂 (QSIs) 主要分为小分子化学物质和群体感应淬灭酶，可从海洋环境和陆地环境中的多种来源中提取。近年来，随着对海洋资源的关注，越来越多的海洋环境中的 QSIs 被研究出来。本文对海洋细菌来源的 QSIs 进行了全面综述。首先总结了具有潜在 QSIs 的海洋细菌的筛选工作，并对这些海洋细菌进行了分类。然后，从来源、结构、QS 抑制机制、环境耐受性、作用/应用等方面总结了两类海洋细菌衍生的 QSIs。接着讨论了天然小分子 QSIs 的结构修饰，以用于未来的药物开发。最后，阐述了海洋细菌来源的 QSIs 在人类保健、水产养殖、作物种植等方面的潜在应用，表明 QS 破坏作为一种新型抗菌策略具有广阔的应用前景。
