School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK; Microbial Interactions Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Microbial Interactions Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Trends Microbiol. 2020 Jun;28(6):436-444. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.12.004. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
Quorum sensing (QS), a type of chemical communication, allows bacteria to sense and coordinate activities in natural biofilm communities using N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) as one type of signaling molecule. For AHL-based communication to occur, bacteria must produce and recognize the same signals, which activate similar genes in different species. Our current understanding of AHL-QS suggests that signaling between species would arise randomly, which is not probable. We propose that AHL-QS signaling is a mutable and adaptable process, within limits. AHLs are highly-conserved signals, however, their corresponding receptor proteins (LuxR) are highly variable. We suggest that both flexibility and adaptation occur among receptor proteins, allowing for complex signaling networks to develop in biofilms over time.
群体感应（QS）是一种化学通讯方式，允许细菌使用 N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯（AHLs）作为一种信号分子来感知和协调自然生物膜群落中的活动。为了进行基于 AHL 的通讯，细菌必须产生和识别相同的信号，这些信号在不同物种中激活相似的基因。我们目前对 AHL-QS 的理解表明，物种之间的信号传递是随机发生的，这是不太可能的。我们提出，AHL-QS 信号传递是一个可变化和适应的过程，在一定范围内是如此。AHLs 是高度保守的信号，但它们相应的受体蛋白（LuxR）则高度可变。我们认为，受体蛋白既具有灵活性又具有适应性，这使得生物膜中的复杂信号网络能够随着时间的推移而发展。
