SHORT REVIEW
N-Acylhomoserine Lactones (AHLs) as Phenotype
Control Factors Produced by Gram-Negative
Bacteria in Natural Ecosystems
Kamila Myszka, Katarzyna Czaczyk
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Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Poznan University of Life Sciences,
Wojska Polskiego 48, Poznań, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(1):15-21
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Bacteria are able to sense an increase in cell population density and to respond to it by the induction of
a particular set of genes. This mechanism, called quorum sensing, includes in gram-negative bacteria the production
and secretion of an acyl homoserine lactone, which diffuses through the cell wall, from the cell to the
medium. Bacteria use the quorum sensing mechanism to regulate a variety of phenotype, such as bioluminescence,
virulence factor production, biofilm formation, and motility, which are essential for the successful
establishment of a symbiotic or pathogenic relationship with a eukaryotic host. Understanding of mechanism
of quorum sensing creates the possibility of elaborating new drugs efficient against pathogens. It also suggests
ideal targets for agricultural application of bacteria. In the review the basic concepts concerning the bacterial
quorum sensing mechanism were discussed. In this paper some aspects of eukaryote-bacterial cross talk in natural
environment were also described.