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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
Small molecule inhibitors of bacterial quorum sensing and biofilm formation
Grant D Geske1, Rachel J Wezeman, Adam P Siegel
1Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Bacteria monitor their local population densities using small molecules (or autoinducers) in a process known as quorum sensing. Here, we report a new and efficient synthetic route to naturally occurring bacterial autoinducers [N-acyl l-homoserine lactones (AHLs)] that is readily amenable to the synthesis of analogues. This route has been applied in the first synthesis of a library of non-native AHLs. Evaluation of these compounds in bacterial reporter gene and biofilm assays has revealed a potent set of quorum sensing antagonists. These ligands will serve as valuable new tools to explore the role of quorum sensing in bacterial pathogenesis.
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